Brenton Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Went out fish shopping again today...really have to stop that, it's costing me a fortune. Picked up a secondhand barracks tank from my LFS. It's been out the back of the shop for a while and has picked up a bit of grunge, dirt and the odd spider. It's missing one of the lids but I can replace that easy enough. My question is what to clean it with? I'm thinking a good scrubbing with elbow grease and a diluted bleach solution -> lots of rinsing with house -> bake in the sun (if it ever comes out again) (yes, I detest winter). Will that be about right? TIA BT Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melbournebetta Posted June 22, 2013 Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 Really diluted bleach is good - but a bit of overkill unless the tank had fish in it (even then, still a bit of overkill) I use a combination of bicarb soda and vinegar and rinse and rinse and rinse and.... you get the idea... Scrub 'er real good and use warm/hot water to save yourself from freezing and loosens the grime much more quickly. Soak if you can! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted June 22, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2013 (edited) Should have read this first - went with cold water and my arms are now close to blue...but, she is spotless (almost - even impressed the better half). I'm waiting for the forecast to turn a little sunny (due Monday), and then I'll soak her in bicarb soda and vinegar as instructed...and use warm water (I good grasshopper). Edited June 22, 2013 by Brenton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted June 23, 2013 Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 No, I'm sure melbournebetta didn't mean for you to soak in bicarb and vinegar. I'm sure she meant soak the tank after cleaning to remove any residual chemicals or bleach. But it's not really necessary if you rinse well. Bicarb and vinegar is a safe alternative to cleaning chemicals. It's anti-bacterial and easily rinsed off. They neutralise each other pH-wise. I reckon what you've done is prefectly fine. You could go ahead and setup that barracks. Make sure your camera is fully charged. You're going to want to brag about it when you're done. :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brenton Posted June 23, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 23, 2013 Speaking of cameras - I'm over trying to get decent shots with the crappy thing we've had for years and the battery life is a joke (not to mention the lag - so we are going to go out and buy a new one of them as well. We need a decent camera which can also take good macro shots (at least that's what the wife and I have agreed on...). This new hobby is costing me a fortune, but the betterhalf was over the moon when I told her we had fry in the Convict tank, so that makes spending a little easier. Gotta keep the new grandkids happy, apparently. :blink:/> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pez Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 I'm keen to see pics... Funny thing is I can get much better fish photos using my iPhone than with my SLR - even on manual. Plus it's straight on to the web. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bettarazzi Posted June 24, 2013 Report Share Posted June 24, 2013 Yeah I have to say I use my iPhone a lot. But it really doesn't do well in low light situations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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