Tank cleaning

[Fell]

I am going to be getting a new axolotl soon, and a friend has lent me a tank for the short term that has previously held fish (over a year ago) and since held stagnant water.

Obviously, I want to clean this tank pretty thoroughly before the introduction of my permeable skinned friend, but was wondering whether there are any cleaning products that are particularly good/ bad with a view to introducing an axolotl later/ damaging the tank?

Thanks!

 

[Joost]

just use warm/hot water, no cleaning products. If you do so, make sure you rinse very good with water

 

[blueberlin]

Anything aggressive or abrasive can damage the glass or silicone seals. Bleach is a good idea for killing any germs, but as Joost wrote, you will need to rinse (and rinse and rinse) the tank very well after using bleach.

Good luck to you!

-Eva

 

[callina]

Hi,

I´m cleanig fish tanks before using them for axies with vinegar (desinfectant) and rinse very good with water.

-tina-

 

[Fell]

Cool. Thanks for the advice, everyone!

In a related question, are there any water treatment products for removal of chlorine/ chloramines/ heavy metals etc. that anyone can particularly recommend using or avoiding?

 

[Niall W]

In my experience with fish (first axie soon) they're all pretty much the same, just branded differently
Buy a big bottle and it'll save you in the long run.

On the other hand - if you can wait (ie. have more than one bucket going at once) - if you just leave a big bucket of water (with a lid) standing for a couple of weeks, the chlorine is fine
Some people may refute that, but it's always worked with me doing fortnightly fish water changes. Though i've still got a de-chloriniser in my cupboard as well

 

[Shizeric]

Any pet store is going to set water purifier that gets rid of the chlorine and whatnot. But like everyone else said, use vinegar or a highly dilutes water/bleach solution, but make sure you get rid of ALL of it with plenty of rinses.

 

[Greatwtehunter]

If you go the route of bleach then use a solution that is at or a little less than 10% bleach. After lots of rinsing I always let mine "air" out in the yard for a few days. Also, a razor blade works extremely well at getting off hard water stains, as well as the tips of your fingers so keep an eye out.

 

[Abrahm]

When it comes to cleaning I would just wash out everything you can with tap water and a clean rag. If you have limescale buildup on the side of the aquarium a razor blade will help scrape that off (glass aquariums only!) as can lemon juice or white vinegar.

If you are worried about disease and want to disinfect the surface make sure you rinse and clean off all dirt and other detritus as it will deactivate the bleach. Mix up a fresh 1 to 10 solution of bleach in water and spray liberally over the tank. Let this stand for at least 20 minutes and then rinse off. Rinse with copious amounts of water. A good idea would be after all your rinses to fill the aquarium with water in the sink and add dechlorinator drops and let that sit for 10-20 minutes before dumping out the water. Residual chlorine from the bleach is toxic to amphibians.

As far as dechlorinators go, I would avoid any that have aloe or other products besides those necessary to remove chlorine/chloramine and heavy metals. I personally like Prime because it is very concentrated providing more bang for the buck.

I´m cleanig fish tanks before using them for axies with vinegar (desinfectant) and rinse very good with water.

Just a note that vinegar by itself is not a disinfectant. It does not kill any significant amount of microbes. It does clean glass well (removes water spots, light limescale, etc.) but does not disinfect.

 

[Gim]

Apologies about crashing this thread but I have a very similar question. My axie tank has a fan which makes the water evaporate very quickly and therefore leaves big white limescale patches that I cannot seem to remove no matter how hard I scrub. Other than razor blades is there anything you suggest to help me get this off while my axolotl stays in his tank?

thanks

Gim

 

[callina]

Hi Gim,

did you already try it by using a razor blade? It works fantastic.

-Tina-

 

[Abrahm]

Apologies about crashing this thread but I have a very similar question. My axie tank has a fan which makes the water evaporate very quickly and therefore leaves big white limescale patches that I cannot seem to remove no matter how hard I scrub. Other than razor blades is there anything you suggest to help me get this off while my axolotl stays in his tank?

thanks

Gim

A rag dampened with vinegar or lemon juice has worked for me in the past. Try not to let it drip into the tank but even if it does it shouldn't be a cause for much worry.

 

[blueberlin]

I have a little scrubber bought at an aquarium shop. It is steel wool with a plastic handle. This works fine for me. I would hesitate to use just any steel wool, though, in case it might scratch the glass. I do weekly water changes and so what builds up in that time is removed easily enough.

-Eva