The best "consumer" cleaning product for cleaning reef tank equipment is....

What is the best "cleaning product" or home recipe for cleaning reef tank equipment?

  • Water and scrubbing

    Votes: 85 13.0%
  • Citric Acid

    Votes: 322 49.3%
  • Vinegar

    Votes: 199 30.5%
  • Hydrogen peroxide

    Votes: 17 2.6%
  • Lemon Juice

    Votes: 2 0.3%
  • Other (please explain)

    Votes: 28 4.3%

  • Total voters
    653

ShadowMan

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Citric acid for the major cleans, just dump the pumps in a solution and run for 10 mins and it's all good... everything just melts away ;)

But for the minor cleans, just some regular tap water with a good scrub and then a proper rinse in some RODI, before going back into the tank
 
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WheatToast

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1. What is the best "consumer" cleaning product for cleaning reef tank equipment?
I have only used Citric Acid, and it worked well against Coralline, so… Citric Acid.
2. What is something you SHOULD NOT clean aquarium equipment with?
One word: SOAP
 

ClownSchool

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I use hydrogen peroxide on my tools, water change hose, and tank cleaning implements.
I use vinegar and a toothbrush on my hardware.
And, I use baking soda with water and a toothbrush on my glass aquarium covers and light’s glass facing and lenses to remove algae and salt creep.
 

Kernowzx2

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Bar Keepers Friend for tanks, Sicce Pump cleaner for everything else!
 

LPS Bum

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I've never found anything better than warm, running water and a toothbrush (preferably not the one you use to brush your teeth).
 

Diveshaman

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Thank you @blaxsun for the QOTD idea!

Saltwater aquarium equipment gets dirty pretty quick. Beyond dirty though you get algae build up like coralline algae that needs to be removed regular and can be quite the bugger at removing! So what's the best way to clean it and still make sure it's safe? Let's do this thing!

1. What is the best "consumer" cleaning product for cleaning reef tank equipment?

2. What is something you SHOULD NOT clean aquarium equipment with?


image via @eggie
Picture013.jpg
I use a tooth brush, tooth pick and hot water never seem to have issues but I have OCD and clean weekly if I can wait that long
 

bnord

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Vinegar run through my acclimation tubes every couple of months, and to scrub with water change brutes; a little carbon dosing as a bonus.

But for pumps it is Citric acid for the win please
 

JA_REEFER

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For those Citric Acid folks… can you share your source for obtaining it? I have gotten it from Amazon in the past and with Prime, no shipping cost helps. However was thinking local might be better, looked at Lesile’s Pool Supply but not sure it is pure Citric Avid they are selling?? Looked at bottling / canning versions as well but size / amount not large enough to avoid multiple purchases. Any insights?? Gems of wisdom??
 

rhostam

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Citric acid.

I tried letting some empty hermit shells sit in a solution once to clean them and came back to a crumbling brittle mess of useless shells. Hehe.

I used that as a starting point and diluted it. I then used that as a soak for some powerheads and equipment I was decommissioning. Amazingly quick and effortless.

Question
I had something strange happen and perhaps someone here can explain, but I spilled by accident a kalkwasser reactor's contents into my bathtub once while cleaning the reactor. It left residual kalkwasser caked onto the tub floor. Scrubbing it with water and other normal bathroom cleaning agents didn't help much at all (including long soaks). I then tried some citric acid in the tub with about 1" of water. I let the tub sit for a day or so and you could see the kalkwasser peel up like paint, I was happy! I scrubbed it down and got rid of the caked-on mess with ease, but I notice now the drain fixture (chrome finish) looks either tarnished in a small spot or altogether exposed (copper?). Did the citric acid eat through the finish? :eek:
 

spd3001

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I'm with you that's exactly what I use.
Muratic acid!
Cleans waaaaaaaaaay faster and does not harm plastic or rubber seals.

Pumps go in, 10 minutes later they are brand new clean!
Yeah, I use muriatic acid (hydrochloric acid) but the trick is to check the label to make sure that's all it is. Buy the food grade stuff if you want to be on the safe side. Check with the truly wise to determine how much to dilute the solution. Most likely, the stuff you bought is much stronger than what you want to use. A large amount of heat is released when strong acids are mixed with water so always add the acid to the water, not the other way around.
 

Betta2

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I like citric acid because it comes in powder form. I always end up burning through vinegar too quickly and I cant store large amounts of it. Vinegar also smells terrible.

Any reason bleach isnt on the list? Citric acid and bleach is all you need IMO.
Bleach is a mixture of sodium hydroxide and chlorine. Neither will dissolve the calcium carbonate that contributes to the solids on the equipment. To dissolve calcium carbonate, you need an acid.
 

glb

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Citric acid for any parts that are mechanical and vinegar for all other plastic. I’ve heard that vinegar is too harsh for pumps.
 

WVNed

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All I use now is Muriatic acid and chlorine bleach. The acid dissolves calcium and the bleach removes organics.
Never underestimate the abilities of hot tap water and a toothbrush.
 

BZOFIQ

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So many people point to vinegar but wasn't it said that it destroys rubber parts like o-rings etc?
 
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