[Mattfish]

We've got a 125g with o'flow, and are getting ready to bring it up. It naturally came with dust and dirt inside from shipping, as well as a little bit of what I assume is silicone sealer on some places on the inside large panes.

I've taken a damp paper towel and gotten the bulk of the dirt off the inside, but knowing I shouldn't use any cleaning chemicals, I'm wondering what the best way is it to get rid of the remaining gunk, and also the silicone - do I use a razor blade on the silicone or will this scratch the glass?

If I get the majority of the gunk out using paper towel and water, will that be ok, since I'll be running the stuff through a sump and protein skimmer when I start it up? (I assume that's not the right answer and I need to get it as clean as possible, rather than letting the sump try to get it since it wasn't designed for that purpose...)

Thanks.

[glampka]

For the silicone you can use a razor blade scraper. You can use baking soda & water to clean the rest of the tank. Just be sure to rinse thoroughly before filling it.

[marciemp]

You can also scrub the tank with salt, just make sure it has nothing else in it, the salt is a great scrubber.