Cleaning Ideas

fftfk · Jun 3, 2022

All - I posted this in the beginner forum and did not get any traction so thought everyone here might have better ideas. I have a 300 gallon tank plumbed through finished walls to a basement sump room. It has been used as planted tank which I will be converting to a reef tank.

Given the size of the tank, the inwall plumbing, etc. it is not feasible to really move the tank around for cleaning, replace pipes with clean new pipes etc. Any ideas of the best way to try and get it as clean as possible? I was thinking to fill it up with Citric acid and let it run for a while. Not really sure if that is a great idea or not. Worried it might damage/etch the display tank (acrylic).

Thanks for any suggestions.

The Farmer · Jun 3, 2022

You shouldn’t have an issue using citric acid with scratching the tank. Once dissolved it should be fine. Or you can use a ton of vinegar

New&no clue · Jun 3, 2022

I have cleaned two tanks with Citric Acid and all the equipment. I filled with fresh water, add citric acid turned on all equipment (skimmer, return pumps, powerheads, reactors, etc. Let that run for a couple days and then emptied it out.