cleaning accessories

[AquaBarb]

Hi TFF,

Whats the best way of keeping your gravel Vac and other cleaning accessories clean?
Can you soak them in mild bleach water and well rinse?

 

[Byron]

I personally do not do anything.

The sponges like those pictured can be simply rinsed in tap water. I would never use bleach with sponge as you can never be certain the bleach will all rinse out, and there really is no need for anything beyond water anyway.

Tubing such as the Python or a smaller manual type I also leave alone, though I know there are those who would say this is not safe. The way to clean these is with a weak bleach/water solution, then rinse several times with tap water, then air dry thoroughly. For the past 18 years I have been living in a house and needed a 75-foot Python to reach from the sink in the utility room (only one with a threaded faucet) to the fish room tanks and I knew this could never be completely air dried in a week so I never touched it.

 

[AquaBarb]

Good to know thanks Byron, I do just use water to rinse them out but didnt know if that was enough.

The sponges arent too badly priced to change every now and again anyway. Ill just carry on rinsing them out.

 

[seangee]

For tubing and pipes I just use water and occasionally a brush (like a bottle brush) that you can push through it. For the glass I just use cheap kitchen sponges - the type with a scouring pad on one side. Make sure they are the cheap ones and are not impregnated with any "magic" cleaning agent. These get rinsed in water and when they get too dirty you can use hot water or just replace them. If you wipe the walls down weekly they will last for ages as you rarely need to use the scouring side.

 

[Back in the fold]

I'm with @Byron on this one. Rinsing with water and leaving them alone after that is perfectly fine. My gravel vac has some kind of black gunk in the tubing and has had for a long time. No problems. Water only comes out and never back in through it.

 

[Fishmanic]

I cleaned my python tubing from the black gunk buildup by wadding up a small amount of paper towels then inserting in the faucet end, reattaching to faucet and turning on faucet to full. Paper travels through the tube and takes the gunk with it. I repeat a few times to fully clean the tubing. Works for me.

I thoroughly clean the filter housing about every 6 weeks. I brush all parts of housing and use a round bottle-type brush to push it through the intake tube to get all the gunk out. I remove the impeller and clean it with a brush and use q-tips to get into the area in the pump where impeller sits and then rinse it hot water. I do not use bleach....why risk it. I have a long armed algae brush to clean the tank walls occasionally.

 

[AbbeysDad]

On a couple of occasions I have used a bleach/water solution to clean out the black crud from inside my python hoses. I use a submersible pump all the time for water changes connected to python hose. I fill a 5g bucket about 1/2 full of warm water and add a couple of cups of chlorine bleach. Put the pump in connected to the hose and clamp the other end of the hose to the bucket and let it run. When the hose is clean, I carefully disconnect and everything gets flushed with fresh water. No problem and like new again. Chlorine rinses really well especially from plastic/polyvinyl.
Back in the day when I had plastic plant decor, from time to time I would run the decor through the dishwasher with some bleach. It did a great job and I never had a problem!
When using bleach, you simply need to rinse well and air drying adds another level. Chlorine dissipates pretty readily which is why I have to keep adding it to the pool and the hot tub!

On the other hand, I wouldn't bother with sponges like those shown and would just rinse well in tap water,

 

[AquaBarb]

I use a submersible pump all the time for water changes

That sounds like a good idea. These pumps reasonably priced and easy to use?

 

[AbbeysDad]

That sounds like a good idea. These pumps reasonably priced and easy to use?

You can get a 400gph submersible pump for $20 - $30. I use quick disconnects to a python hose...just hook it up, secure the end of the hose on the drain side, lower the pump into the tank, and plug it in. Works great and with a 6 foot to 8 foot lift height (varies with pumps), it's easy to pump up to any drain (sink, bathtub, john...) This is much better/quicker than a siphon or the python running water method. You could spend more for a faster pump. For my ecoplus 396, when I do a 50% water change on the 110g, it's about 25 minutes to pump out. I just set a timer on my phone and do other things, but a higher capacity pump would be quicker.

 

[AquaBarb]

You can get a 400gph submersible pump for $20 - $30. I use quick disconnects to a python hose...just hook it up, secure the end of the hose on the drain side, lower the pump into the tank, and plug it in. Works great and with a 6 foot to 8 foot lift height (varies with pumps), it's easy to pump up to any drain (sink, bathtub, john...) This is much better/quicker than a siphon or the python running water method. You could spend more for a faster pump. For my ecoplus 396, when I do a 50% water change on the 110g, it's about 25 minutes to pump out. I just set a timer on my phone and do other things, but a higher capacity pump would be quicker.

Good idea that would certainly speed things up.