It is needless to say that maintaining your tank as clean as possible is crucial for achieving the ultimate floatation experience. I don’t have to be a psychic to know that you will all agree with that statement.
The good hygiene results in safer and more enjoyable floating session. Probably you know that some bacteria and microorganisms just love to live in the water. Moreover, this environment helps them grow.
Sure enough, there are microorganisms that fight on the good side and help to destroy the poisons in the water. However, there are nasty bacteria that often can cause a lot of trouble for our health such as Vibro, Shigella, and the infamous Escherichia coli.
But this is not a biology lesson. The purpose of this article is to shed a light on some water care and cleaning supplies that you can use in order to take a proper care of the water in your floatation tank.
Every tank on the market has a filtration system that includes filtration pumps that purify the water. In addition to that, you need to do some basic cleaning on a weekly basis that will guarantee that you will float in the cleanest environment possible.
With the proper care that takes usually 15 minutes per week, you can float in a clean water without having to change it for a period of two years.
In this article, we will cover what are the cleaning supplies needed, how much they cost, and from where to get them. So hold tight and let’s begin.
35% Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2)
This is a chemical that doesn’t have an odour or color. It is an oxidizing agent. Its main use is for disinfection. It controls the levels of bacteria and mold in the water. That is why his application for cleaning the water in your tent (or tank) is a must.
The ideal concentration of H2O2 is in the range of 40-60 ppm (parts per million). Measuring the Hydrogen levels in the tank is crucial and has to be done on a weekly basis.
You can find Hydrogen Peroxide in a local pool supply store, in Walmart, on eBay or on Amazon. The price varies depending on the quantity but usually, it is around $13 – $40 per bottle.
Hydrometer
This tiny but powerful instrument serves to measure the density of liquidity and relies on the concept of buoyancy. In the world of the floatation therapy, its main use is to control the levels of salt saturation of the water in the tank.
Having the ideal amount of salt in the tank is very important because it is the salt that defines how much you will float. With that being said, you should aim to have 1.25-1.26 on your hydrometer. If it is below that, you can add salt and if it is above that, you should add some extra gallons of water.
Most of the big online stores have hydrometers. You can check at Amazon or on eBay, for instance. There, the prices are in the range of $15-$25.
With the purchase of the first affordable home floatation tank – the Zen Float Tent, you receive a hydrometer in the package. It is called the Zen hydrometer and it is very easy to use. On it, the ideal range of salt level is marked ‘Float Zone’.
Ph Up and Ph Down
The general hydroponics Ph Up (Baking soda) and Ph down starts at $14 at Amazon. It can be found in most of the plant stores as well and in all big outlets.
It is also another thing that comes with the purchase of the Zen Float tent. It serves to measure the alkalinity in the water. The perfect PH level is 7.2 – 7.8. The best alkalinity is 80 – 100 ppm. In order to check your levels of alkalinity, all you need to do is to put a test strip in the water, wait a bit, pull it out and check the color reference on the bottle.
When the PH is low you have to put one tablespoon of PH Up. If the PH is above the normal range you need to decrease it by adding one tablespoon of PH down. The alkalinity has to be controlled regularly since its levels easily fluctuate.
Water Skimmer
I believe that we should all know what that is, right? I am sure that you’ve seen such things with which they clean the pools except that for the specific purpose you need a smaller one. Just don’t confuse it for the bug that has the same name and you should be fine.
With the use of this tool, you can regularly clean the surface of the water in the tank from the accumulated debris. This also includes removing oils, dust, and hair. You can manually clean that also with a sponge and with a skimming net. A water skimmer at Amazon starts at $9.
Conclusion
Again, the filtration system of the tank will do most of the hard work in order to purify the water. However, it is mandatory that you do some manual cleaning on a weekly basis. It doesn’t take much time and in the end, it is always better to maintain the water clean instead of changing it, which is a rather time-consuming task.
I suggest that you also watch the video below that gives an insight about cleaning the water in the zen float tent. The information is also relative to most of the tanks on the market.
It is a good idea to wipe the walls of the tank too. For that, you can use hydrogen peroxide in the form of a spray. You can find such in any pharmacy.
Then, just enjoy a wonderful floating session.
Should you have any questions or comments, speak your mind and leave a comment below!
We were just thinking about purchasing a floatation tank ,I have to admit that I didn’t have a clue about the cleaning side of it. Here I was thinking that the system simply took care of itself. Thank goodness I stumbled across your article or I wouldn’t have found out about those nasty Escherichia Coli bugs. Now that I have found your very informative site I will check out the Zen Tent. It looks interesting. Thanks Jim
Hello Jim,
Owning a floatation tank involves some maintenance and cleaning. But I have to tell you that it is totally worth it. Plus, as described in the article, it’s very easy and it takes nothing but 15-20mins per week.