Filter tubing and CO2 Reactor Filthy

[fredmertz]

I've got a 2-month old aquarium that is more than moderately planted (but not quite heavily planted) and the CO2 reactor (AquaMedic 500) and the tubing on the Eheim filter are absolutely filthy.

Is there any reasonable way to clean any of them, assuming I do need to clean them?

The Eheim tubing would require an unusually long brush to clean -- is there an easier way?

Thanks!

 

[kindafishy]

You can buy special tubing brushes for Eheim. It is basically a very long wire cord type thingy to which you attach the correctly sized brush (the set comes with brushes in different sizes for the different sizes of Eheim tubing). You hook the brush on one end, and then send the non brush side all the way through the tubing, and then pull it through. I just bought one a couple of weeks ago -- works great!

 

[kindafishy]

This is what I am talking about :

EHEIM Universal Cleaning Brush Set -Aquaristic shop

 

[BillD]

I use a bamboo garden stake with a piece of paper towel, to clean filter tubes; much like cleaning a gun.

 

[mfdrookie516]

You don't *have* to clean them. They all get like that after a while. The insides of my filter tubing have been brown since I got in to the hobby and it's never been a problem for me. But, if you want to, either of the methods above should work fine.

 

[kindafishy]

You don't *have* to clean them. They all get like that after a while. The insides of my filter tubing have been brown since I got in to the hobby and it's never been a problem for me. But, if you want to, either of the methods above should work fine.

Perhaps, but in my case it was slowing the flow of my filter considerably -- once I cleaned them out, the flow rate was back to normal.

 

[BillD]

Any buildup within the tubes will affect flow, that is the reality of fluid dynamics.

 

[kindafishy]

Any buildup within the tubes will affect flow, that is the reality of fluid dynamics.

AND the reality of brown filter gunk!!