Reptile & Amphibian Forums

There's a bunch of calcium deposits and other gross stuff on the sides of my tank. What cleaning solvents can I safely use on my tank (i have a few fish and a RES)? I've heard vinegar is ok as long as I make sure to thoroughly wash it all off..

i use really hot water, a scrub brush and LITTLE bleach...i just make sure to REALLY wash it out well after and i've never had any problems...i stick it right in the bathtub...if yours is big enough it works great
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~walnut~
Turtle Pics
1 Dog- Mollianna Mae
1 Cat- Macey Montana
2 Red Eared Sliders- Gator and No-No
2 Beta- Swamp and Swims
4 Fish- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Do NOT under any circumstances use bleach on your turtle tank.It is extremely toxic to turtles and can burn the yes and skin of the little guy, if not kill him.Not a risk I'd be willing to take.

Vinegar is OK, if like you said you rinse the thing out thouroughly. But it's probobly best to get the biggest tank and filter possible and try and cycle the water so you do not have to do frequent changes.Mostly I just scrub the walls down with a sponge when the algae starts to build up and do partial water changes every once in a while and let the filter do the rest.
...Anne
1 RES (JFK)
1 Ankle biter (19 months)

i use bleach and have never had a problem and like i said..i use a VERY small amount and make sure it's well rinsed...if you can't make sure of this then I can see why it would obviously be harmful...i've never had a problem though
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~walnut~
Turtle Pics
1 Dog- Mollianna Mae
1 Cat- Macey Montana
2 Red Eared Sliders- Gator and No-No
2 Beta- Swamp and Swims
4 Fish- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

A lot of people use small amounts of bleach to clean their tanks. You shouldn't have to clean your tank that well very often. Maybe once a year. Perrywinkle, how often do you tear down your setup? Just curious, I've been able to leave mine alone for months now.

Nancy

When I had a 20L i cleaned it about every two weeks but my little guys were VERY tiny and I really didn't have a good filter. I just got a 55g in May. I cleaned it well when I first got it and since then I have only done 2 water changes and that's it. Kinda nice to have something so maintenance free after a year of cleaning a whole tank, gravel and toys every two weeks
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~walnut~
Turtle Pics
1 Dog- Mollianna Mae
1 Cat- Macey Montana
2 Red Eared Sliders- Gator and No-No
2 Beta- Swamp and Swims
4 Fish- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Sorry, but I've been a rehabber for over 12 years and have cleaned many tanks and containers with a bleach solution and have had no problems with harming turtles. Things must be thoroughly rinsed. The recommended solution is 1 part bleach to 9 parts water. That is a 10 percent solution for standard disinfection. Do NOT use a stronger solution. More is NOT better. Stronger solutions cause many organisms to go into a dormant state and are not killed then later they can start to grow again. I wouldn't use CLR. Vinegar for deposit removal sounds good as long as it is rinsed thoroughly.

I use vinegar to remove calcium deposits left by hard water and it works very well. It is natural and will not harm your turtles. In fact, when I do a partial water change and the water level is a bit low I wet a rag with vinegar and wipe around the top part of the glass where the water line was. It removes all the water spots and prevents a huge build up of calcium.

Nancy

Vinegar is what I use too. It works wonders but it's got a really strong stench when you stick your head over the tank. I don't know if you have to but after i put vinegar on it, I rub it off with a wet rag and immediately dry it so calcium doesn't build up.

It is also said that vinegar is usefull to prevent fungal disease.