Tank Cleaning

Nightfyre · Dec 23, 2022

So I was given. Yes given! A Waterbox 100.3 tank with cabinets and sump! After our recent earthquake here in Humboldt County California, the owner decided it was too much of a risk to keep in his office, splashed water all over. It was running for 3 years until earlier this week. It needs a thorough cleaning and equipment (livestock and other stuff was already given away), but it was free! So my question is what should I use to clean everything? Is a citric acid soak and some elbow grease the best option? If so, is there a specific ones I should buy from Amazon and one I should avoid? Pictures attached to show tanks, sorry for quality, taken in poorly lit garage at night. Thanks!

Alex Cataldo · Dec 23, 2022

Get some food grade citric acid off Amazon and spray in onto the sump and tank with a spray bottle. A toothbrush and some elbow grease should work fine. Take special care around the bulkhead holes, my recommendation would be to clean around the glass holes very thoroughly and then replace the bulkheads.

Reef Psychology · Dec 24, 2022

Lucky! Vinegar and water would have it sparkling in a couple of hours without much work. I know the new nifty thing is citric acid, but I've been using vinegar for 20 years and never had an issue. Maybe because I don't let equipment to soak overnight.

Glenner’sreef · Dec 24, 2022

Razor blades and some water will clean it up quickly.

mike550 · Dec 24, 2022

That’s a great pickup! I would fill everything with tap water mixed with citric acid. This way you can leak test and it will soften a lot of buildup. Leave it a couple of days and then use a plastic paint scraper and nylon brush to remove the buildup.

Vinegar is known to absorb into plastic causing it to swell / weaken plastic