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

Fishface1970

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I’ve always used vinegar so far… just can’t get over the smell of coloring Easter eggs though! I’m starting a new job as a service tech for private tanks so I’ll see what the boss suggests for their jobs.
 

Philip Haddock

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Muriatic acid. I will never use anything else again. Super cheap, far too easy and doesn't hurt anything at all. Pumps are clean in 10-15 minutes.
 

rui.manuel.gaspar

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Hello all,

Muriatic acid for me. 1:10 acid:tap water.
For everything. Usually I just put the pumps in working for 10/15m and done. More times than not I just need to pass the pumps in running tap water to remove everything without having to scrub.

Just beware of the fumes it releases when you open and pour from the bottle.

Left pump for weeks in there with no visible problem. Tunze pumps that are still running after 5y.

All the best,
Rui
 

725196

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

I like Citric Acid. I get it in bulk so it is very cheap. It is easy to use, has no smell and works very fast, when I need it to work faster. A little powder goes a long way, a lot of powder goes even longer, much faster!

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


I won't use vinegar to clean any pumps, metals or anything with moving parts. IfI were to clean an old tank I would use it is I didn't have any Citric Acid on hand, but thats not likely.

Muriatic acid. I know it works great, I use it on a daily basis with my job, and I would never recommend anyone use it on aquariums/equipment. Yes it will clean well, but it is caustic and dangerous without the proper handing equipment. People think is is safe because is is a"weaker" acid, but i have had employees burn their lungs not handling it correctly. Unless you use the stuff right and have an actual breathing mask and long rubber gloves, IT IS NOT WORTH THE RISK!
 

dantimdad

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

I like Citric Acid. I get it in bulk so it is very cheap. It is easy to use, has no smell and works very fast, when I need it to work faster. A little powder goes a long way, a lot of powder goes even longer, much faster!

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

I won't use vinegar to clean any pumps, metals or anything with moving parts. IfI were to clean an old tank I would use it is I didn't have any Citric Acid on hand, but thats not likely.

Muriatic acid. I know it works great, I use it on a daily basis with my job, and I would never recommend anyone use it on aquariums/equipment. Yes it will clean well, but it is caustic and dangerous without the proper handing equipment. People think is is safe because is is a"weaker" acid, but i have had employees burn their lungs not handling it correctly. Unless you use the stuff right and have an actual breathing mask and long rubber gloves, IT IS NOT WORTH THE RISK!


I completely agree. I have years of experience using muriatic acid and still hesitate. I ONLY use it as a last resort on rock. I never use it on anything else aquarium related.
 

Sdot

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For me it's 150.00 electric power washer from home depot. No harsh chemicals and boy it cleans everything from my skimmer, vortech pumps, filter socks all very quickly...again without chemicals or acids.
 

srad750c

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I completely agree. I have years of experience using muriatic acid and still hesitate. I ONLY use it as a last resort on rock. I never use it on anything else aquarium related.
I still use it for my once a year cleaning but I use gloves, safety glasses and do it outdoors. Great tip to use a respirator. I have to get one of those.
 

Simmo7671

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What mix of citric acid do you use. As in how much citric acid per litre of water etc? i use vinegar but only because i've never been sure how much citric acid to use?
 

dantimdad

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I use about a cup in my 2 gallon cereal container when doing power heads and small stuff. I put the lid on, run the cords out of the pour spout and turn them on and leave them for about an hour then rinse. Simple and effective.

When I did my sump, I filled it up and put 6 cups in. Lots weaker but, I scrubbed with a terry cloth towel as well as ran three power heads while it soaked.
 

N.Sreefer

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I'm confused can someone explain how vinegar would be bad for rubber but not citric acid, that has a lower ph? Any acid will eat away at rubber Id hardly state that as a reason for not using vinegar.
 

BiggestE22

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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
Use citric. Supposed to have a pleasant smell. Yet it has no smell at all
 

WallyB

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Vinegar and Citric acid both work fine for basic cleaning of your tank equipment.

However as I learned Vinegar will destroy any plastic Covered Metal parts (ie Impellers) since the Vinegar Molecules pass thru the Plastic and make their way to the Metal and the result is a swollen Impeller that can burn out your pump.

For years I was replacing Impellers on my Skimmer. They would only last for a couple of years.
When I switched to Citric Acid, those same impellers have not swollen any more.

Here are more details

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/i...cid-as-i-type-this.779945/page-2#post-8265567
 

Mastering the art of locking and unlocking water pathways: What type of valves do you have on your aquarium plumbing?

  • Ball valves.

    Votes: 37 54.4%
  • Gate valves.

    Votes: 37 54.4%
  • Check valves.

    Votes: 15 22.1%
  • None.

    Votes: 15 22.1%
  • Other.

    Votes: 6 8.8%

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