Free Tank Nightmare!!!!

Jackman

Jackman

Small Fish
#1
Jul 12, 2004
26
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Chicago
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#1
I just picked up a 100 gal. fish tank and stand for free, and as I was pulling away the guy tells me that he cleaned the tank out with C L R !!!
I wasn't planning on putting anything in it for about a month, But I was wondering what I should do now to get rid of any remains of the CLR....
So I come to you guys the experts what should I do, how should I go about cleaning this tank

Jackman...
 

catfishmike

catfishmike

Superstar Fish
#3
Oct 22, 2002
2,614
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Sin City, again...
#3
yep,bleach and rinsing for DAYS.i'm sorry to hear you got such a red herring.just keep rinsing the tank,and try scrubbing it with baking soda as well.i have never heard of anyone using clr in a tank,so i'm not exactly sure how one would neutrilize the chemical compositon of clr.now no one come after me ,but unfortunely the only way to tell wheter it's safe our no may be to put a live animal in there.i suggest snails,as they are cheap plentiful and most people don't get that knee jerk reaction to killing a snail like they do a fish.
 

FroggyFox

FroggyFox

Forum Manager
Moderator
#4
May 16, 2003
8,589
10
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Colorado
#4
oh man...that stuff is potent. (CLR Stands for calcium, lime and rust remover.) I would look and see what is in CLR specifically...and then maybe do some research on how best to make sure that you get rid of all of it. Bleach is sure to help...but I would want to do it a couple times with some serious scrubbing. Soak it and soak it, let it dry out completely...then when you think its finished I might fill it up and put a couple of feeder fish in there for a couple weeks just to be sure. Maybe I'm unduly panicked for you...but best to err on the side of caution right?

OK was going to post that...but decided to do some research. Manufacturer's website says:

What makes CLR work so powerfully?
CLR is mainly made up of three acids: glycolic acid, sulfamic acid and citric acid.

Is CLR safe for the icemaker on my refrigerator?
No. There is no way to know if CLR is completely rinsed out.

How do I clean hard water deposits from my drinking glasses?
Pour 1/2 warm water and 1/2 CLR into a plastic bowl and dip a clean, soft cloth or sponge into it. Apply to deposits and rub. Rinse thoroughly with cold, clean water. If it seems that CLR helped a bit but the glasses are not completely clear, repeat above process.

Thats three of the FAQ's and that says a lot I think. Its not THAT bad, esp if they suggest using it on drinking glasses. They also say its safe for a septic tank because by the time it gets to the tank it is neutralized by water. That one is a little worrysome though...that you're never sure to have it completely rinsed out.

Nice big tank though :) and FREE, what a find!
 

Lotus

Lotus

Ultimate Fish
Moderator
#7
Aug 26, 2003
15,115
13
38
Southern California
home.earthlink.net
#7
If you have a yard with a hose, maybe set it up so water flows through the tank for a couple of hours, with water going in and spilling out. If they say it's safe for well rinsed drinking glasses, it should eventually be safe for fish.

Of course, you're not supposed to use anything on refrigerators that isn't baking powder or mild detergent, I believe that plastic is kind of porous.
 

littlecobra1977

littlecobra1977

Large Fish
#8
Apr 18, 2004
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#8
im going to say rinse well and it will be find. i used CLR on a tank hood for a 10 gal that had a real bad calcium deposites on the glass. it was bad enough that the bulb was not able to be seen from the inside of the tank. all i did was filled a little tube that was big enough to hold the hood and filled with CLR and water. and scrubbed and scrubbed, even used a straight razor to get it off. then rinsed it under running water several times and did the same with the tube. then filled the tube and set it in there and changed the water over a few days period until no CLR smell was left. then let it dry for a couple weeks and used it. no ill effects and i even had a bubble stone in there that spashed water on the hood. which driped back in the tank. just make sure you dont small any thing funny in it . just rinse,rinse,rinse,rinse,rinse,rinse.
 

E

eddie244

Medium Fish
#11
Aug 13, 2004
59
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#11
as i work in an oil refinery. usually we'll wash any container-that contain water-based chemical(caustic, ammonia, algecide, phosphate) 3times(minimum), throughtly rinse it. then fill it with clean water, and let it stand for 24hours, this is to let the trap in chemical in the container to soak out and get diluted. after 24hours, rinse it again, fill it up and repeat the process until 3times. i hope that help, as for the cleaning it always comes positive clean of all chemicals after check by the quality insepection here. oh, and if u try to use my method, place a powerhead in there and activated carbon :) good luck..
 

W

wayne

Elite Fish
#12
Oct 22, 2002
4,077
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#12
I tihnk rinsing and baking soda will be just fine. You eat citric acid every day and they say you can use it on galsses anyway.
If a bit of rinsing in a free 100 gal is a personal nightmare you've got it easy my man.
 

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