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Start up cleanliness requirements

Joined
5 Dec 2020
Messages
4
Location
Casper, Wyoming
I am restarting a tank that I had before. It got put away dirty.
How clean should it be before I start setting it up?
Visually clean or do I need to get it clean enough for surgery?
Does anyone have a recommendation of what to clean it with to make sure it's clean enough?
 
Just watch out for any sand/grit from your previous setup before cleaning, it’s easy to miss and end up with scratches.

Couple of soaks with luke warm water and sponge is usually good enough here.

Dennerle Cleanator or something similar is handy for any stubborn water marks.
 
I would use cheap bleach, warm/tepid water and elbow grease and pan scrubby, good rinse and air of 24hrs then good to go IMO
do I need to get it clean enough for surgery?
Defiantly not
 
Thank you for the advice.
My two concerns are algae left over from the previous setup (or is that unavoidable?) And chemical residue from strong cleaners.
If you can no see the algae then it is irrelevant, as once you fill you tank with water and add plants the algae spores will be in the water, its only a matter of time and the right conditions and you will get algae. So need to get the conditions right for the plants to outcompete the algae, keep the condition poor for algae with regular water changes removing detritus where you can will reduce the Dissolved Organic Compounds (DOC) load and make it harder for the algae to bloom. Avoid high light esp in first few months. Keep fert levels optimum for plants. All tanks have algae.

Cheap bleach contains no fancy chemicals, it will kill the algae/bacteria on hardware and a good rinse will remove the bulk of it and leaving it 24hrs (or rinse tank with solution with Prime added) will neutralise the active component of the bleach.
If you concerned about bleach use Miltons solution and rinse then prime tank and hardware before use, but cheap bleach is more more cost effective option.
 
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