Cleaning rocks

[adamatic]

What's the safest, most effective way to clean off rocks that have become covered with algae? Some of the rocks are actually kind of delicate so wire brushing would not be preferred. Any advice?

 

[rich311k]

Soak in bleach and water and then rinse like crazy.

 

[jsoong]

I find soaking in very hot water works. The hot water kills the algae, making it easy to scrub off.

Bleaching overnight will work too. But if you have very porous rocks, a lot of bleach can soak in & it will be a pain to rinse out.

 

[ryan]

i usually take a scrub brush that is soft and scrub off the algae. soaking in hot water works good i havent tried bleach because of the health concers of my fish.

 

[QTOFFER]

I have a couple of never-used fingernail brushes and toothbrushes set aside for cleaning my fish stuff. They're gentle, but get the job done.

 

[bman]

I put them in a bucket of bleach water, about 1/2 cup into a 5 gallon bucket. Let it soak for about five minutes, then gently scrub with a soft bristle toothbrush. After it's clean, dump the bleach water and fill the bucket with clean water and add a triple dose of dechlor and then soak the rock for about ten to fifteen minutes. Then throw back into the tank.

It is also good to soak your hands in the dechlor solution to clear the bleach smell off your skin. (gloves are for wussies!)

 

[flipz]

I'm getting off topic, but i had to...

(gloves are for wussies!)

nice avatar bman.

haha. now on topic... i side with just cleaning under very hot water. i know that bleach is safe, but i only use it for surfaces that i know are non-pourous, like the tank itself.

-brent

 

[Jobin]

i use steel wool on my fish things it does the job real easy