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I've used vinegar and dish detergent plus baking soda to get rid of cloudy glass and nothing works. What else can I do?
You can use bleach and water or vinegar and water. Complete instructions are here:aquariumadviser.com/
It may be time to get a new tank. Sometimes that haze is actually fine scratches and permanent damage.
Some people say rubbing compound works, but it is super hard to get it all off and rptge residue is not good for the critters!
You could always see if your pet store has a solution.
you could try ammonia or even paint thinner/turpentine. Paint thinner would successfully rid itself of any oily-type residue
The tank is fairly new. The turtles that used it before were very small. Mine are much larger.
I would try Works brand toilet bowl cleaner. Available for around $1 at most stores. Its an acid, so will need to be very throughly rinsed afterward. I use it In plastic pans of animal cages that have white mineral build up. Takes it right off, and makes them look new.
Just a guess, but I think it would work well for a turtle tank. Completely empty tank, squirt on side allow to sit, you may or may not have to scrub. Best to do outside, or in a well ventilated room.
After it looks clean, rinse, rinse, rinse. When you think youve removed it all, rinse some more. If youre apprehensive test on a small spot first. If it starts bubbling up right away it will most likely work. Id love to know if you have success.
I have always used white vinegar and sometimes (if it gets really bad) I will have to clean it several times but I know this is safe and takes very little rinsing.
I have always had small turtles and I would be concerned if I used anything that had to be rinsed over and over as it would take only a small amount of anything bad to do them in.
Some people say vinegar does not work but it may be that it needed to be done more than once or twice if the build-up was bad. Aquariums are not easy to pick up and move around so try to find something that can be flushed out easily.
Here is a good site that has simple directions:
I use a fresh razor blade to scrape it off.
I used hot water n soap like dish soap. Using cleaner will harm the turtles. After washing the tank also wash the items including the turtle just don't use the soap on the turtle ( laugh out loud ) than dry the tank before adding everything.
For outside of the tank, you can use white vinegar. I usually use a 50/50 water and vinegar to clean.
If you are cleaning out a used tank or equipment, you can use the same mix. If it's an used tank that you have to clean out and it's really nasty and you want to sterilize it for usage, I would say consider using bartender's best friend. There is a good blog post that talks about what to do when purchasing a good tank and how to clean it out. Check it out.
Depending on how long ago you cleaned the tank, best would be to use vinegar and rinse at least 4-5 times before using it again. This is the reason it always advised to use a good aquarium filter.
Try using Whink. It's a rust stain remover but it works great on glass. I bought mine at Walmart. Very inexpensive.
I have a fish tank with two goldfish and a red eared slider turtle in it. I have some hard water/foggy stains on part of the glass that is not under water now. How do I clean the glass without killing the turtle and his pets? The tank is 30 gallons, and there is about 25-27 gallons of water in it.
Empty the tank and scour with salt. Rinse well and you're good to go. I've done this with my aquariums for several years.
i bought a magnet scrubber. it looks like a card stamp but has a powerful magnet on one side and the other side has a scrubber pad. one side goes on the inside of the tank and the other on the outside.
If you have something else to put the turtle and fish in for a little bit, just lay the aquarium on its side and soak a hand towel in vinegar then lay it on the water stain for a half hour or so. Rotate the tank and do the same with all four sides. It should come right off. Then rinse the tank and your good to go. I would tell you to fill the tank but thats alot of vineager and you dont want to dilute it that much because it wont work. Vineager is good for alot of things. Good luck
If you don't want to empty it, you can use a razor blade to scrape it off.
THANK YOU all. I used the razor technique as I JUST cleaned out the turtle and fish. The razor worked well. :)
I just take a new green scouring pad and use the fine aquarium sand. It works really well and takes maybe 5 minutes to clean my whole 29 gallon tank, even with two inches of hard water stains on the top. I have never noticed scratches either, since glass is made with sand.
HI Laura! I have a yellow bellied slider turtle and one goldfish. I used to have two goldfish but one died. My turtle is 8 yrs. old and has never eaten a fish. He tried one time with another turtle that was sharing his tank (my aquarium is 75 gals.) and he spit it out because he looked like it made him sick. Anyway, when he was little, I used to baby him and wrap him in a wash cloth and rock him while singing to him. He has never bitten anyone and he always wants me to hold him. He loves everybody and everything. I have pictures of him with my cat and dogs. Anyway, I was wondering if you raised yours the same way since your turtle has goldfish pets also? Oh and I tried the vinegar solution with paper towels on the top part of my aquarium and it didn't take off all of the build up. Will try baking soda paste and if it doesn't work, will try the razor. Thanks!
