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Cleaning Question

Discussion in 'Aquarium Equipment & Decor' started by wimberlyt, Mar 7, 2009.

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  1. wimberlyt

    wimberlyt Thread Starter New Member

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    Tank Cleaning & Substrate Depth Questions
    You can clean it with with a mixture of Water, White vinegar & Baking Soda.
    Use an aquarium scrubby (normally sold for removing algae from tank walls). If the white deposits are really stubborn you can use straight vinegar on them.

    Gravel isn't necessary..it only serves as a decorative purpose?

    If you want a substrate that is cheap AND you don't want to find it jamming up your filter you can always go with PeaGravel (just rinse the heck out of it).
    You can find really large bags of it at Wal-mart in their outdoor garden section for about $5 a LARGE bag (they should be getting ready to put that sort of stuff out very soon). You can also find it at places such as Lowes/HomeDepot/etc.

    You can even use pool filter sand (make sure it's silicate free).

    To look best substrate should be about 2-3"...the following link will lead you to a substrate calculator to help you figure out how many pounds to get the depth that you want.
    http://www.plantedtank.net/substratecalculator.html
    Make sure you select your type of substrate by clicking on the arrow ;)
     
    wimberlyt, Mar 7, 2009
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  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    I'm not sure about the gravel, but cleaning it is easy, well it not really easy but simple I should say.

    The two methods I know are hot water and vinegar.

    The hot water is simple all you need is a scrub brush, hot water, and Elbow greases.

    The vinegar is the same as the hot water minus the hot water, you will also need rinse with water after finishing.

    note: for the scrub brush use a brand new one and set it aside for fish stuff only.
     
    Anonymous, Mar 7, 2009
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  3. stevenrox

    stevenrox New Member

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    just get a moist towel and scub it if it doesnt get a razor blade and scrape gor gravel you can have none if you want its mostly a personal preference
     
    stevenrox, Mar 7, 2009
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  4. wimberlyt

    wimberlyt Thread Starter New Member

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    Thanks guys! ;) I've got a lot of cleaning to do tomorrow. This is my first 55 gallon tank. Used to a 10 gal.
     
    wimberlyt, Mar 8, 2009
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  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Top Poster Of Month

    Good luck with the cleaning, I think I should hit some local yard sale sometime soon.
     
    Anonymous, Mar 8, 2009
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  6. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Good Luck with cleaning it up! I'm sure it will look good as new when your done :)
     
    MOD_Dawn, Mar 8, 2009
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  7. wimberlyt

    wimberlyt Thread Starter New Member

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    I found out that it's A LOT heavier than a 10 gallon too. I darn near got a hernia carrying it from his place to mine just across the street lol. Luckily I have an old cedar chest too put it on. It had a stand but he's using it to hold his living room tv.
     
    wimberlyt, Mar 8, 2009
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  8. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    Lol, be careful what you use as a stand. The weight can add up really fast in a tank!

    For example (rough figures)...55 with freshwater (625Lbs)..add substrate (tack on an extra 60Lbs)...add some decorations such as caves/rock/driftwood/Etc and tack on another 15-20Lbs). And that doesn't even include the weight of the chest that you plan on putting it on.

    Ps. Items with a center brace are a good option! For a cheap tank stand you can try using Craiglist under the pets section. If you can't find one you could always post a free ad on there for one.

    Petsmart and Wal-mart used to carry reasonably priced stands for 55g (however I can't say I checked them out in a while..the last time I had a 55g was about a year ago or so).

    -> Post some picts once you get it all set up!
     
    MOD_Dawn, Mar 8, 2009
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  9. MOD_Dawn

    MOD_Dawn Active Member

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    MOD_Dawn, Mar 8, 2009
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