Caudata.org: Newts and Salamanders Portal

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!
Did you know that registered users see fewer ads? Register today!

cleaning the glass.

niajetze

New member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
137
Reaction score
3
Location
north wales
I have used vinegar to clean the out side of the glass for the tank (being carefull not to get it on the sealant) It is literally sparkling. Is this safe to use more regularly (once a fortnight) or might it damage the seal on the aquarium I should imagine its safer to use this than anything else around the axies (with the same results). Its nice to have an aquarium without water marks on it ... I can take some photos for once without the inevitable water mark woohoo!
 

ianclick

New member
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
1,306
Reaction score
36
Location
Te Aroha
Hi.

If you are talking about the inside of the tank, I would not use anything other than a clean cloth. I would also only wipe the front as some of what you are removing is healthy bacteria which is necessary for the health of your tank.

Vinegar is acetic acid very weak as far as acids go but acid none the less so I would be wary.

Good Luck
 

niajetze

New member
Joined
May 7, 2007
Messages
137
Reaction score
3
Location
north wales
No I just used it to clean the outside its reassuring to know its only slightly acidic I use a cloth normally and it never really gets it clean enough and as I have salt in the aquarium to keep my axies healthy when you are feeding etc water inevitaly gets on the outside of the glass and when it evaporates leaves horrible water marks which the vinegar gets rid of really well - makes the glass sparkle I was just really concerned that it might damage the silicone (I would never use it on the inside or indeed any cleaner - hot water would do the trick not that I have aany intention doing this it would take ages to cycle my tank again!!!
 

ianclick

New member
Joined
May 29, 2007
Messages
1,306
Reaction score
36
Location
Te Aroha
Hi Carrie,

I know what you mean mercifully silicone is a very durable substance and vinegar shouldn't harm it. I have just asked an associate who is a chemistry professor and she says shouldn't affect the silicon.

I normally just use a clean tea towel
 

Jennewt

Administrator
Staff member
Joined
May 27, 2005
Messages
12,451
Reaction score
146
Location
USA
I agree, silicone won't be hurt by vinegar. If the tank is ever empty, it IS safe to use vinegar on the inside too. It rinses cleanly, and trace amounts would not be harmful.
 

Daniel

Site Contributor
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
664
Reaction score
26
Location
Germany
Now and then I used vinegar to clean up tanks, especially quarantine tanks for the acid not only removes water marks but can kill most bacteria and fungi, too.

Just be shure not to use it on plastic tanks for most plastics get damaged when treated with acids.
 

Abrahm

Well-known member
Joined
Aug 5, 2005
Messages
1,462
Reaction score
47
Location
Saint Paul, MN
Now and then I used vinegar to clean up tanks, especially quarantine tanks for the acid not only removes water marks but can kill most bacteria and fungi, too.

Just be shure not to use it on plastic tanks for most plastics get damaged when treated with acids.

I just wanted to comment on this. We had a really long thread about this recently and vinegar is not an effective disinfectant. The concentration of acetic acid in vinegar (~5%) is not sufficient to kill or even hamper the growth of most fungi or bacteria. To actually disinfect you need to use something like bleach or ammonia.

That said vinegar is an excellent cleaning agent and does a decent job of removing calcium buildup caused by hard water.
 

Daniel

Site Contributor
Joined
Aug 15, 2007
Messages
664
Reaction score
26
Location
Germany
Thanks for the link, I had not seen this topic before.

I should have added that I do not use "normal" vinegar but a concentrated one (over here we have vinegar-concentrates with up to 40% acid - just be shure to wear gloves).

Nevertheless I admit that there are better ways for disinfecting.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
33
Reaction score
4
Location
S41 7ed
Hi guys I'm watching this thread cause I get my axolotl back next week and I'm not keen on the idea of plopping her straight into her tank after I cleaned it with distilled white vinegar, I soaked some kitchen towel papers and left them on the inside of the glass to clear the limescale(hard water marks) and then just mopped up the excess with kitchen towels till it was all dry and then filled my tank and put my filters in (that have been cycled), 3 - 4 days later, my water went slightly cloudy, so I googled this, and I tested my ammonia levels and nitrite levels, both came back good?
Please see attached my photos for reference.
Thank you to anyone who can help!

P. S I know I need a lid for my tank 🙈
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20211116_152627.jpg
    IMG_20211116_152627.jpg
    1,018.6 KB · Views: 147
  • IMG_20211116_152648.jpg
    IMG_20211116_152648.jpg
    1.1 MB · Views: 127
  • IMG_20211116_152701.jpg
    IMG_20211116_152701.jpg
    1.7 MB · Views: 102
  • IMG_20211116_131233.jpg
    IMG_20211116_131233.jpg
    2.1 MB · Views: 111
  • IMG_20211116_131213.jpg
    IMG_20211116_131213.jpg
    2.2 MB · Views: 94

AMurry24537

Active member
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
417
Reaction score
154
Location
Wisconsin
Hi guys I'm watching this thread cause I get my axolotl back next week and I'm not keen on the idea of plopping her straight into her tank after I cleaned it with distilled white vinegar, I soaked some kitchen towel papers and left them on the inside of the glass to clear the limescale(hard water marks) and then just mopped up the excess with kitchen towels till it was all dry and then filled my tank and put my filters in (that have been cycled), 3 - 4 days later, my water went slightly cloudy, so I googled this, and I tested my ammonia levels and nitrite levels, both came back good?
Please see attached my photos for reference.
Thank you to anyone who can help!

