baking soda?

[coendeurloo]

How many times do you rinse the tank to get rid of the bleach/ammonia/other agressive cleaner?

I got 2 new tanks yesterday with calcium spots that just wouldn't go away, so I used a pretty agressive cleaner (called anti-cal here), and I've rinsed it thoroughly, but is that enough? It is now drying in the sun, is another thorough hot water rinse enough? I never used agressive cleaners before.

 

[Jennewt]

Coen, I think it depends on whether the cleaner is completely water-soluble or not. Bleach or plain ammonia "rinse clean", while some detergents do not because they contain chemicals that stick to surfaces. I don't know what kind of stuff they put into "anti-cal". But if it's just an acid, it should rinse clean if you just rinse it many times in water. For complete rinsing, I usually take the tank outside and use a garden hose to rinse it.

Did the chemical you used remove the calcium stain? I haven't had much luck with chemicals for this. I use a razor blade.

 

[coendeurloo]

It did remove the worst stains, however it's not totally clean. We didn't have razor blades in the house unfortunatly. The current level of stains is acceptable. I rinsed it in the shower for about 2 minutes extra.

 

[cheddarsox]

Many chlorine bleaches sold in the USA have detergents added to them.So, after disinfecting with bleach, rinsing, rinsing and more rinsing, I follow with a vinegar rinse to help remove any stubborn detergents. I also rinse new tanks and plastic containers that I use for habitats with a vinegar rinse as they often have a "slick" detergent type feel from manufactoring process. Rinse out the vinegar well also.

I let them dry and air in the sun if possible a day or two.

Linette