Aquarium Question

[NullUnit2000]

I need some help fish fans. Do any of you know how to get this...

http://members.cox.net/bigph/tankcrud.jpg

...off my tank's plastic parts?

I'm guessing it's either salt, hard water deposits or a combination of both. I gave the affected areas a good scouring, but most of it woudn't budge. I didn't want to use any heavy-duty solvents for fear of contaminating my tank. But I'm betting this problem isn't unique to me. Any suggestions?

Thanks!

[BrewMaster]

well, hard water deposits are usually salts anyway, just not NaCl salt in most cases. As for the heavy duty solvents, most of them will evaporate very easily. I would be more worried about damaging the plastic with the solvents. You could try soaking the parts (without the lamp of course) in hot water with some good dish soap. but i still think that acetone (nail polish remover) on a cottom ball might do you well. just don't rub too hard or put too much acetone on there since it will gum up the plastic by dissolving the surface.

[verve247]

Do not use acetone! That will eat right through the plastic. The plastic doesn't look very thick and as a result you will have either holes or weak spots on your cover. Look for an abrasive cleaning pad and cleaning solutions that are plastic compatible. Make sure you perform heavy washings afterward to remove the cleaning solutions.

[sizemic1]

i'm betting it's some sort of carbonate deposit.
I get the same stuff, but i'm usually too lazy to deal with it.
However, if i WASN'T lazy...I would get a gallon of white vinegar and a bucket and soak whatever parts I could and use a scrub brush with vinegar to clean the rest. I think that will take care of your problem.

[BrewMaster]

a chore boy or scotch brite soap pad would probably do it pretty well. those things clean damn near anything and they aren't very abrasive on the plastic.

[BigJon]

Couldn't CLR be used? They say that you can use it in coffee machines to remove water deposits...if you can use it there and clean it out enough to drink from the machine without dying...I'm sure it will be ok for fish...

Just don't use anything corrosive...

[tupacboy]

i used to use clr... works great... just make sure u rinse really good... :)