Tank contaminated with engine oil

[Carguy85]

Hey there guys, hope this is the right place for this thread. I have a 60 gallon glass reef tank that has an issue. The tank while empty in storage in my garage had a large container of used engine oil spilled in it. I am looking to setup a new tank and would like to use this one but obviously have reservations.. i was thinking of cleaning out the tank real well with dawn dish soap. Rinsing it thoroughly and then filling it with water and throwing in some bags of activated charcoal. Maybe running a pump through a charcoal reactor for a few days as well. Any thoughts, tips or recommendations?

 

[Biglew11]

A biodegradable soap might be my first try at removing the oil.

https://www.99boulders.com/best-biodegradable-soaps

We're always saying don't use soaps and stuff around tank or its equipment.
So you may also want to try citric acid or muriatic acid.

Dawn dish soap on glass will probably rinse away completely enough to be safe. But I would still try alternatives first.

The acids sound kind of harsh but, you can mix up an alkalinity solution (baking soda or soda ash) and spray it on to make sure it's nutralized. The carbonate compounds in saltwater will neutralize any acid that might remain.

This is just my opinion.

 

[A_Blind_Reefer]

Kitty litter to absorb the heavy oil. Clean and scrub with Dawn. Rinse, repeat with Dawn, rinse, repeat…. When it’s clean then use the citric acid. Should be fine after that. With that, I wouldn’t rush to put livestock in it. Cycle it with rock, and get a canary in the coal mine type of fish. Or wait for when petci has their dollar per gallon tank sales…. Good luck

edit…after all that, I’m not sure how well aquarium silicone holds up to petrochemicals… so food for thought