Rescue questions

[McAllyn]

Morning, folks!

I just started a thread in the Member Tanks thread for the 90 rescue that Smiths Reef and I will be doing.

I'm looking at stage 1, vinegar soak. I'm going to plug up the bulkheads and filler' up with good old spigot hose water and a gallon of vinegar. Should I put all the stuff that was already in the tank in there, too, to soak, or just the skeleton? Everything is pretty well gummed up and covered with algae and slime. I would guess the vinegar wouldn't work well with the powerhead motors, but everything else, loc-line return, drain tube, and powerhead covers should all be okay, right?

Mac

 

[andywe]

Morning, folks!

I just started a thread in the Member Tanks thread for the 90 rescue that Smiths Reef and I will be doing.

I'm looking at stage 1, vinegar soak. I'm going to plug up the bulkheads and filler' up with good old spigot hose water and a gallon of vinegar. Should I put all the stuff that was already in the tank in there, too, to soak, or just the skeleton? Everything is pretty well gummed up and covered with algae and slime. I would guess the vinegar wouldn't work well with the powerhead motors, but everything else, loc-line return, drain tube, and powerhead covers should all be okay, right?

Mac

Go ahead and soak the powerbeads too. I do this periodically to remove Coraline buildup on my powerheads and internal pumps. One gallon of vinegar to clean a 90 gallon tank will be s bit weak. I use a 25-1 water/vinegar ratio, so in mu opinion only I would sue at least 4 gallons of vinegar.

For the tank itself I would even recommend a trick I got from Chris at the Critter, which is use Muriatic acid (you can buy at Ace hardware or Home Depot). As long as there is no metal in the tank it works very well, and in 20 minutes you accomplish what takes days of soaking and scrubbing to accomplish. Just make sure you take the tank outside, do it on concrete, wear gloves and eye protection. Use a small spray bottle, spray the tank and let it sit about 20 minutes. Rinse very well with lots of cold water. Repeat if necessary. Don't breath it, and it's cool to watch your tank "smoke" lol. The silicon and glass are not reactive to the acid.

 

[McAllyn]

Sweet, I might give that a try. But, if I stick with the vinegar and it won't harm the powerheads, should I go ahead and plug one in and use the flow to help loosen things up a bit?

Mac

 

[Dowtish]

Vinegar can affect the magnets in the powerheads over time. just fyi. I use vinegar to soak my mp40's, but do it for a minimal amount of time.

 

[schooleyosis]

I use vinegar to clean my pumps a few times a year. I just place the pumps in the bucket with water and vinegar and let them run for an hour or two. After that I unplug the pump and take a toothbrush and clean every part of the PH, taking the impeller and shaft out and cleaning them as well. I figure good maintenance will only help in the long run...

 

[gmoney243]

I cleaned my 180 with 2g of vinegar soaked for 3 days and it all wiped. U dont need a buncha vinegar. Vinegar bathing pumps is fine and i do it regularly with no ill effects. I soak my return pump and powerheads every 2-3 months and ato pump monthly. All pumps run much better after the cleanings.

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[Dowtish]

I agree on cleaning your PH often. You can ask some members how much crap I give them for having nasty algae encrusted PH's. The amount of flow that you lose is really unbelievable.

So everybody....Clean your nasty PH's!!!!:tsk:

 

[McAllyn]

I'll be sure to include a pic of a "nasty PH"! Just for reference! Actually, I'm going to try to "before and after" everything.

Thanks for the tips, all. This is going to be quite an experience.

The guy who helped me pick it up pulled me aside and said, "Man, what the %^&* are you doing?" My reply... "Anyone can throw $2k plus at the Critter and have a beautiful tank, at least for a few days. But this is about bringing something back to life and making it better. Would you prefer to buy a new Beetle from the dealership or find a '64 Bug stuffed back behind somebody's barn?"

I'll fill it up, add a couple gallons of vinegar, put in the pumps and powerheads, and let it sit for a couple hours. Then I'll pull the pumps and ph's out and scrub on them manually while the tank soaks outside.

Mac

 

[ShimmyUK]

I always give my powerheads a good soak in vinegar, then take a hard brush to them, then I put them in a bucket of RO and let them run for 30 mins.

 

[gmoney243]

If theyre real dirty let them sit for a day or so man trust me no need for manual scrubbing unless u just like to work hard haha. Trust me look at my build thread here first page shows my tank covered in coraline i tried scrubbing and it sucked. Was much better to let sit and just wipe away. Same with ph your magnets are enclosed in plasticand thr actual magnets are coated so no it wont ruin your ph. Least i never have and ive soaked pumps and powerheads for days before

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