coraline encrusted powerheads

[LarryB]

is there any hope for coraline encrusted powerheads? I have a few and was wondering if they are worth trying to salvage. Soak the in vingegar maybe?

 

[shallowreef]

Well if the coraline is dried onto the powerhead than you may have a harder time. But i would deffinately soak it over night in vinegar if your busy. If your not just us a bruch and scrub it off while it sits in the vinegar. Either way the vinegar should remove all the coraline algae.

Good luck,

Nick

 

[bobt2]

run the p/h in 50/50 warm water and vinager fo 15 min. take it apart and brush off all the crud. than i put it in a bucket of fresh water and run for 15 min. i do this every 4 months.

 

[olsaltybastard]

A mixture of 20:1 water:muriatic acid will remove all the coralline algae in about 30 seconds. This is what I use to clean everything as vinegar takes a while and isn't nearly as potent. I do recommend using gloves and some form of eye protection. No sense in being careless.



Wow, my first post!! I've been reading this forum for quite some time, too!!

 

[shallowreef]

Isn't there a chance that the acid solution could get stuck in a crevice and get into the tank when the powerhead is returned to the tank?

 

[Krish]

Welcome to RF "Oldsaltybastard"!!

Larry...You should see my Tunzes!(LOL) They are loaded with coraline! I had even thought of buying new shrouds for them! Vinegar is supposed to do the trick though...

 

[bobt2]

if a few drops of vinager get into the tank, it will not harm anything, muriatic acid, who knows?

 

[olsaltybastard]

When using muriatic acid, just rinse everything off really well (I use the faucet.) I don't think a teeny amount will cause any harm, or at least it hasn't for me.


Thanks for the welcome!!

 

[Sherman]

I also use muriatic acid. All the time! I actually use it to a 4:1 ratio with water and just run the pump in the acid. I've forgotten about pumps before, and left them running in there for over a week, and there was never a problem. After they run in the muriatic acid for a while, I manually wipe them down in the sink, then run them in clean water for a bit. I've never had any issues, either.

Vinegar is... <checks online price> ... about $15/gallon, and you have to mix 1:1 for even partial effectiveness. Muriatic acid is $7 for 2 gallons at Home Depot (pool aisle outdoors) and you can mix it as weak as 20:1, as mentioned. MA has to be done outdoors (I just leave it in the garage), but vinegar stinks up the whole house.

I put powerheads, float valves, heaters, you name it, in the MA:water mix.

 

[bobt2]

$15 gal for vinagar? where do you live?.it's $2.25 gal in the local market, and thats in n.y.

 

[NeuroDoc]

Vinegar is... <checks online price> ... about $15/gallon

$3.29 for two gallons at costco yesterday.

 

[Sherman]

Oh. I stand corrected.

I didn't want to get out of my chair, so I Googled "vinegar price" or something. See what happens when you're lazy?

But it still stinks!

 

[shallowreef]

Yes, i will agree that it does stink up the whole house.

 

[Elmo18]

I thought the point was to hide powerheads and let the coralline grow on them

Best,
Ilham

 

[shallowreef]

As soon as i can find someone to buy my set up i am going to have to scrub my powerheads. Since we are on this topic let me ask you guys something. How do i clean coraline algae off of a built in overflow? I tried a razor blade because it does wonders on te glass but i got nowhere. I want my tank to look brand new when i sell it and this is a step that has to be taken in order to do so.

Sorry didn't mean to hijack this thread.

 

[bobt2]

i agree the coraline on the outside of the p/h looks fine, but i know of no way to clean the inside only except to run then in a cleaning bath

 

[Sherman]

If you need to keep the tank up because there's still stuff in it, the razor blade should do the trick. That's how I keep my entire tank clean. If it's already dry, muriatic acid will definitely be your friend.

Is the overflow one of those AGA Mega-Flows? Those have some sort of texture on them, which could pose a problem.

 

[shallowreef]

Yes, it is an AGA @$##%,$%@#$@,!@#!!!!!!!

I tried the razor and got nowhere fast. I was thinking that when it comes time to sell it i will just have to scrub it off with the acid. Will the acid hurt the caulking on the sides of the overflow? Do you have to wear gloves when you mess with this stuff?

 

[Sherman]

Those Mega-Flows... I don't like 'em. You're probably S.O.L. on the coralline there. As for gloves, ABSOLUTELY! Wear them!! And the silicone, I can't answer, as I've never tried it. However, it is my understanding it's OK. I've had club members completely clean out a tank with MA. However, do your own research please! I don't want to be held accountable for any potential problems.

 

[DonW]

Muratic acid is fine to clean almost anything reef related. If you leave a drop or two in a power head it will not hurt anything. If you question the use of muratic acid you can always neutralize it with a tsp or two of vinigar.

Don