Finally- I found a decent Hose cleaning Brush

[TwoTankAmin]

Let me start by saying I normally do not do prroduct reviews. I may mention what things I use, but what is below is pretty unusualt for me to post.

If you use short lengths of clear PVC for siphoning etc. in tanks, then you have likely seen them go from clear to building up brown mung which turns the clear hose dark brown. I had tried two different hose brushes one of which was from Eheim. Neither worked very well.

I recently needed to shop at kensfish.com to replenish my sinking stick mix. As I normally do I will also look around a site for other interesting things. And in this case I found a new brush cleaner for hoses. It was only a few dollars so I gave it a try. When it arived, the brush iteself was a decent size and the label said it was 1.9m long which is a few inches over 6 feet. The "wire" was a very strudy coiled plastic. In fact is was not possible for me to get it to staighten it out.

I got one of my short siphoning hoses which was very dirty and began working on it. The black gunk coming out was nasty. I went is from both ends to be sure. When I was done the hose was about 90% cleaner. it still had a brown tint but as far as I was concerned this was amazingly clean. I have 3 short hoses I use on tanks. Two are different IDs and the thrid actuall has a bit over a foot long rigid tube on ine end. All three cleaned up very well.

This prodect is made by Aqua One and is called the: MagiClean Pipe Brish. I highly recommend this "tool." It costs a whopping $3.69 and is here https://kensfish.com/products/aqua-one-magiclean-pipe-brush?_pos=1&_sid=267ab1d44&_ss=r

Aqua One MagiClean Pipe Brush

No more dirty pipes and hoses! Aqua One MagiClean does the job for you. Clean off the dirt and slime deposits from inside your hoses and filter pipes, reducing the likelihood of water contamination and unsightly algae deposits, ensuring you have a sparkling clean aquarium. Features & Benefits...

kensfish.com

 

[seangee]

Doesn't even have to be branded. Here's the one I use

 

[Rusty_Shackleford]

Thank.you. for some reason these are much harder to find these days.

 

[gimme30]

Lol I thought I was the only one bothered by the buildup in siphon tubes!
I made my own with some paracord weighted at both ends and plastic scrubbies you can get at the dollar store but this looks like a simpler alternative. Cheaper too.
For whatever reason my mind always goes into DIY mode when confronted with a problem so it never occurs to me to look for a commercial solution first.

 

[GaryE]

I read this thread title first thing in the morning before the coffee was ready, after the dog had been barking at a 5 AM deer on the front porch. I did a double take at a 'nose' cleaning brush. Thankfully, It was a misread!

This looks like a good solution to a problem. I tend to seek DIY solutions, but purpose made devices are often way better,

 

[TwoTankAmin]

I had two other brush cleaners which worked somewhat but nothing like the one I posted about.

There are a couiple of features to look for when trying to get a decent cleaner.
1. The size of the brush.
2. How it attaches to the Line.
3. The rigidity of the line.
4. The length of the line.
5. How far you can push the brush down the hose. It needs to reach at least 1/2 the length of the hise to be cleaned.

The brush I posted can clean 1 2 foot hose 1/2 at a time.

So, what are the drawbacks of the product?
1. it has only one size brush which will likely not fit into small ID hoses like an airline. But most decent ID siphon hoses it will clean, It will not clean really wide ID hoses as the brush would be too small.
2. It takes some muscle power to ram the brush though the more solid hoses which often remain coiled naturally. I did manage to get it to come out the opposite end of my main larger siphon hose but it took some hard pushing. I was very surprised when the brush popped out the other end.
3. Because the brush does such a good job, it is important to use it where the nasty stuff it can push out goes some place that lets it drain like into a sink or tub. Otherwise, clean hoses outside so the mess coming out won't mess up you home. Also wear work clothes so you do not get them really dirty/