Calcium Deposits?

[360º]

so i found an old fountain thing my mom had and took the pump out of it, looks exactly like a powerhead, suction cups and all.

but it was covered with white calcium deposits. I scrubbed most of it off but some is left in some of the cracks.

will this be ok to put in my fish tank or should i make sure to clean it all off?

 

[jsoong]

I would soak it in vinegar to get rid of the deposits (take the impeller apart to soak if possible).

Calcium deposits won't hurt your fish (might alter your hardness if you have soft water ... but you don't get Ca deposits in soft water ...). However, the deposits gunk up the impeller & makes the pump run hot & ineffecient. <Those little fountain pumps usually die on me after a year or 2 if caked with deposits.> Living in area of fairly hard water, I generally soak my pumps in vinegar (or CLR if really bad) at least once a year.

 

[Big Dog]

Vinegar works wounders

 

[Petty Officer Salamander]

if the actual moving parts are free of deposits, and it's just cosmetic, you should be good to go. Feel free to scrub it again with vinegar, as mentioned above, that will work well. Vinegar is water soluble, so you don't have to do anything more than a good rinse to get it off when you are done.