P. S I know I need a lid for my tank 🙈
Okay, so, the reason your water is cloudy is probably because of the vinegar. You need to actually rinse it out with running water, not just let it dry up because it's still there. You should empty the tank and refill it.

Now, as for your parameters, the reason they are testing well is because, well, you probably killed the cycle. I could be wrong about this, but at least from what you mentioned, it sounds as if you don't have a source of ammonia. Ammonia is bad for your future axolotl, but ammonia is the "food" for the bacteria that make your water safe. Aquatic creatures and decaying matter produce ammonia, which is eaten by bacteria that then produce nitrites. Nitrites, in turn, are eaten by bacteria that produce nitrates. Nitrates are eaten by plants or removed through water changes. If you don't have a source of ammonia, the whole chain of bacteria starves and dies. You will likely need to restart your cycle (again, unless I'm wrong about your lack of ammonia).

Also, I too have issues with internal limescale marks because of how hard the water in my area is. You can somewhat prevent them by topping off your tank with distilled water (don't use your normal water, because this just adds more minerals; you want to replace the pure water content that has evaporated). I also use a new razor blade to occasionally scrape it off the glass. It works great and is very satisfying!!

Last note, you don't necessarily need a lid; leaving it off can be a great way to cool your water through evaporation. If you're worried about your axolotl jumping out, you could use a screen lid and get the best of both worlds.
 
Joined
Nov 12, 2021
Messages
33
Reaction score
4
Location
S41 7ed
Okay, so, the reason your water is cloudy is probably because of the vinegar. You need to actually rinse it out with running water, not just let it dry up because it's still there. You should empty the tank and refill it.

Now, as for your parameters, the reason they are testing well is because, well, you probably killed the cycle. I could be wrong about this, but at least from what you mentioned, it sounds as if you don't have a source of ammonia. Ammonia is bad for your future axolotl, but ammonia is the "food" for the bacteria that make your water safe. Aquatic creatures and decaying matter produce ammonia, which is eaten by bacteria that then produce nitrites. Nitrites, in turn, are eaten by bacteria that produce nitrates. Nitrates are eaten by plants or removed through water changes. If you don't have a source of ammonia, the whole chain of bacteria starves and dies. You will likely need to restart your cycle (again, unless I'm wrong about your lack of ammonia).

Also, I too have issues with internal limescale marks because of how hard the water in my area is. You can somewhat prevent them by topping off your tank with distilled water (don't use your normal water, because this just adds more minerals; you want to replace the pure water content that has evaporated). I also use a new razor blade to occasionally scrape it off the glass. It works great and is very satisfying!!

Last note, you don't necessarily need a lid; leaving it off can be a great way to cool your water through evaporation. If you're worried about your axolotl jumping out, you could use a screen lid and get the best of both worlds.
Thank you so much for this, this makes so much sense now!

I doooo have a small colony of pond snails in a bowl, which I was thinking of using as an ammonia source since they poop a lot. Do you think that would work? I know I have bacteria in my filters already from a previous cycle, my nitrate reading was at 5.0ppm last night.

There are things like bugs floating around in the tank atm with having no lid, is that okay? I really want to get her in her tank now, she's getting big and fed up of being tubbed.

But I'll still need to empty it all? Will the vinegar not have dissolved through condensation by now? I thought it turned into a vapour

Thanks so much
 

Attachments

  • 16377421837545429110648055724322.jpg
    16377421837545429110648055724322.jpg
    3.1 MB · Views: 127

AMurry24537

Active member
Joined
Nov 24, 2019
Messages
417
Reaction score
154
Location
Wisconsin
Snails as an ammonia source would work for that purpose, but I've heard (no personal experience) that it can be difficult to find and remove snails (their eggs specifically) from things like plants and decorations. For that reason, I probably wouldn't rely on this source, because you should not have snails and axolotls together. When I cycled my first tank, I actually used 100% liquid ammonia that I think I bought off of Amazon. I just added a particular amount every 24 hours.

It's great that you have that filter media! It's much easier to maintain a cycle than to start one, but you will still need a source of ammonia in the new tank. Theoretically, I think you'd probably be fine just to put the filter media in the new tank at the same time as your axolotl as long as you keep an eye on the ammonia, nitrites, and nitrates. The bio-load will probably be different with the axolotl (they're little waste machines, haha), but with regular water changes and vigilance of the levels, you should be fine.

As for the bugs, what kind of bugs are you dealing with? What's the source? If the issue is caused by some kind of environmental problem in your home, I would work on resolving that immediately. Depending on what kinds of bugs there are, they may cause problems if your axolotl tries to eat them. That being said, I've gotten the occasional moth in my water. It happens. I just use a turkey baster to remove them as I see them and all is well. I do personally recommend some kind of lid, especially with a new axolotl and/or one in a new environment. They are known to jump out occasionally. As I said before, you don't necessarily NEED one, but I use screen lids for all of my axie babies, even though there's really only one I'm slightly concerned about, lol.

As for the vinegar issue, I would say that it's better to be safe than sorry. Ultimately, it's up to you, but I personally would empty and refill it. If you don't have a siphon or gravel vacuum and a 5-gallon bucket (or two), I would definitely recommend the investment! Makes it soooo much easier to do big water changes!
 
General chit-chat
Help Users
  • No one is chatting at the moment.
    There are no messages in the chat. Be the first one to say Hi!
    Top