# Removing hard water deposits



## Phildo (Jul 29, 2004)

Finally emptied this 40 gallon and switched the fish out. What is the best/cheapest product that I can use to remove these HIDEOUS white mineral deposits all over the upper edges of the tank.

I am stocking the tank in a week so hopefuily it is available locally. I want to be sure whatever I use is going to rinse off well and be safe for fish shortly after.

Thanks!


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## mmz3 (Sep 7, 2009)

i just normaly use a razor scraper. :roll:


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## Phildo (Jul 29, 2004)

mmz3 said:


> i just normaly use a razor scraper. :roll:


The water here is notorious for leaving scale that cannot be removed physically.


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## KaiserSousay (Nov 2, 2008)

Vinegar has been a staple for removing buildups. 
For the really stubborn, muriatic acid, like for a swimming pool, has also worked.


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## lilyicu (Jan 27, 2007)

Warm water and vinegar


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

I use a mixture of 75% water and 25% muriatic acid. Rinse real well and it will look brand new without the risk of scratching it up. The muriatic acid is generally available at hardware and or pool supply shops.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

i wish someone would leave a sticky on muriatic acid ..and how to use it safely .... this stuff was given by god to clean out calcium deposits from aquariums and we should all take advantage of that fact.


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## Phildo (Jul 29, 2004)

Is this acid going to be safe to rinse on a front lawn with a hose?


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

yes...just dont stick your nose over the tank and breathe in ....when your over the tank just hold your breath and turn away when you have to breathe in ..simple as that.

even if you did by mistake you wouldnt suffer that badly ..you will just know that you wont do that again. :wink:

but open air is the key ..


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## Tshethar (Jul 20, 2009)

Hey you guys... man, I am going through the same problem as two other folks on this board today, and I'm not finding a lot of joy in it.

So, I picked up a used 55 on CL from a guy who was nice enough but didn't have much of a clue. So I guess it is on me. It was for $100 bucks and included an MDF black stand, two 24" hoods, a visitherm heater and an emperor 400, so... even though he advertised it as a "70 galon" (sic), I decided after driving over there it would work for me.

Well, he just broke it down that day--had been holding water, silicone is fine, and I wasn't scared off by those white hard water stains. :roll: This was my chance to get a deal, and I already knew about white vinegar.

:?

Well, needless to say, it didn't work. I even tried microwaving straight vinegar and using that... nada. I set up the tank anyway, figuring you notice it less when it's full of water. True enough, but... after a week or so, cycling the tank, looking at it with lights on... I wasn't sure I had tried hard enough.

So, for anyone who is afraid to try Muriatic acid--and I read all the threads on here about how toxic it can be, etc., etc.--I can say I didn't feel too endangered working with it this afternoon. But I did take the trouble to empty all the sand out of my tank, drain it, haul it outside, use eye protection, rubber gloves, long sleeves, etc., etc.

First I mixed and 8:1 water/acid ratio. Then I went to 4:1. Then I added another cup... it didn't touch my hard water stains. I even tried using salt on the glass as an abrasive. Now what?

I was planning to put some nice fish in this tank--a guy is holding a group of Enantopius Kilesa for me for a species-only setup--and I can't believe I can't get this white film off the glass. My filter media is mostly cycled, and I can't decide whether to go out and buy a new 55 today, live with the cloudiness, or what.... for the moment, I am defeated! (at least this battle, if not the war.) What would you do?


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## Tshethar (Jul 20, 2009)

Alright, it's down to 2 options (or maybe both):

1. Go to Petco and buy a new 55 for $109 plus tax. Restart filters and resume cycling today.

2. Petco employee who is a member on here says the high-end local LFS he used to work for would fill used tanks with a mix of water and Muriatic acid and let sit for 2 days... There's a little risk to the silicone doing this, but they did it all the time, and I haven't got much to lose... ideas on concentration?

3. Maybe do both, and get something for the used tank by itself if I can get it to clear up and hold water.

Opinions? :-?


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## Phildo (Jul 29, 2004)

I am thinking it may not be worth the effort if Tshethar used the acid and it didnt even work. Maybe I will just do what I can with a razor, I definitely dont want to endanger the silicone because im already a bit worried.


