How to clean tank with heat pad?

[kiiarah]

I have had Shesha for a month now and it seems like the time is nearing for a full tank clean. I have been doing regular spot cleaning of course, and the tank still smells fresh, but I think I have read that once a month is recommended for full cleans (correct me if I am wrong). I have looked up all kinds of information on cleaning but everything I have seen says to thoroughly rinse with a bleach solution and then fresh water. Furthermore, none of the videos or articles I have read address heat mats at all. Everything I have found shows someone cleaning a bare tank without a heat mat. The tank my bp is in is a 30 gallon with a heat pad at the bottom. I can easily empty and lift the tank, but the thing is so hard to maneuver just due to its size and weight I just don't know how I could get it in the tub and do an adequate cleaning without getting the heat pad wet. I feel like there has to be something I am missing here, and I definitely don't want to fry or compromise the safety of the heat pad. Any suggestions would be very helpful.

[Zephyr]

The under tank heater is supposed to be on the outside of the tank, not inside it, if thats what you mean... Also needs to be controlled with a thermostat if you haven't done that already. You don't need to fill up the tank with solution and rinse, you can use a spray bottle and towels.

[somnambulant]

Maybe what you could do is make a bleach solution in a spray bottle, spray your empty aquarium and wipe clean. Then spray with water and wipe dry. You'll probably want to clean with water that until the bleach smell is gone, and let it air out for a bit.

That way you won't have to move it all the way to the tub.

[kiiarah]

Oh yes the heat pad is on the outside of the tank and it is on a thermostat. I had been envisioning somehow filling the tank with the solution and then filling with clean water repeatedly and emptying. Just wasn't sure how I would go about that with the electrical equipment on the outside of the tank. In the past (for fish) I have always propped the tank in the bathtub to clean, but that seemed like a bad solution in this case. I have that wipe out product that is for spraying down the tank, would that be sufficient for sanitation? I know it claims on the bottle that it is used that way, but I find that some products aren't really as capable as they claim to be. Does anyone use this stuff? So I guess I would just empty everything out, spray the tank thoroughly, let sit for a bit and then wipe multiple times with a wet rag? Thanks for the fast responses by the way, this has been eating at me because it seemed like it was going to be so complicated. I am feeling better about it already.

[carlisleishere]

For my large tanks I just had a spray bottle with 10% bleach solution. I first sprayed with just water to get little bits of dirt/ substrate out and wiped clean. Then sprayed with the bleach solution and I had a little brush to get in the corners and any nooks and crannies. Let sit for 10 minutes, wipe out, and do a couple spray rinses with plain waiter and wipe dry. Then air it out for about 10 minutes or until there is no more bleach smell.

[Velrys]

Bleach is overkill unless you are trying to get something nasty out of the tank. White Vinegar works great and then you don't have to worry about getting the bleach out of the tank.

I also periodically scrub my tubs with soap and water but only every couple of months.

[Pyrate81]

Maybe what you could do is make a bleach solution in a spray bottle, spray your empty aquarium and wipe clean. Then spray with water and wipe dry. You'll probably want to clean with water that until the bleach smell is gone, and let it air out for a bit.

That way you won't have to move it all the way to the tub.

For my large tanks I just had a spray bottle with 10% bleach solution. I first sprayed with just water to get little bits of dirt/ substrate out and wiped clean. Then sprayed with the bleach solution and I had a little brush to get in the corners and any nooks and crannies. Let sit for 10 minutes, wipe out, and do a couple spray rinses with plain waiter and wipe dry. Then air it out for about 10 minutes or until there is no more bleach smell.

x3 on this. However, I used simple green as my cleaner instead of bleach.

Scoop out the aspen or whatever, vacuum out the dust and small remnants, then use the liquid. Wipe it dry and let the air do the rest for about 10 minutes.