Second hand tank

[Saralouise2775]

Hi I just got a 90l bargain of Facebook. But the guy I bought it of has been doing work on the house so glass is stained with brick dust and lighting units a mess a cleaning tips would be appreciated. Also I have my heart set on Cory cats but don't have a means of washing my substrate outdoors. So can anyone give me tips for that and recommend which sand is best to buy thanks.

[fr499y]

White vinegar is brilliant for cleaning tanks, rinse it out with tap water afterwards.

Any fine sand will work for cories and you can always add it to an empty tank, fill slowly as to not disturb it too much and then run a filter with floss for a few days to remove any of the dust particles, that and a few water changes.

Take a look at the guides on here, especially the cycling guide if you are new to aquariums . Oh and welcome to

[plankton]

Welcome to the forum.
The Unipac sand doesn't seem to be too "dusty", I used that last time I needed extra sand (upgraded a smaller tank) and I was pleasantly surprised with the lack of "dust" when I cleaned it (fortunately I can clean outside).
White vinegar or lemon juice are pretty good for most cleaning purposes. You can use a mild bleach (like Milton sterilizing fluid), but remember to rinse with conditioned water afterwards to negate the chlorine.

[mikeyboy123]

I use Maidenhead aquatics speckled sand for my two nanos. Whilst it is lovely sand it was horrifically dusty and took an age and god knows how much water to rinse it sufficiently. There is no way of knowing how dusty substrate will be until you get it although some brands/products have a better reputation than others. However, it’s probably a good idea to assume it’ll need lots of rinsing, just in case. Do you have a friend or relative with an outdoor hose that you could use?

[Vale!]

Possibly important:

Before any wiping or rubbing give everything a very thorough hoovering - with a vacuum cleaner - else you may risk scratching the glass when you do start wiping or rubbing!

[Staffylover]

I always use Unipac now as I really value the fact that it is clean enough to go straight in without pre rinsing, I do use fine filter floss sometimes in a separate internal filter for the first couple of weeks if needed, I tried the MA brand once it was so dusty even after a lot of rinsing and several weeks in a tank - never again! good luck with the cleaning.

[fr499y]

Or amtra sand is very clean and comes in a variety of grains and colours

[VikingMummy2015]

I have never rinsed sand outdoors . Bucket and bathtub/shower head does the job for me!
I have Barlows aquatic sand which is the highest recommended for cories and doesn’t need a great deal of rinsing. I had Limpopo black sand before that and it needed a lot more rinsing. I just did a couple of buckets at a time