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I've had my tank for 3 years now. Recently I've noticed a white flakey stuff developing on the heater and on the plastic plants. I removed and cleaned them but it reappears in a couple of days. When scapped it feels like dried flakey paint
Any ideas?
thanks

sounds like calcium buildup - like you get in the bathtub if you have hard water. i have the same stuff building up on my tanks. for me, it happens if the water dries on the tank or plants etc and stays dry for a while before you notice it (like if the water level is low for a while before you top it up). i dont' know any easy way to get rid of it, and i'm too lazy to bother!!

I have seen this before but not in fishtanks it is a mineral build up.

Check your water, do you have any rocks, or decorations that could be causing this.

Are you using bore water or a very strong mineral water supply.

To reduce it collect rain water and mix it with you water supply.

Keith

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Yes, I agree, it is a mineral deposit build up. If you water is very hard, this will happen over time. My tap water is extremely hard, and rightfully so we call it liquid rock. Most all the heaters have this accumulate on them. As to why them and not so much other stuff in the tank? I am not certain, but it is common. Sometimes it is easily cleaned off, while other times it is a nightmare to get off. I have found though, that is does not harm anything, and the heaters continue to work fine. So I only clean mine off, if I am doing a complete tear down and re-setup of my tank.

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I had this problem before I switched to using spring water with my tanks. It will usually scrape off with a razor blade. You can also use a vinegar & water solution to loosen the deposits up and clean equipment with if you rinse things very well before placing back in the tank.

Thanks, I've had the rocks for a long time. I will check them out and also try using different water than tap water to reduce the mineral deposit.