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## JALOOS (Sep 6, 2008)

Tshethar said:


> First I mixed and 8:1 water/acid ratio. Then I went to 4:1. Then I added another cup... it didn't touch my hard water stains. I even tried using salt on the glass as an abrasive. Now what?


I find that very odd as I was given a tank and sump with protien skimmer that were to say the very least coated so bad with a combination of hard water and salt water scum for lack of a better word that I had pretty much written them off as uncleanable (along with other pieces of equipment). The tank is a 6 foot 150 gallon monster so to giving up on was a very last option. The deposits were so bad that the sump plexi was not even see through anymore.

The muriatic acid worked wonders.

If your stains are that stubborn use the stuff full strength on the deposits after you have dried them out again, this will allow the deposits to absorb the acid without the presence of water in the buildup to restrict absorbtion. Keep applying it straight to the build up and rinse off with smaller amounts of water. With the addition of the water you should actually see the stuff giving off a visible vapour. If what you have is indeed hard water build up it will go away.


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## Tshethar (Jul 20, 2009)

Hey again,

Well, I bit the bullet and bought myself a new tank (special thanks to the understanding spouse =D> ), which now means I feel free to experiment a little to see what I can learn about the cloudy one.

Jaloos, I'm going to try what you suggest sometime in the near future (though maybe not before next weekend after all the fish work I did today), and see what happens. I did feel safe working with the stuff, and it certainly seems like if it really were a hardness issue, the haze would clear up.

I'm not sure soaking it in a weaker solution for a longer period is as likely to work in my case, though I could see that as a worthwhile idea for a general cleanup, especially of a marine tank. If the spot treatment doesn't work I'll probably give it a try just to see.

My suspicion is that for whatever reason, the front glass may be etched at this point. I don't claim to understand how this happens--there is a thread on here in which a guy uses an electron microscope to describe molecular changes in the glass--but what makes me think so is that the two side panels of glass are totally clear, while the front and the back continue to have the dreaded white haze.

Anyway, good luck to all with these issues, and sorry to hijack, Phido... hope it clears up for you without too much effort... I'd be interested to know how it goes. And I second zazz's wish for a sticky on the Muriatic acid.


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## suki (May 22, 2011)

Tshethar and JALOOS,

You both wrote on this subject on 13 and 14 Sept 2009. I hope you are still both here. I just joined today, 22 May 2011.

I did almost exactly the same thing Tshethar did. I bought a well-used tight 75 gal (actually 67 gal aquarium) on Craig's List for $100 with black metal stand and traveled over fifty miles to pick it up. I was naive and did not realize I should have bought a new aquarium. I thought I could remove the mineral stains covering the top 5 inches of glass all around. First, I scraped off all the scrapable deposits with new razor blades. I tried straight vinegar, when diluted vinegar did not work. I tried fresh straight lemon juice. I tried scrubbing the stains with baking soda. None of these worked.

It still looks simply miserable. I was afraid to try HCL (muriatic acid) for fear that any residue would be detrimental to the aquatic creatures, but after reading of your experiences and reports, I am leaving momentarily to purchase some. I am not going to fool around with diluting it, but will use it full strength, as it comes, with gloves and a sponge to apply it directly to the stains. I am desperate to get this tank cleaned like new. The date on the tank is 3 January 1983, so it has seen a lot of use, but it is otherwise in great shape and I want to get rid of the horrible white hazy lines so I can set it up for use. I will report the results. I was hoping to find some further input from Tshethar after trying to clean the old tank, but couldn't find any further update.


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## PfunMo (Jul 30, 2009)

I went the same route you are now taking. Then I tried buffing it with power tools and a variety of compounds. Auto buffing compound, compounds to remove rust, etc. etc, were all useless. As far as I can tell the stains are not on the glass but IN the glass. They disappear when I wet the glass but come back as it dries. I bought the tank for 85 with fish lights and stand and sold the tank for 50 so I'm not hurt but now know more about avoiding stained tanks.

I am also smarter about trying to remove stains from glass! It works better to sell the tank!


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## natedgg (Apr 9, 2011)

PfunMo said:


> As far as I can tell the stains are not on the glass but IN the glass.


I had an old old tank from when I was in high school that sat for 12 years with hard water stains on it. I tried everything, including CLR and muriatic acid. Still there. I think you are correct PfunMo, the stains are in the glass after sitting for so long. I'll be using it for something eventually, but not a show tank


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