How to clean aquarium accessories

[LC]

Just after a few weeks of use, the inside of the gravel vacuum silicon
tubing has turned from transparently clear to completely black. Flushing the
tube with clean water after each use doesn't seem to help. I think the only
way to clean it is to soak it in bleach but I worry about the bleach residue
might be harmful to the fish. Do other people have the same problem and how
do they clean their tank accessories?

[Charles]

On Tue, 30 Aug 2005 04:10:02 GMT, "LC" > wrote:

>Just after a few weeks of use, the inside of the gravel vacuum silicon
>tubing has turned from transparently clear to completely black. Flushing the
>tube with clean water after each use doesn't seem to help. I think the only
>way to clean it is to soak it in bleach but I worry about the bleach residue
>might be harmful to the fish. Do other people have the same problem and how
>do they clean their tank accessories?
>


I have a brush with a really long handle, but I don't know where to
get those any more.

get a brush made for cleaning filter tubing and such, tie a string to
the handle, out a weight on the end of the string, drop it down the
tubing and pull the brush through.

[Lilly]

I use a long handled slim bottle brush-like thing. Most any place that
sells fish dry goods will have them. That Fish Place has a variety of
brushes to clean with. http://makeashorterlink.com/?S4EF135BB

It doesn't hurt to soak it in bleach solution for 5 or 10 minutes. A
ratio of 1 part bleach to 20 parts water (eyeball it, it's not an exact
science) is strong enough. Rinse well. Make a strong solution of
dechlor and water in a bucket. Submerge it for a while. Air dry.
Squeaky clean.