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

DK450reef

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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
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Agree vintager is less expensive but citric acids lower pH is much more efficient
 

KenO

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I buy Sodium Percarbonate which is the dry form of hydrogen peroxide. It's basically the base ingredient in oxi-clean. I use it to clean tanks or other equipment that I want to sterilize. It's much better than bleach. It breaks down into water and oxygen. I get it on Amazon. I also use it in the laundry like oxi-clean.
 

nicksreefs

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Elbow grease best stuff about IMO never like to add anything to my tanks even when empty or running up a new one. My latest had a serious calcium build up…. a combination of elbow grease and a Stanley blade worked a treat. (Always by second hand stuff!)
 

Julbra

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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:
Absolutely, most acids react with most metals, some reactions can be very fast too. (That’s why acids are normally stored in plastic bottles)
 

jmanrow

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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 I have used vinegar for many year.
When I must use a water/bleach soak to sterilize aquariums or equipment, I then rinse everything in tap water, then use a vinegar water soak, which neutralizes any residual chlorine. I then soak or rinse with tap water to rinse off any vinegar.
 

chaoticreefer

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Citric acid for deposits and coralline.

Bleach for algae and organics.

I used to use vinegar, but I heard it can break through some plastics so I switched to critic acid. So far, it has hold true, I haven't had to replace any pump propellers/impellers assemblies (magnet part). Whereas, I used to have to replace them every once awhile.
 

Double monti 61

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Okay I voted for vinegar when needed but I do not believe that citric acid is a bad alternative I would rather use that or vinegar than peroxide or bleach I have even washed certain things I use for tank maintenance using dawn dish washing detergent and as long as you rinse them off very well there seems to be no problem but use hot water then cold water.
 

nkyreef

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Cleaned two powerheads in a 5 gallon bucket. Used 2 gallons water to 1 cup citric acid. Haven't cleaned these pumps in 16 months or longer. Ran both full speed for two days. Coralline and all just melted away. Some toothbrush action took care of the rest.
 

Pistol Peet

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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.
I've used vinegar on my pumps since day 1 and had zero issues my pumps r a few years old now so I'd say so far so good..
 

FLReefer101

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Muratic acid for several years and works amazing. Makes everything like new.
Home Depot sells it and it’s cheap for two gallons which last me forever.
 

Spieg

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Food grade citric acid... makes pretty good lemonade too. ;Happy
 

c.poindexter

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I am a fan of White Vinegar for cleaning everything and my pumps. I have tried citric acid recently and let my powerheads soak overnight and it barely removed the Coralline.
 

DHill6

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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??
I bought it from BRS
 

DHill6

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Royal Exclusive says to use de-chlorinator like the stuff they use for cleaning coffee pots. They don’t want you to use citric acid or any acids
 
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