# How do you safely clean calcium buildup on glass?



## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

Need help with safely cleaning the calcium buildup on my glass top and glass tank divider. I have hard water here in San Diego, so calcium buildup is a big problem. Since my 55g tank is already well established, breaking it down to clean the glass tank divider is NOT an option. Is there a safe way to clean this buildup off without harming the occupants of my tank? I'm afraid of using products like CLR to remove it. Anyone got any advise on how to do this?


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

CLR is fine as long as you rinse it off thoroughly. Of course, you can't use it *in* your tank.  And I don't know if I just got a bad batch, but when I tried CLR it did NOTHING. I even poured it on my skin and it didn't burn, it might as well have been water. Other people say it works great, I don't know what the deal is.

A gentler treatment is covering the glass with paper towels, then soaking with vinegar. Rub down the paper towels to remove air bubbles. Let sit. Don't expect this to fully remove deposits or be effective on heavy deposits, but it is a great pretreatment for the best remover in the world...

Razor blades. As found in hardware stores, for scraping anything that needs to be scraped. As long as you keep the blade at an angle, the glass wet, and refrain from digging the corner of the blade directly into the glass, it will not scratch. The vinegar pretreatment makes the job easier by softening the deposits, but it's not necessary. In fact, you can use the razor blade IN your tank. Use the common, cheap, steel blades, don't try and get fancy and use a carbide scraper - that will scratch the hell out of glass, no matter how careful you are.


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## Momotaro (Feb 21, 2003)

I have used a razor blade to scrape the mineral deposits from the glass support frame on my 75G and white vinegar and a razor blade to clean off the glass tops. 

The vinegar works like a charm!

Mike


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## bharada (Mar 5, 2004)

Yep. A razor blade is about the only thing you can use on the top brace while the tank is filled. The cover can be scraped of the thicker build up them soaked in vinegar or some other calcium dissolving solution (CLR et al). If the CLR-type solutions aren't working after you've scraped the thicker deposits off then it's a good possibility that your glass is actually etched. You won't be able to do anything about that.


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

bharada said:


> If the CLR-type solutions aren't working after you've scraped the thicker deposits off then it's a good possibility that your glass is actually etched. You won't be able to do anything about that.


Actually, you can remove or improve etching by buffing with either jeweler's rouge or cerium oxide.

Remember that you're thinning the glass by doing so. Heavily or repeatedly buffing glass that bears load, like the weight of water, is done at your own risk.


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## SCMurphy (Oct 21, 2003)

Seltzer water. I used some to take the mineral deposits out of a coffee carafe that I use to heat water for tea. Don't use it IN the tank, take the item to be cleaned to a sink or something.


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## aquaphish (Dec 20, 2002)

Hey guys vinager; CLR; polishing compounds!!! How many would use these in an established filled tank???!!! Imagine pouring vinager or CLR into your planted tank with pretty fish!!!

I don't have a calcium buildup problem any more because I use RO water for water changes keeping the gh down to around 5-6°. But before that I would use a razor blade to scrape off the calcium build up. If you can use RO water for water changes it will really help out in ridding your calcium build up problems. 

If you don't have a personal RO filter like me, go buy your water changing water for 20 cents a gal. at one of those water stores. I get mine at WATERTERIA or something like that. For two bucks I get ten gals for a 25% water change on my 40 gal.

Do not use any chemicals in an established tank!!!


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## DarkCobra (Jun 22, 2004)

aquaphish said:


> Hey guys vinager; CLR; polishing compounds!!! How many would use these in an established filled tank???!!! Imagine pouring vinager or CLR into your planted tank with pretty fish!!!


No no, we're not talking about using them IN the tank.  That would be a *bad thing*. The only thing you can use IN an established tank is a razor blade. The other stuff is for empty tanks, or removable glass pieces, like hood splash shields.

And considering it's glass, you can rinse it off thoroughly. Glass doesn't absorb or retain chemicals.

Even if a trace of vinegar, CLR, or polishing compound remains, it won't hurt anything.


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## Color Me Blue (Nov 10, 2005)

*It Worked!!*

:thumbsup: Worked like a charm!! Thank you all for the advice!  The removeable glass tops I soaked with white vinegar and then used a razorblade tool to scrape off the deposits. It came off so easily! Now all I have to deal with is the dry water marks that is left when I rinse the glass off. I figure the next WC I do I'll spray some vinegar on the glass, then rinse it off and use one of those water-absorbing towellies. 

The center glass brace is a little more difficult to clear up. The thick deposits were scraped off, but I still have the cloudy water marks on it. I figure a few more times wiping it with a vinegar soaked paper towel will help it in the long run. (No worries, it's not soaked to the point where it will drip the vinegar. I also wipe it off with a wet towel) This part is more difficult to get clear because I have an established tank and I'm working on that part while the water line is down some due to a 25%-30% WC. 

Once again, thank you for the GREAT advice!!!


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