Regular Member number20121 Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) 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 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Captain Findus Goldfish Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 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. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted October 23, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) 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 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Cynders Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 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. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted October 23, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 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. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Cynders Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 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 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member Sakura Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) 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 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted October 23, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 (edited) 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 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member togojeff Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 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. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member shellbell4ever Posted October 23, 2010 Regular Member Share Posted October 23, 2010 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?? 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member number20121 Posted October 24, 2010 Author Regular Member Share Posted October 24, 2010 <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. 0 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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