fav method for cleaning the OUTSIDE of your glass?

[Tskiller]

So I dump all this money on fancy pants low iron glass, all sorts of filtration equipment, fuzzy sticks, polyps and fish....and then cover the outside of the tank with fingerprints and streaks after I clean it.

How does everyone keep their glass clean?

Right now, I mix 1 part Simple Green to 9 parts RO/DI water, and dip in paper towel. I do not spray it near my tank, although Simple Green is not supposed to be toxic. I then take the soaked paper towel and wipe down one side of glass at a time.

I then use either a paper towel or microfiber cloth to dry each side of the tank. It works ok, but this almost always leaves streaks behind unless I'm very careful and wasteful with my drying paper towel. I really don't like streaks.

Should I be using a different cleaner? I'm too paranoid to use windex or even think about ammonia while I'm near my tank.

Has anyone tried using a squeegee or something like that? What about vinegar? Wouldn't need to worry as much about the tank with that, unless I accidentally dump in half a bottle...

 

[Enderturtle]

For getting glass crystal clean without smudges the best thing I've ever use is Novus 1 AND a bathing towel. I guess if you have an extra towel, cut it up and make it into smaller ones? Or find something with the same texture.

+

My tank is made of the devil material known as Acrylic. Sooo I'm very gentle with it, I just use tap water + a cotton rag. But i've cleaned a bunch of low iron glass tanks and Novus 1 + Bath Towel = Most efficient for me.

Novus 1 can be picked up at any local Tap Plastics or online.



What do you guys use?

 

[Seaslugteam]

I have an acrylic tank but I would assume this process works just as well.
Use plain RO water with a micro fibre cloth. The micro fibre picks up any random oil and there isn't any chemical needed. This is what is used for my glasses also so I'm guessing it works fairly well with glass tanks.

 

[wpeterson]

I have a glass tank, so I use Invisible Glass and a microfiber towel to clean the exterior. As long as you aren't spraying something into the air over the tank, you should be able to use any glass cleaner on the exterior.

 

[Nav]

I have a glass tank. Believe me or not, I simply wet a kitchen paper towel, wipe all sides wet followed by another dry wipe and its always crystal clear

 

[jonmos75]

I just use a clean dry microfiber towels (yellow ones from Costco) and a little elbow grease....sometimes diluted Windex spray on a towel, but very rarely use chemicals...

 

[Vhuang168]

My tank is acrylic. For general everyday cleaning, a light mist of ro/di followed by a wipe down with a paper towel. I also use Novus 1 and 2 for a deeper clean about once every 2 weeks.

Kinda useless as currently my glass is dirty on the inside! Been feeding heavier than normal since I'm trying to keep a rescue scoly alive so I have to keep my Melanurus wrasse occupied with its own food or it will try to pick from the corals. I've resorted to putting a clear container upside down over the scoly to give it time to eat.

 

[Coral reefer]

Brilianize and microfiber cloth. Can get from tap plastic

 

[anathema]

If I ever bother, I use a spray bottle with diluted vinegar water. The vinegar cuts the grease but is safe to spray in the tank.

 

[Merith]

+1 on the stoner invisible glass and micro fiber. I use the aerosol for the cars as it seems to work better but use the manual spray one around the tanks just cause I'm paranoid about particles from the other.

 

[denzil]

RODI water and a microfiber. The microfiber in itself has enough power to wipe just about anything off of your glass with some RODI water. Plus, you don't have to worry about any airborne overspray of any glass cleaner entering the tank.