A better way to clean your tank glass

 

 

Most of us have several pieces of equipment that we use to keep our tanks glass (or acrylic) looking sharp - a Mag Float or other brand  of  magnetic cleaner, a blade or plastic scraper, sponges and pads (either attached to holders or loose), etc. 

 

The Mag Float is a favorite because you can just swipe it across the glass; you don't have to open the tank up or get your hands wet... but the Mag Float has a few limitations. Among these are being careful not to get sand in the cleaning pad part or you will scratch your tank, the pad wears out after awhile and needs to be replaced, etc.

 

Recently someone discovered that the Mr. Clean "Magic Eraser" does a great job at cleaning the inside glass / acrylic of a fish tank. The only drawback is, of course, you have to put your hand into the tank to use it.

 

I decided I was going to try to combine the convenience of the Mag Float with the effectiveness of a Magic Eraser. Here is what I did:

 

 

1) You need your Mag Float or other type of magnetic cleaner and a Magic Eraser; here I have both of my Mag Floats from my 2 tanks

 

 

 

 

2. Cut the Magic Eraser to the exact size of your magnet cleaner with a scissor

 

 

 

 

3. Take a knife and slice the Magic Eraser lengthwise, cutting the thickness in half

 

 

 

 

4. Now you have the proper size pad for your Mag Float

 

 

 

 

5.  To "install", simply grasp both the inside cleaning magnet and the Magic Eraser pad, like so

 

 

 

 

 

 

Press the Eraser pad and the Magnet against the inside glass

 

 

 

 

 

Secure outside magnet to outside glass to hold everything in place

 

 

 

 

 

Here is a "side view" of how the finished unit looks

 

 

 

 

 

For really big magnets - like my Mag Float XXL for my 225g - you might need to use a whole eraser plus some

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Make sure you use the Magic Eraser "Original" version ONLY... there are other types ("Heavy Duty", "Extra Strength", etc.) that have chemical cleaners imbedded in them that could harm your livestock!

 

Remember to change out that Magic Eraser pad every month or 2 to keep your cleaner in top condition. Using the Eraser pad also means your Mag Float pad no longer touches the glass / acrylic surface so it can never wear out!

 

One Last Note:

 

Magic Erasers are great at cleaning all types of algae and buildup on your glass except one - they don't work very well on coralline algae, IMO... make sure you take care of any coralline buildup before you start using theMagic Eraser; then just a quick daily swipe will keep the coralline from coming back... and your tank looking sharp!