Reptile & Amphibian Forums

Anybody who has been keeping snakes a while should know what I am talking about.

I've read some pretty extensive articles detailing ways to build a better water bowl that will take disposable liners so you don't have to scrub the crust out of the things. I like my old ceramic bowls - that crust just annoys me.

I kinda stumbled onto something the other day though. I've always used soap & water and a steel wool or something like it to battle the water bowl crust. The other day I tried using vinegar - just plain white vinegar, the cheap stuff from "WallyWorld" - and the crust comes off EASY! I still have to scrub, but I don't have to work at it too long. I've even gotten all of the old bad spots out of bowls that have been in use for a decade or so by doing this.

I think if somebody tells me they already knew all about this, I might cry - I have spent way too many hours srubbing water bowls over the years!

Has anybody found anything better? Does anybody really know what that crust is??

Let's hear it!

~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)
1.2 Ball Pythons
[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1 '05 Het Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]

If you are talking about the slimy residue that you get from using tapwater, you can use the solution that I do: use distilled water. You can get it at Walmart for like .64 a gallon. I use it and it is slime free and "crusty" free, as you describe it.

-John

I don't have a problem with any slime - just a hard grainy crust. If it dries it turns white or off-white. When wet it actually feels a bit like sandpaper. I have seen this in other people's collections as well as my own - in three different locations in this country, with different enough water quality between these locations that I do not suspect my tap water to be the culprit.

Any slime I have ever seen goes away with a good antibacterial dish soap.

Thanks for your input.
~Rebecca
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0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
1.2 Ball Pythons
[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
[0.1 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

Its just mineral deposits.

I wouldn't use distilled as drinking water. Distilling takes out all the minerals, electrolytes, and all the other GOOD stuff that water provides.

Steve

It is your tap water, you live in an area with "hard" water. Usually that's calcium deposits along with other hard minerals..I get that build up in my dishes as well as the shower, tub, toilet...*sigh*

>>I don't have a problem with any slime - just a hard grainy crust. If it dries it turns white or off-white. When wet it actually feels a bit like sandpaper. I have seen this in other people's collections as well as my own - in three different locations in this country, with different enough water quality between these locations that I do not suspect my tap water to be the culprit.
>>
>>Any slime I have ever seen goes away with a good antibacterial dish soap.
>>
>>Thanks for your input.
>>~Rebecca
>>-----
>>0.1 Dumeril's Boa '04 (Courtney)
>>1.2 Ball Pythons
>>[1.0 '05 Orange Hypo (Specter)]
>>[0.1 '05 Het Orange Hypo (Sylvia)]
>>[0.1 '03 Normal (Sue)]
>>0.2 American Pit Bull Terriers (40lb darling lap dogs:Brandy&Mara)

The hard stuff is mostly calcium phosphate, anything acidic (like vinegar, CLR, hydrochloric acid, phosphoric acid i.e. cola, etc...) will help remove these deposits. Acidic pH swings the equilibrium more in favor of free calcium and protonated phosphate, thus the deposits go away. CLR really works the best, but I do not think you shoul use that in your snake dishes unless you really thoroughly clean it afterward.
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when life hands you lemons, make super lemons, bumblebees, etc...

We use a bleach water mix with almost boiling hot water, it just comes out of the tap that way. We have a large dbl bay sink in the snake room, i fill it and leave the dishes in there for an hour or so, drian the water and then just wash the dishes regularly with soap and water, then i flip them over and let them dry on a rack, its quick and easy, and also while they are sitting in the sink you can be doing other things in the room while the bleach and water are doing the scrubbing for you
I also agree with what others have said it is a Calcium build up, I have used CLR on fish tanks and have reused them for fish with no ill effect, but i still dont know how comfortable i would feel using it for my snakes water dishes.

if your tap is actually that hot.......turn it down.....

I have well water......I know calcium....

....a friend told me that bleach will not clean just kill .....I soak all my bowls in soap water about 2 or 3 times and then soak in bleach..it takes like 20 minutes to kill all germs and all......then I was again with soap and usually rinse like 2 times then hand rinse again.......

the bleach actually leaves a white deposit of it's own in my bowls.......

......deposits don't bother me.....I don't drink from them......
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the bottom not only fell out of this market......
it sucked the top down with it......
.........screached to a stop

I like it hot Works better that way and makes for better showers in the morning, exspecially in NE. I use the bleach to kill the germs too, but it also losens up whatever is on the bowl and then i wash them with soap and water to remove residues and such.

Distilled water is not recommended for drinking. It is the purest form of filtered water and will actually absorb any vitimins or minerals from the body......as well as toxins. Drink this stuff when you have a hangover. lol. Over long periods of comsumption, drinking distilled will rob the body of nutrients and affect good health.

Branodn Osborne

Carl

Hard Water deposits. Basically it is the minerals in the water. Yep, vinegar works. This is why you should run a pot of vinegar through your coffee pot semi-regularly. The deposits gunk up everything, the vinegar cleans it out. Hot vinegar smells nasty, but it works.
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2.1 Albino BP
0.4 100% Het Albino
2.1 100% het Caramel Albino BP
1.0 100% Het Clown
1.0 50% het clown
2.12 Normal BP
0.0.2 Western Hognose
alot of cornsnakes
0.1.0 Dumeril Boa
3.6 Bearded Dragons
1.0.2 Sulcatta tortoise
3.3 Russian Tortoise
1.0 Cockatiel
0.1 Rottweiler
0.2 Boston Terriers
0.1 White Boxer
0.1 Paint Mare
bunch of geckos
0.1 Cat
0.1 Teenage daughter
1.0 Husband who puts up with all my critters.

As you can tell from all the helpful replies, that "crusty" material in your water bowls is the result of a buildup of the minerals dissolved in your water, chiefly calcium and magnesium. Any acid would get rid of them; you've found the cheapest and most easily purchased - vinegar. Distilled household vinegar costs between one and two dollars for a gallon, which will clean an awful lot of water bowls.

Here's another suggestion, and I hope you take this in the friendly way it's offered. If you cleaned your water bowls more frequently, then the calcium deposits wouldn't have a chance to build up. I'm just saying...

Also, some people use disposable deli cups and just replace them when necessary.