My Dream Peninsula Reef

[LittleNat1]

Hi guys! I'm going to document my Red Sea Peninsula build here because I've found certain things that might be useful to you, especially if you're setting up a new tank.

 

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[LittleNat1]

Extremely Stubborn water spots

For some background context, this peninsula tank was bought 2nd hand. I only saw online photos before deciding to arrange for delivery, upon which I would pay for the tank. This was my first mistake. Unbeknownst to me, the tank had quite a build up of water marks on the display glass which were evident in the photo but otherwise difficult to notice, especially to the untrained eye and the unaware.

These are photos of the tank for reference


If only that was the end of my carelessness. Upon delivery of the tank, I was reminded by the seller to inspect the condition of the tank before sealing the deal but in my excitement and starstruck state of having finally received a tank that I had been working on for the past several months, I did not inspect the tank as thoroughly as I would have wanted. Even though I checked the glass silicone for wear (e.g. bubbles & holes) and the cabinet for its structural integrity, It didn't occur to me to check the condition and quality of the display glass.

At last, I figured that the tank was in acceptable condition and closed the deal. A regrettable mistake that would have been very painful if I had not found an unexpected solution. While cleaning the tank, I started to notice that a large portion of the display glass panels had water marks which were more apparent when you looked at the glass from a certain angle. This quickly caught my attention and I focused my efforts in removing these marks.

Solution 1: citric acid
My initial thought was that these water marks were mineral deposits from the evaporation of saltwater / hard water. Hence, I tried using *citric acid* to remove them but to no avail.

Solution 2: dish soap
At this point, the marks were not coming off at all so I tried a more aggressive method: *dish soap* but it was ineffective too.

*DISCLAIMER*:
DO NOT USE SOAP / DETERGENT IN THE INTERIOR SURFACES OF THE AQUARIUM AS IT WILL KILL THE INHABITANTS EVEN IF YOU WASH IT AWAY. Exercise utmost caution when using these chemicals so as to prevent them from entering the aquarium. The general consensus in the aquarium community is to not use soap / detergent to clean your aquarium if at all possible. I do not know the severity / extent to which this is true but it would be wise not to try it.

Solution 3: baking soda
Thinking that these stains on the glass maybe acidic in nature, I tried to use baking soda to neutralise and remove them, but this proved to be ineffective as well. (Some sources online suggested to use ammonia or sodium bicarbonate a.k.a. baking soda).

Final solution: soft99 glass stain cleaner
Upon closer inspection, the marks felt smooth to the touch and did not appear to have the same white colouration as mineral deposits from hard water evaporation. Desperate to restore the clarity of the glass, I started searching for glass cleaners online and stumbled upon glass cleaners / compounds for the glass windows of cars. Despite mixed feelings of using a potentially dangerous chemical on the aquarium, I went ahead and ordered a product called soft99 glass stain cleaner on shopee. It's a product advertised to remove scaly spots as well as other stains on glass.



To my absolute relief and surprise, the product did remove the extremely stubborn water marks! Here's a before and after photo



*ANOTHER DISCLAIMER*:
As with the dish soap, I do not recommend that you use this product on the interior surfaces of the aquarium as it might have latent negative effects on the inhabitants. Exercise caution when using it on the exterior glass to avoid introducing it into the aquarium. Only try it if you are willing to bear the risk of using an unknown chemical. This product may or may not have fumes that can still enter the aquarium even if its liquid form does not (I'm not sure). That being said, the website states its ingredients consists of abrasive materials, so it might not be that dangerous. However, this also means that you should ensure that the glass is free of dirt and other particles to prevent scratches when applying the product.



Thank you if you've read this far and I hope you find it helpful

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[LittleNat1]

TL;DR Extremely stubborn water spots

I strongly encourage anyone buying 2nd hand equipment to check its condition before closing the deal.

I bought a 2nd hand tank that had a lot of water marks that could not be removed by conventional cleaning solutions. However, I managed to find a silver lining in the form of a car glass cleaner / compound which was able to remove those water marks.



Don't give up! Spend some time to understand the problem and don't be afraid to try out unique and unconventional solutions.

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[LittleNat1]

P.S.
I am not affliated to soft99 nor the shops selling their products.

On another note, would like to hear the the thoughts of anyone who've tried this method to clean their glass or anyone who's knows what's the ingredients inside these glass cleaners (would like to know whether it's safe to use with caution)

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[BorsigianaAlbo]

Hi,

 

I recently got a pre own tank as well and realise I’ve got some stubborn stains that can’t remove, any advice to clean it up? Thinking to the soft99 glass cleaners looks good!

[LittleNat1]

Hi,
 
I recently got a pre own tank as well and realise I’ve got some stubborn stains that can’t remove, any advice to clean it up? Thinking to the soft99 glass cleaners looks good!

Hi
Assuming your tank is glass, there's a few ways to remove marks/stains. Try tackling the issue with progressively more intensive methods as the more intense you go, the higher the chance of scratching/ruining the glass.

You can try using water and cloth/metal (algae) scrapper first. If this doesn't work, citric acid or white vinegar may work. You can get citric acid in powder/crystal form and make a solution by dissolving it first.

As an absolute LAST RESORT, you can try using dish soap (ONLY on the exterior glass) BUT this is a risky method as it may get into the tank. Needless to say, this is bad for the tank, especially for sensitive marine creatures. You might think that maybe you can wash detergent out from a tank but from what I've read, it may still remain in the tank and on the sillicone despite washes. In my case, dish soap did not work at all. So yeah, I wouldn't recommend taking that risk.

Instead, you can try the soft 99 glass cleaners I mentioned earlier in this thread. From what I know, they are made from abrasive materials and they don't have a strong chemical smell (might be safer than chemical cleaners). The one I tried came with a sponge. All I had to do was apply some product on the sponge and buff the tank. Wipe the tank down with water and cloth/tissue afterwards. I had success using it on my tank to remove the marks, getting rid of a large majority. I feel that some small and inconspicuous marks still remained but I think with extra effort, it should be able to clear. CAUTION: as with all cleaning chemicals, they should only be used on the exterior glass. Take extra care to not leak them into the tank to protect your beloved marine critters

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