cleaning with vinegar

I have a few used pieces of equipment (skimmer and 29g biocube for my son) and I was told you can clean them up with vinegar and water. Anyone have any suggestions on the ratio of water to vinegar?

 

I generally do about a 2:1 water vinegar I guess. I just dump some in the bucket to tell you the truth.

 

I'm picky sooooo I use 1 cup vinegar per 1 gallon of water. I heat the vinegar to a boil in the microwave then add it to the water. Hot works twice as fast

 

I'm so glad someone brought this up...When I first got into this hobby, I done that...then sometimes, I'm out of vinegar, and so I just clean with water...What does the vinegar actually benefit in this process ..I have never seen any difference...what gives. Not being a wise azz...just have not used it in years..just something else I don't have to keep in stock....but did I miss something along the way..and that is TOTALLY possible btw. : ) lol
..I do have Vodka dosing down to a science though..2 oz Grey goose, splash of vermouth and 3 olives..shaken not stirred. ; )

 

The vinigar will disolve the calcium deposits(coraline algea)and any other scale buildup off the equipment.

 

Straight vinegar for me lol. It is the low PH from what I understand that does the trick of the vinegar. I don't let it soak for any longer then half an hour usually though. Hydor makes something as well called magi-clean or something like that. I don't heat my vinegar up, but it might work better.

 

If I'm in a rush, I just use straight vinegar. When I am done, I just rinse well. Vinegar is very water soluble. If you don't feel like dealing with the smell, or its not urgent that you quickly replace the equipment, then just mix up some vinegar and water. However, this doesn't work as quickly for the tough things like coralline, so I you are using the mixture then just let it soak for a day or two, then scrub it off, and rinse well.

 

cool. Thanks everyone. Going to be doing some cleaning this weekend. I'm not in a real hurry, so I will probably let it soak a while

 

ok..I'm cool. NOT an issue. : )

 

Straight distilled white vinegar. When you dilute it you raise the pH and reduce its effectiveness. If you keep it straight you can also strain the big stuff out, pour it back in the jug or bottle and use it over and over.