# hard water deposits



## jerryl (Feb 24, 2011)

How can i remove hard water deposits. i tries CLR. razor blade, scrubbing pad, etc with no results. ANY help will be appreciated...jerry


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

CLR will kill the fish Rinse that tank REALLY well, even filling it up and adding vinegar by the gallon will help, Use plain white vinegar and a fine to very fine steel wool, they will be off in no time.


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## holly12 (Apr 21, 2011)

I was going to say vinegar as well. (I'd be worried about putting fish in the tank if there has been CLR in it.... it could have soaked into the glue at the edges and may leech out over time.)


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## Pigeonfish (Jun 23, 2011)

You should have come here before using CLR... 

I wouldn't use that tank again, just in case...

If you come across the hard water problem again, razorblades usually work on their own. When you start noticing the hard water build up you should start scraping it off with the razor blade, after you do that, do your regular water change and your filter should pick up the debris. If the hard water build up has been there for a while aka impossible to get rid of, I would move the fish to a temporary tank and really clean it.


The following worked for me. I would make a half water half bleach solution, then put a little more water. let it soak, use razor blades and a scrubbing pad to get rid of the deposit. Rinse the tank real good... and i mean real good. I suggest using a different scrubbing pad (one that hasn't been in contact with chemicals) when you're rinsing. Let the tank sun-dry.

Next day. Rinse again. Sun-dry again. At this point you should not smell the bleach, if you do, you're gonna have to rinse and dry until the smell goes away.

Doing this will kill all the beneficial bacteria in the tank. You will have to add your fish one by one. Introduce them into the tank with some of the original water that way the bacteria can get back to a good level for all your fish.


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## jerryl (Feb 24, 2011)

I realize CLR is bad & I'm not going to be reusing the tank in the near future. I tried bleach & razor blade with no success. I will try the white vinegar, but not sure of the steel wool. Thanks


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## Gizmo (Dec 6, 2010)

Also realize that when the tank is full the hard water deposits are near invisible.


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## WhiteGloveAquatics (Sep 3, 2009)

Why not the steel wool? it doesnt scratch glass, we use it to polish chrome and glass on cars all the time, I use it on my empty tanks specifically for that purpose. 

You need to look for the 0000 grade steel wool, itll take more elbow grease but its a very soft steel wool.


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