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My tank is growing white crusty stuff on the sides of the light, on the filter, and on the inside and outside of the tank. What is that stuff and how do I get rid of it?
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You probably have very hard water, and what you are seeing is the minerals from the water being deposited on surfaces. My water is so soft that I never have that problem, but from years ago I think there is a product called "Lime-Away" that will clean things up. Be careful not to get any of it in the tank.
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| Yup, sounds like hard water deposits. When water that contains a lot of minerals (hard water) evaporates, it leaves behind those minerals, and this makes that white crust on your tank fixtures. Try and keep those places dry and free of condensation. If you don't want to use chemicals or can't get ahold of them, wipe the areas prone to getting the crust daily with a damp cloth. It's easier to get it off if it's still wet, and use warm water if you can. Maybe you can get a scrubber pad from the kitchen (just make sure it's new and doesn't have soap in it). This should take it off pretty easily. If there's a lot of it, you can dip a washcloth in some vinegar and the acid will remove it. It's less harmful than using chemicals, but still try not to get it in your tank. But if you let hard water deposits sit and build up on itself, it gets very difficult to remove. So it's something you have to take care of regularly. Good luck!
In the Mountains Of the Mountains For the Mountains
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I have hardwater but it never stains anything inside the tank while full. It's also not crusty. It only leaves white spots on dry surfaces. If you don't think it's hard water stains maybe you can post a pic to help us identify it.
__________________________________________ 46 Gallon Tank Planted-1 Female German Ram-5 Gymnogeophagus Sp. Norte-6 Class N Endlers Black Bars (Pure Strain)-4 Otto Cats 25 Gallon Planted (High tech)- Two Bolivian Rams- 10 endlers/guppy cross 10 Gallon Tank Planted. (At the office)-6 Class N Endlers Black Bars (Pure Strain)
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| Hard water, when combined with organic deposits, is liable to crust if left alone for a while. I've found it happens in tanks with a higher bioload, maybe excess nitrates. I believe the calcium and other minerals react with organic compounds in the water to create the whitish crust that comes off powdery when you scrape it with a fingernail. One of these days I'll analyze it chemically. But Filipem's right, that shouldn't be happening on the INSIDE of the tank. Just on the outside in areas that get exposed to a lot of evaporation and water flow, like where the hood rests on the top of the tank or on the outflow area of the filter. Pics would definitely help. ..Then again, hard water deposits CAN form as water evaporates from the tank and stay there after you top the tank up - but you shouldn't let your water level fall to a point where the deposits would be noticeable. So I agree, pictures are worth a thousand words here.
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 Here it is.
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