Massive hard water build-up

[Steph_D]

My apologies if this isn't in the right forum, but this was the only place that I could think of that it would "fit".

I bought a used tank (actually 2, but the second wasn't nearly as bad) that has super bad hard water build-up. The heater was no good anyway, but it had probably 1/4 inch of this stuff caked on it. The tank is nearly as bad in places and the filters are awful. They came with 2 Penguin bio wheel filters. One doesn't have an impeller (sp?) so to see if it worked, I was going to take the impeller out of the other one that's the same size and put it in that one. The stuff is so built up on the one that worked that I can't even get the impeller out! If I could get it out, I'd like to replace both of them tomorrow when I go to the LFS (along with replacing the bio wheels that don't spin at all).

My question is how can I safely get this stuff off? I even tried toilet cleaner on the heater, since I was trashing it anyway, and it didn't even cut it. I've scraped and scrubbed and not much has come off. What else can I try for the tank and filters? *crazysmil

 

[Steph_D]

And to top things off, now my brand new heater just started making a fizzing noise! *crazysmil I haven't had the thing in my tank more than a couple of days! GRRRR!

 

[TLH]

White vinegar and a long soak should shift some of it and soften it up a bit.Leave it to soak overnight.
You can also buy stuff for kitchens and shower heads.There are alot of different products like that to choose from.

Sounds like your new heater may have sprung a leak.

 

[Lotus]

I've used a product by Jungle called "Lime Off" that's made for aquariums. It has worked really well for me.

I have tried vinegar and all kinds of things in the past, but the lime we get here is really stubborn.

 

[Orion]

I've seen that in the stores from time to time Lotus, glad to know it works.

 

[Ramirezi]

How is it comming? I have used vinegar it works fine, I would bet the lime off stuff would work good too. What you have to first is scrape the biggest stuff of with a razor blade then take the lime stuff to it. The tank that I have was soo bad that it "ate" into the glass and I had to polish the glass with rock polishing compound that is what saved the tank from the trash. Good Luck.