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i got a free 55g and 20g long today. and there really dirty. they were up in the rafters of a garage. what should i do to clean them up and sanitize them

Hmmm... some hot water could help with the sanitizing, and a good scrub would probably work wonders. Try to avoid using any soap, as this would kill fish.

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And when he gets to Heaven, to Saint Peter he will tell: "One more Marine reporting, Sir! I've served my time in Hell."

In addition to that, any hard water deposits can be removed by use of a new razor (careful) and some vinegar.

Also, if they've been sitting for some time, be sure to test-fill them in a place where you won't care if it happens to get a little inundated with water. Take care to look at the seals, they can get dry over time and crack, creating the unwated mr. el leako.

Clean them with hot water & make sure that they doesn't leak. Maybe it's better to re-seal them.

:88)

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Member of the Malta Aquarist Society - 1970.
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I got some tanks that had been stored under a house for 20 years or so. I used a non-scratch scourer (it said it was for glass and non-stick cookware) and cold water. It takes a lot of scrubbing.

I might have used bleach, but the 4ft tank was too big to fit through the bathroom door and I had to clean the tank in the loungeroom. I didn't like the thought of spilling bleach on the carpet, and with bleach you have to rinse and rinse and rinse. It wouldn't have been too bad if I could hose it out in the back yard, but I don't have a hose or a back yard, and it takes a lot of buckets to rinse a 4ft tank.

Then I filled it up halfway and left it for a few days. No leaks in the bottom half, so I filled it right up and left it for a few more days. Filling it halfway was more laziness than strategy, but at least if there was a leak in the bottom, then there wouldn't be as much leakage.

I would recommend filling the tanks with very hot water for a couple hours. You'll find that stuff comes out very easily after the the hot water breaks it down.

bring it outside and take a sponge, not with soap. spray the sides of the tank with the hose but dont hit the tank to hard with water. then as the tanks getting sprayed, scrub with the sponge. I did it with my 20 gallon and it comes out perfect. but my 20 hasnt been in rafters for 20 years

you can add salt or vinegar into the hot water when cleaning your tank, the vinegar should help soften the buildup on the glass and either one is good as a disinfectant to get rid of watever little nasties could be in there that you are worried about. they are also alot safer and easier to rinse out than bleach!