Cleaning old fish tank / enclosure questions

[Dyn]

I didnt know about the vinegar I wasnt sure if it needed to set or if I needed a scrub pad. I put some in there and started washing the tank with a cloth. It dried and the white cloudy film came back over the tank when it dried. So I asked if it needed to be scrubbed since a regular washing with vinegar didnt work.

The clr said to let it sit for 30 seconds then it should be clean.... it sat for about a minute and half or two minutes the first time and almost 5 the time i did it after I made that post with no visible difference in the cloudy film once it dried.

The razor also made no dent in the film.

So I did try different things to try and get the tank clean and it didnt work. So when I told my buddy whos been doing fish for 20+ years he offered me a new tank instead which will look real good since its going to be a display. Also I'm not buying it I'm trading a used tank for a new tank.

[Smitty78]

Originally Posted by Dyn

I'm not exactly sure where to go with this question. Its conserning a future tarantula enclosure and I think some of these questions could be covered here.

I recently received a 10 gallon tank that was used for fish by a friend. They got out of them and brought over this tank to me because I can always use them with my growing Herp and Invert collection. It was left outside for probably 2 months and wasnt touched. I just brought it in and bleached some of it out.

Does anyone know the best way to clean up a tank that was used for fish. It has a white film stuck to it probably calcium deposits but I'm not sure.

I dont want to use something that could possibly linger longer than I would expect and harm the tarantula.

Also I plan on having it on end with a drop down door. How should I go about cutting the plexiglass to have the door fit snug. Should i measure exactly Its 19 x 9.5 but I was curious if I should add maybe 1/16th of an inch to it to make sure its very tight fitting or if a pretty exact measurement would work.

In regards to your questions here are the answers.

#1 Your best answer here is a product called Spot-X. Any reputable glass shop, Home Depot, Lowe's, etc... will carry it. Having kept over 15k gallons of fresh and salt water fish, this has saved me thousands of dollars. This product is non toxic, does not scratch the surface of glass (do not use on plexi). Scrub with a moist green scratch pad, and your tank is as good as new. One bottle will clean 50+ tanks (not to mention many glass shower doors). Rinse well, and you are back in business.

#2 Cut your Plexiglas 1/8th of an inch less than the size of the tank. Most tanks have an upper and lower rim. None of them are perfectly square however (they are held together with silicone). Aquariums are made out of glass and silicone with the expectation that they will expand and contract depending on the weight of the substance placed inside of them. From my experience of making custom lids I always cut them 1/8th of an inch less than the upper rim. They then always fit the lower rim extremely well.