Tips on how to clean this

[beastie]

So I have been using a silicone airline hose (wider than the normal one by like 1mm I think) to suction out and put water in under gentle flow for my smaller tanks.

But it is catchin algae, almost impossible to clean. It requires scraping, and I do not have anything that small to scrape with. I tried putting bleach solution inside to clean, did not help.

I managed to put a bendy wire in to scrape off for now ( it started black) but I want to avoid this in the future.

 

Any tips?

[Guppysnail]

I do this as well with airline tubes in egg hatch tanks. Hydrogen peroxide here is inexpensive so I set a cup of peroxide on the counter and siphon a bit through to get it in the tube and then drop the tube in the cup. I let it set 5 minutes or so then rinse. I hang the airline so any moisture can drip out, it keeps weirdness from growing in the tube. 

[beastie]

Thanks, will look into this. For me the bleach like products might be cheapest, but I am afraid I wont use gloves (or they will get eaten by the bleach) and I less inclined to hurt myself with peroxide than bleach

[Guppysnail]

I never use bleach. I have sensitivity to it and it’s so toxic to fish. I fear I would not get all the residue or not rinse it well enough. 
Hydrogen peroxide gasses off to water so no residue. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

I use mild bleach solution, rinse 3x in tap water, then I run dechlorinated water through it. Dechlorinator ensures any remaining chlorine from the bleach is eliminated.

[Guppysnail]

On 11/13/2023 at 8:13 AM, Pepere said:

Then again, airline type tubing is awfully cheap…pennies a foot…

Yes in the US it is cheap but even I reuse it because I go through so much of it. 
 

My understanding is overseas all aquarium supplies are incredibly expensive. 

[beastie]

Interesting debate, I didnt know we have expensive equipment, maybe it depends on what and where.

I do buy a lot of things secondhand and at fish fairs, which are usually lower prices than the online stores (also no shipping, but entry fee and driving so...) I checked and my airline hose is around 0,56 USD per meter. It is not the point of price with me, but reusability, I try to not waste things if I can help it, I water plants on water change days of my fish tank so I could reuse the water, I let my water out to outside storage that collects rain water and I use it to water lawn and plants in the spring-autumn, and I suspect it leaks back under ground so I dont feel like I am wasting it, I like buying things from people who do not need them ( got a 2213 eheim for like 9 euro and I am not using it but I couldnt pass that up! :D), I almost do not buy aquarium plants anymore, cause we just swap with other keepers here and hey, no plant meltdown either, since it is used to the city water and is not farmed out.

 

We do have incredibly cheap fish in my opinion, sometimes if I listen to Cory talk on his channel and compare.  My most expensive fish was a sewellia, 8,5USD per fish, but bolivian rams (or other rams) will go for around 1 USD, one luminatus or pygmy corydoras would cost me 1,7 USD, neon tetras will be around 1USD too (but their genetic makeup lately is weak weak weak)

[Tanked]

You might try your bendy wire with some pipe cleaners sold with the tobacco products at your local grocery.

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/13/2023 at 5:42 AM, Guppysnail said:

Hydrogen peroxide

For some reason I can never find the big jugs of it like some people get.  I'd have to clear a shelf of the little ones at the local drug store if I wanted enough for practical use.

[TOtrees]

When weighing options, I always try to account for hidden costs or assumptions. Here, the question is whether to clean and reuse, or discard and replace.

For myself, when I have to clean out tubes, airstones, contaminated/filthy filters, and whatnot, I collect and gather a bunch of things that need it over time. Then I put it all in a bucket, add enough water to cover it, add 5% bleach by volume, and put in a small circulation pump. If part of what I'm cleaning is a hose or tube, I'll connect that to the pump so the bleach flows through it. A few hours is all it takes but I usually give it 24 hrs for convenience. When done, I 3x rinse, then refill the bucket with hot water, add a boat-load of dechlor, and let it run for another 24hrs. I wouldn't do this for a single tube or stone, but for a bunch of items it's worth it.

What's the hidden cost? Where does that bleach go when I dump the bucket? Down the drain? What is the environmental cost of producing that bleach (or peroxide)? I mean realistically, I have to assume that our waste water system can handle a small amount of bleach without issues. And to be honest pouring a bit down the drain every now and then probably isn't a terrible maintenance practice (keep things clean and running smooth). So I'm not saying don't do it, I'm saying try to be aware of the costs and benefits. 

Using a new piece of tubing is somewhat wasteful. But what's the end-to-end cost of that waste, from producer to use to disposal? It's got to be pretty minimal. 

All this being said, I think that the ethics and preferences of the individual are more relevant than the financial accounting, on matters this small. 

[Guppysnail]

On 11/13/2023 at 9:28 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

For some reason I can never find the big jugs of it like some people get.  I'd have to clear a shelf of the little ones at the local drug store if I wanted enough for practical use.

I either clear shelves if little bottles or order gallons from Amazon. If you order Amazon be sure it’s 3%. They do sell much stronger versions. 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/13/2023 at 10:07 AM, Guppysnail said:

I either clear shelves if little bottles or order gallons from Amazon. If you order Amazon be sure it’s 3%. They do sell much stronger versions. 

Funny, it never crossed my mind to order it online. 🙂 

[Chick-In-Of-TheSea]

On 11/13/2023 at 10:07 AM, Guppysnail said:

I either clear shelves if little bottles or order gallons from Amazon. If you order Amazon be sure it’s 3%. They do sell much stronger versions. 

Do you dilute it for cleaning larger things (ie: pond pump w/ 1/2" long (Python-type) hose?

[Guppysnail]

On 11/13/2023 at 11:06 AM, Chick-In-Of-TheSea said:

Do you dilute it for cleaning larger things (ie: pond pump w/ 1/2" long (Python-type) hose?

I always use it straight. I figure it’s designed to clean wounds and such already diluted to the 3% solution it bought as so that is how I use it. 

[Matt B]

So of course after reading this, I had to try the hydrogen peroxide method!  That's what I really like about the co op's forum, I learn so much! A lot of times it's one of those, ' Now why didn't I think of that?' 

[Galabar]

On 11/13/2023 at 6:45 AM, TOtrees said:

...

Using a new piece of tubing is somewhat wasteful. But what's the end-to-end cost of that waste, from producer to use to disposal? It's got to be pretty minimal. 

...

Yes, we really need to think about the entire process we are following.  If we are wasting more time, effort, and producing more waste by trying to clean airline tubing, it may make sense to use new airline tubing (or put up with the small amount of visible algae).

[Tanked]

Now I know why my Sam's Club never has any peroxide on the shelf.