How to Remove Salt on the Inside of Your Fish Tank's Walls

Removing unsightly salt accumulations from an aquarium can be difficult. The process is made easier, however, by applying proper technique and understanding the chemistry of the salt accumulation in your particular aquarium. Salt accumulations in freshwater and saltwater aquaria differ in composition. Saltwater aquaria tend to accumulate sodium chloride, whereas freshwater aquaria accumulate calcium carbonate. Because sodium chloride is more water soluble than calcium carbonate, accumulations can be removed from saltwater aquaria using water, whereas freshwater aquaria may need to be cleaned with vinegar or a vinegar-water mixture.

Things You'll Need

  • Razor blade
  • Vinegar
  • Soft scrubbing pad
  • Paper towels
  • Cloth
  • Water
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Instructions

  1. Saltwater Aquarium

    • 1

      Drain the appropriate amount of water from the aquarium to expose the zone of salt accumulation. This is usually along the water line at the top of the aquarium, where water evaporates, resulting in salt accumulation.

    • 2

      Press a razor blade almost flat against the aquarium glass and scrape away the salt accumulation with fluid motions. The salt that falls into the tank will not harm the fish or invertebrate inhabitants, so care is not needed to prevent the salt from falling into the water.

    • 3

      Wipe away the remaining salt with a water-moistened cloth.

    • 4

      Replace the water that was removed. Follow all water chemistry guidelines for water in your aquarium̵2;this is crucial and depends on the inhabitants of your particular aquarium. If aquarium inhabitants were removed during cleaning, acclimate them to the new water temperature by floating them in bags of appropriately treated water until the temperature within the bags has equilibrated with that of the aquarium.

    Freshwater Aquarium

    • 5

      Remove all fish and invertebrates from the aquarium and place them in one or more holding tanks. All aquarium inhabitants must be removed when you clean salt accumulation from a freshwater tank, because it may be necessary to use vinegar to dissolve the calcium carbonate accumulation. Vinegar would kill fish and invertebrate pets.

    • 6

      Drain all water from the aquarium.

    • 7

      Press a razor blade against the aquarium glass and scrape away the salt accumulation with fluid motions.

    • 8

      Remove the remaining salt with vinegar or a mixture of vinegar and water applied by scrubbing with a moist cloth or cleaning pad.

    • 9

      Repeatedly rinse the aquarium gravel with cold tap water or distilled water to remove any vinegar from the rocks. Leaving vinegar on the rocks would acidify the aquarium water and kill fish and invertebrates.

    • 10

      Replace the water that was removed from the aquarium. As with saltwater aquaria, follow the water chemistry guidelines for your aquarium.

    • 11

      Return fish other pets to the aquarium. Acclimate fish and invertebrates to the new water temperature using the method described in the steps for saltwater aquaria.