Need a bit of advice on substrate for new tank

[EasternGirl]

For cleaning with vinegar..how exactly do you make the vinegar solution? What parts vinegar to water I mean? And you use this whenever you clean out the tanks?

[angrygamer]

Beautiful female.

Do you think it's a female? As I said before, from what I have read up on, everything points a female, the only thing doesn't is that she isn't very big (wide). She's 22 inches long. She doesn't have a ravenous appetite either. In fact, she like to play with her food before she eats it.

I have really enjoyed learning how to take care of her, she has been really forgiving while I have gone through this process. The only time she seems to get really skittish is when I have to put her back in the tank.

If I get a used tank I always clean thoroughly with bleach solution, leave on for 15 minutes, and rinse several times. But after that, white distilled vinegar is what I use to keep the glass clean, since it's non-toxic and doesn't require rinsing. For hard water deposits, any acidic cleaner works well though. For organic deposits, use an alkaline cleaner. If you're having a hard time getting off hard water deposits (white stuff) with vinegar, you can use muriatic acid (sometimes sold as concrete cleaner)

I've tried scraping and vinegar, bleach and Oxyclean...from what I've read up on, it just takes a lot elbow grease...will this muriatic acid damage the glass?

If you don't know where a snake is from, (location would tell you if it's a wandering or an eastern) take a look at the spots. See how they overlap the dorsal stripe? That gives it away as a wandering. (T. elegans vagrans)

Cool!

[ConcinusMan]

No solution. Straight white distilled vinegar. It's safe to use to clean the glass, even while the snakes are still in the tank. Doesn't seem to bother them. Just dampen a cloth or paper towel with the vinegar and wipe the glass clean. You can also add a little hydrogen peroxide to the mix for extra germ killing power. Also doesn't need to be rinsed. Its unstable and so it quickly breaks down into oxygen and H20.

Muriatic acid is fairly weak. (but much stonger acid than vinegar) It won't damage the glass if it isn't left on for a long time. It will instantly melt away hard water deposits. Then rinse it off right away. Won't hurt the glass. It is acid however. Use all precautions/gloves, ventilation, etc.

[angrygamer]

For cleaning with vinegar..how exactly do you make the vinegar solution? What parts vinegar to water I mean? And you use this whenever you clean out the tanks?

Well, the tank I just bought has a white film on a lot of the glass...I don't know if it's calcium, we have really hard water here in New Mexico, or if it's lime deposits...in any event, I mix a 5% distilled vinegar 50:50 water solution...I have also tried 10% bleach, Oxyclean and baking soda. From what I've read up on, CLR doesn't really do the job either.

[ConcinusMan]

CLR sucks. Whether its calcium or lime, only a fairly strong acid will take it off. No need to mix water with the vinegar. Works better if it isn't diluted. Baking soda is just the opposite of what you need to take off calcium/lime so it won't do anything. You need a very low Ph (acidic) to break down C/L.

[infernalis]

That razor blade scraper I already posted works wonders.

[ConcinusMan]

I've tried those and somehow managed to scratch the glass permanently. I learned the chemistry involved while working in a juice manufacturing plant. A strong enough acid (ph 1.0-2.0) will melt the deposits like it was nothing, but won't touch cooked on juice crud, or harm the equipment. For that we needed the opposite. A strong alkaline. We used sodium hydroxide solution for organic deposits (ph around 15.0) which in turn, does nothing for hard water deposits.

[angrygamer]

That razor blade scraper I already posted works wonders.

I own the exact razor you posted...it's been a combination of scrubbing and scraping, but it's not all coming off.

Anyway, I have an appointment to go to, I'll check back with y'all later.

[infernalis]

That's why professional janitors use diluted muriatic acid (Hydrochloric acid) to scrub out public shower stalls. If you can get some, be sure to wear rubber gloves.

No calcium buildup on earth can resist that.

[ConcinusMan]

Yup. Melts away like butter in a hot pan on contact. It's also kind of fun to scrape the copper plating off the edges of a zinc core penny and drop it in the acid. Within an hour or so, you're left with a hollow penny. The zinc disolves first, leaving just the copper foil behind. (pennies made prior to 1983 are solid copper, so those won't work)