Cloudy Glass

[number20121]

The new (used) tank was cleaned really good by me. Aside from sterilizing I gave it an hour scrub with a scrubby sponge and vinegar to get all the calcium build up out.

Still, the inside of the glass seems to have a whitish residue or discoloration or whatever on it. I do not know what it is, the vinegar did not get it off. You can see the shapes of where suction cups where used to be attached to the glass and smears and whatnot. I know it is not harmful for the fish, apparently, but the tank lights reflect off it and it gives the tank a slightly cloudy look even though the water itself is crystal clear.

Here in this video you can really tell the difference between the tropical tank, the quarantine tank, and then the goldfish tank. It looks bluer than in person, but if you compare the color of the paneling behind the tanks when the quarantine tank and the goldfish tank are shown together, you get the idea.

Also tried to get some close up footage of that stuff with the dark driftwood behind it.

http://s82.photobuck...cloudyglass.mp4

Today during the big water change I tried scrubbing it hard with an all new brush, but it didn't do anything.

EDIT: Funny how loud the filter and air pump seem in this video.

Edited October 23, 2010 by Oerba Yun Fang

[Captain Findus Goldfish]

did you use the vinegar pure with a scrub sponge like the one for the dishes? that usually works but you need lots of vinegar.

[number20121]

Yep. I used 2 liters of pure vinegar and an all new scrubby sponge when I cleaned the tank. I smelled like vinegar for the next two days. No joke.

It's not that it is terrible bothering me, especially since in person it looks less bad than in the video because it is not that blue, but if I can fix it, I'd sure prefer that.

In person it looks pretty much exactly like in the part of the video with the driftwood in the background.

Edited October 23, 2010 by Oerba Yun Fang

[Cynders]

Is it the slime from the fish? Ususally it builds up in the week and you can wipe it off with a paper towel during a water change. I think it's made up of fish slime coat and food particles. Is it slimy? Romano thinks its delicious.

[number20121]

No, not slimy at all. As said, I tried a scrubbing BRUSH on it before and it didn't do anything to it. It doesn't look like micro scratches either.

[Cynders]

It could possibly be a calcium deposit, I would try the vinegar again and let it sit maybe. I'm not sure exactly what it is

[Sakura]

What you describe is definitely calcium deposits. I have this same problem on my second-hand 55 gallon tank, but to a lesser extent. On the back wall there is a little white circle where you can tell a suction cup has been, and towards the top rim there's a lot of white stains

You could drive yourself crazy trying to clean this stuff off, but I'm fairly certain it's impossible to get off. I've scrubbed with vinegar many times, but I think it's just a stain at this point. The good news is that it doesn't normally show up once the tank is filled with water. If it really bothers you, you can try draining the tank and scraping at it with a razor blade. But you have to be super careful not to scratch the glass.

p.s. Another thing to consider is that the glass on the larger tank is thicker, and all aquarium glass has a blue/green tint. This means it will never look quite as clear as a 10 gallon tank which has very thin glass.

Edited October 23, 2010 by Sakura

[number20121]

Thanks, Sakura! This sounds most likely what it is. As said, in my case too you can tell where suction cups have once been etc. I guess I will just have to deal with it. Maybe changing the bulbs to some more neutral or slightly warmer tinted lights might cover it a bit. The cold magenta-ish lights probably make it look worse than it is. Of course it shows less when the tank is filled (you gotta see it in DRY condition........... ).

But you all can see the difference between the tanks I owned new and the second hand goldfish tank. I'll give it another scrubby try too, just to make sure.

Then again, I saved a boatload of money getting this used stuff, so I guess I can handle a little cloudiness!

Thanks, you all!

Edited October 23, 2010 by Oerba Yun Fang

[togojeff]

Is it possible the cloudiness was caused by a fine abrasive that the previous owners used to clean the tank? My friend has a tank that an abrasive was used to clean the tank and it has a "cloudy look" to it. This unfortunately would be a permanent condition.

[shellbell4ever]

Is the water cloudy or the glass?I'm thinking maybe a bacterial bloom as you have just had a cycle bump lately as well right??

[number20121]

<br />Is the water cloudy or the glass?I'm thinking maybe a bacterial bloom as you have just had a cycle bump lately as well right??<br />

<br /><br /><br /> No, it is the glass. The video above was right after a big water change today and in the close up part of the video you see it too. Maybe it was an abrasive cleaner that the pre-owner used... ah well.

[koko]

There is one other test you can do to see if it will come off hun. Get a fresh razor blade and see it it will scrape off with that, make sure its a fresh one though

[Hidr]

I had something like that on my old 55 but not the whole tank just on one side and it was blotchy. Never did find a way to get it off. After a year or so of putting up with it hubby got me a new tank. Needed a lid and lights anyways. It was only 20 bucks more then just those parts cause it was on sale.

[austinado16]

Steel wool is your new best friend. Using water as your lubrication, scrub the glass with "000" steel wool. Personally, I'd probably do a test area with some #2 and if it didn't scratch, I'd clean the tank with that. "000" is very fine (not as fine as "0000") and may not cut the calcium, so you might have to step up to a coarser grade.

But, it works well and I've cleaned a few hazy tanks this way.

[number20121]

thanks for the tip, austinado!

[austinado16]

We have major hard water here (pH of 8.4 or something) and I have glass panels under my vintage Metaframe hoods on the 70. By the end of the week, those glass panels are pretty chalk white. I stand them upright in the sink (on a rubber mat) and with water running down them from the faucet, I clean them with #2 steel wool. Takes about a minute and they look brand new. They are not scratched at all.

You can use "000" and "0000" to clean glass in your car or house without class cleaner, and you've never seen glass so nice and clean. You can use both on chrome, and even stainless, but you have to do a test first. If I use either 000 or 0000 on my vintage tank's frame, it would be scratched and it's stainless......but I can use either to polish the stainless side body trim on my vintage car. Same goes for chrome. I can't polish my vintage toasters, but I can do automotive chrome, no problem.