Methods for sterilizing air line?

[Seisage]

I'm working on getting a sponge filter set up and was lucky enough to get my hands on some free air tubing (I know it's not expensive but hey, free is free). The only issue is that it was stored in a pretty damp environment and there are spots here and there on the inside of the tubing that look vaguely mildewy. Running hot water through it didn't seem to help. Are there any other ways to clean it up? Boiling, maybe?

[nabokovfan87]

you'd basically want to run something like bleach through it via a small pump or something..... It's really tough to say.  You're best case would be bleach at a sterilization dose and something like a pipette/pipe cleaner.  I don't think it's worth it, honestly.  Airline is pretty cheap out there depending how much you need.  Someone might donate you some for a plant trimming or something.

[Seisage]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:32 PM, nabokovfan87 said:

you'd basically want to run something like bleach through it via a small pump or something..... It's really tough to say.  You're best case would be bleach at a sterilization dose and something like a pipette/pipe cleaner.  I don't think it's worth it, honestly.  Airline is pretty cheap out there depending how much you need.  Someone might donate you some for a plant trimming or something.

Man... Yeah, probably more trouble than it's worth. Guess I should've just gotten some when I placed an online order for all my other stuff lol. It hasn't shipped yet, so I wonder if I could ask them to add on another item... Local pet store has some, but it's like $13 for 25ft? Most of their aquarium supplies are crazy expensive, honestly.

[nabokovfan87]

On 12/10/2023 at 11:47 PM, Seisage said:

Local pet store has some, but it's like $13 for 25ft? Most of their aquarium supplies are crazy expensive, honestly.

I have a LFS saltwater shop (because none freshwater) and they have 2-4 tanks for fish, usually empty, and mostly just sell corals and a few items.  I was working on breeding amano shrimp and paid 3x the price for a refractometer I later saw from amazon.... the exact same one they just sold me..... for much cheaper.  It happens.  As long as you do your research and know what things are worth, you'll protect yourself as a consumer.

[Biotope Biologist]

You can just run a pipe cleaner and dish soap through the tubing, but it’s fragile because it is cheap. And 50 cents a foot is pretty expensive I wouldn’t pay that for silicone airline tubing. 
 

You should be able to get it for around 13 cents a foot just about everywhere else and you only need about 8 ft. 25 ft is a waste of material. Most LFS I’ve been to sell it by the foot on a spool or have 8’ and 13’ packages for like $3-5. 
 

Heck just checked petco online… its $4 for 25’

[LTygress]

On 12/11/2023 at 2:11 AM, Seisage said:

I'm working on getting a sponge filter set up and was lucky enough to get my hands on some free air tubing (I know it's not expensive but hey, free is free). The only issue is that it was stored in a pretty damp environment and there are spots here and there on the inside of the tubing that look vaguely mildewy. Running hot water through it didn't seem to help. Are there any other ways to clean it up? Boiling, maybe?

Not too difficult. Grab two buckets. Put one on your kitchen counter and fill it with bleach and water (make it as strong as you want, really). Put the other on the floor. Start a siphon with the airline tubing from the bucket on the counter, and have it empty into the bucket on the floor. Once it's done, dip the airline tubing itself into that new bucket of bleach water to get the outside as well. Then discard the bleach water.

Next, rinse both buckets, fill one with fresh tap water, and add some extra dechlorinator. How much extra doesn't really matter - it's only air running through the tube later, so it won't hurt your fish. Add more than extra if you want. Start a siphon again drawing the fresh water through the tubing into the second bucket again. When you're done, dip the tubing in the dechlorinated bucket again to treat the outside.

And you're done.

[Seisage]

On 12/12/2023 at 9:47 AM, LTygress said:

Not too difficult. Grab two buckets. Put one on your kitchen counter and fill it with bleach and water (make it as strong as you want, really). Put the other on the floor. Start a siphon with the airline tubing from the bucket on the counter, and have it empty into the bucket on the floor. Once it's done, dip the airline tubing itself into that new bucket of bleach water to get the outside as well. Then discard the bleach water.

Next, rinse both buckets, fill one with fresh tap water, and add some extra dechlorinator. How much extra doesn't really matter - it's only air running through the tube later, so it won't hurt your fish. Add more than extra if you want. Start a siphon again drawing the fresh water through the tubing into the second bucket again. When you're done, dip the tubing in the dechlorinated bucket again to treat the outside.

And you're done.

This is really helpful, thank you!