Cleaning Aquarium Glass using BAR KEEPERS FRIEND
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 26 ต.ค. 2018
- Bar Keepers Friend... Find it here: amzn.to/2MNtdiJ
I have been in and out of the aquarium hobby for several years. During that time, I have purchased a lot of aquariums; some new, some used. The last time around I vowed to never buy another used aquarium because of the time and effort it takes to clean them up to make them look good again. But, sometimes you find a great deal and its hard to pass it up. So, how do you get rid of those calcium and hard water deposits? I've tried vinegar, CLR, mineral spirits, alcohol, soft scrub, and just good old fashioned elbow grease. I then heard about this product called Bar Keepers Friend and people saying they had good results when using it. So, I decided to make this video, so I could share in my findings... does it work or doesn't it? Take a look at the video to see how it did for me. Be sure to hit the thumbs up or thumbs down button so I know you were here, and if you want to see my aquarium room come together, be sure to subscribe. Thanks for visiting our channel.
First off I just found your channel and I love it!
I had a 55 gallon with that exact same problem. It had me pulling my hair out trying to get it off. There’s nothing on the internet about this and it was frustrating. I tried vinegar, BKF, and just about every other trick in the book. Even sandpaper couldn’t put a dent in the stuff. It took a while, but I finally found a way to remove it. It was so satisfying to finally defeat my ultimate foe.
Here’s the trick: You take a power drill, a high powered one, and attach a sewn buffering wheel. The balls and other shapes that they come in won’t work. It has to be the sewn wheels. I used a steel polishing compound and ground that annoying cloudiness into a pulp. Takes effort, but it’s worth it. Thanks for reading lol.
Thanks for visiting the channel and for the kind words. Also, thanks for taking the time to share your success story on cleaning stubborn aquarium glass. On my next tank that has this issue, I'll give your method a try! There might even be a video about it LOL. Thanks again for sharing.
Fantastic tip!
I bought an old 75 gallon off of Facebook marketplace (thick glass and all) we removed all the seals and cleaned it with bar keepers friend and I used distilled white vinegar afterwards. Unfortunately, it had the same haziness around the top as yours did in the middle. It is such thick glass that I don’t want to get rid of it-because they just don’t make things like they used to. I guess I’ll look into polishing the glass then! Thanks for the video! :)
Good luck. I agree, you hate to get rid of something of quality. Many people say it can be done. I also tried wet sandpaper, steel wool, and various chemicals. I did not try the polishing steps as it seemed labor intensive and you needed a polisher device and a multistep process. Good luck to you. PLEASE come back and let me know how it worked out. I'm very interested to know.
Good to see I'm not the only one who had a so-so result from BKF. I tried using it to remove the substrate line from my terrarium (coconut fiber is mildly acidic and leaves a very noticeable mark after a while) and had basically no improvement after over an hour of wiping it on, letting it sit and scraping it off. Seems like it works well for water stains and that's about it.
Right. I apply it with a green scrub pad and then use a razor blade to scrape the glass. I find that the razor is the key to the watermarks and scaling. The BKF works pretty good like that, but there is somethings on the glass it can't get off. Good luck! Thanks for the comment.
Gebo's Garage it’s etched on the glass I don’t think there is anything you can do you might want to google fish tank etching
That tank does look amazing .Bar Keepers Friend is definitely a great product,I use it to clean stainless steel pans &my instant pot (the inner pot)
We use it all the time now, too.
Thanks for the vid, it was useful as I am attempting to restore some old tanks with BKF atm myself. How the tank looked at the start vs the end is night and day! Great job! It would've been cool to see a side-by-side picture at the end to compare. At 12:13 onwards I believe you can see that haziness you were talking about because your jersey provides a dark backdrop which makes it show up. Just to clarify, I assume you're saying it was always there/caused by aging/dirt and not caused by the BKF itself? I know others have since recommended a power drill with sewn buffing wheel and steel polish, I assume the polish would rinse off afterwards leaving the tank fish safe? Can anyone recommend a product they've successfully used for this?
Thanks for the comment. This was one of my 1st videos ever posted, and I wasn't great at editing for a side by side photo. But I do like BKF and yes the scratches were etched into the glass it seems from years of use. The BKF was totally safe on the glass, and it just rinses out.
What adorable children!!🙂
Thank you.
I buy all my tanks used and use BKF to clean all of them. Alot of elbow grease or a buffing pad makes them look almost new. I always wash the tank with dawn dish soap and rinse several times after. Dont get the scrapper too close to your corner seals! I use GE clear window silicone to reseal everything. A bit of frog tape helps keep the lines straight.
I agree with using the tape for straight lines. I did this on my last tank that I sealed. It turned out great.
Ummm dawn dish soap?? I definitely wouldn't use that in case some residue stays behind (even after rinsing). It might be okay after a scrub with vinegar but I wouldn't chance it personally. Great to hear you can restore tanks to near-new condition with BKF though, I hate that cloudy aged and water stained look that tanks get after some time
Will this hurt the fish that will be in the tank after cleaning? I just bought a very crusty tank and I’m trying to figure out a way to clean it without hurting my future fish.
That is a great question. So, from what I have experienced, there has been no adverse effects from using this cleaner. The key is to rinse the aquarium very good before introducing any livestock. Good luck with cleaning the tank. I think the razor is what works best in conjunction with the BKF.
Gebo's Garage Thank you, I actually just cleaned it. It was a long process and it doesn’t look brand new but it’s a lot better.
Oxalic acid (BKF) is water soluble so just rinse very well and the fish will be fine
look up 8x Cerium Oxide Glass Polishing Kit
Thank you. I will.
I have that same problem
Everything I have learned since this video was posted says that you have to polish the glass with (chemicals and polishers) once they get this bad. Or, as one person wrote me, "if you can't see the mark's when its filled with water, why worry about it"? So, truthfully I think this stuff does a good job, when followed with a razor scraper, on the heavy stuff. But once the glass is damaged.... it's time to make a decision. Live with it, sell it, or buy a new one. :-) Good luck! Check out my other video titled "HELP"
th-cam.com/video/kXkOxEq9sKc/w-d-xo.html
Try it with some white distilled vinegar.
I did. That works great for calcium deposits
What kind of sponge is that?
Just a regular green scrubby pad from the grocery store.
I have the same freaking problem pretty much in the same spot 😡😡😡
Yeah, its frustrating.