Aquaclear filter insert foam/sponge smell

[Karen B.]

Greetings!

I use aquaclear filter insert sponge in my filter.

My problem is, each time I buy a new box, I find that they smell slightly. 
It’s nothing overwhelming but no matter how much I rince them, the smell stays and I am always anxious to poison my fish.

I remember writing to the company about it, and they said the sponges shouldn’t smell anything. I sourced mine from so many different place now - I can’t believe 6 different places all having the same kind of smell is not normal.

Am I the only one that noticed? I rinced them, I am currently boiling them and will let them soak 24 hours in aquarium water… Do you think they will be safe?

[mapleleaf218]

I never noticed a smell from the aquaclear sponges (maybe except for a faint smell of plastic), but I don’t think boiling them is a good idea since they are plastic and may cause them to flake off tiny pieces when placed in the water and/or deteriorate faster. I would just rinse them thoroughly in hot tap water and maybe disinfect them with hydrogen peroxide if you’re worried.

What kind of smell is it exactly? Plastic odor or like something rotting? I know that the co-op coarse sponges have a heavy plastic smell to them, but I’m not sure about the aquarclear.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/10/2022 at 6:20 PM, Karen B. said:

My problem is, each time I buy a new box, I find that they smell slightly. 
It’s nothing overwhelming but no matter how much I rince them, the smell stays and I am always anxious to poison my fish.

I worked in aerospace on seats and we used a lot of foams. What you're smelling is just the smell of the material itself. There absolutely could be some oils or something on the foams, always wash them well before you drop them in the tank.  If the foams are molded via machine vs. cut it's pretty likely there is some residue on them.

Very likely this is the process.

This is another method:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7D6rvQAmiEA

Edited April 11, 2022 by nabokovfan87

[Karen B.]

On 4/10/2022 at 9:39 PM, mapleleaf218 said:

I never noticed a smell from the aquaclear sponges (maybe except for a faint smell of plastic), but I don’t think boiling them is a good idea since they are plastic and may cause them to flake off tiny pieces when placed in the water and/or deteriorate faster. I would just rinse them thoroughly in hot tap water and maybe disinfect them with hydrogen peroxide if you’re worried.

What kind of smell is it exactly? Plastic odor or like something rotting? I know that the co-op coarse sponges have a heavy plastic smell to them, but I’m not sure about the aquarclear.

Yeah, some kind of plastic smell.

but now I feel dumb because I boiled them… not sure if I should throw them away. Some corners turned a slight yellow tint and they did get a bit misshapen because they were in a rounded pan 

Maybe @Cory knows? 😅

Edited April 11, 2022 by Karen B.

[ndfi78]

Personally, I would replace them.

[nabokovfan87]

On 4/10/2022 at 8:03 PM, Karen B. said:

Yeah, some kind of plastic smell.

but now I feel dumb because I boiled them… not sure if I should throw them away. Some corners turned a slight yellow tint and they did get a bit misshapen because they were in a rounded pan 

Maybe @Cory knows? 😅

It's a plastic, so definitely don't boil it. (probably want to make sure it didn't ruin the pan).

You just need to rinse them thoroughly. You won't have any issues as long as you do that. It's easier to rinse them in a bucket as well.

This method, basically, but just use a bucket.