Cleaning algae off plastic equipment ... any special tricks?!

[Finley]

Hi

I have a clear plastic thingy that's been in the tank for a long time, so every nook and cranny now has algae in it. I can almost get it off the flat surfaces, but those little nooks are a nightmare...

Have I got no hope, or does anyone have a special clever way of getting algae off equipment/out of nooks, so that my clear plastic thingy can be, well, clear again?

Thanks

 

[jbradt]

I usually use a fine bristled tube brush... tends to work well for me.

 

[Turbosaurus]

bleach. Soak it in a 20:1 water:bleach solution for an hour or two, then just wipe it off. Rinse until the soapy feeling is gone and you can't smell the bleach anymore before returning it to the tank.

If its BBA, soak it overnight, then take a tooth brush to it. That stuff attaches like nobodies business.

 

[snapshooterr]

If the plastic bit can be removed from the aquarium, soak it in a bucket of diluted bleach (regular bleach with no detergents or other magic additives). I use about 1/2 cup of bleach for about 3-4 gallons of water (in a 5gallon bucket). Just let it soak for a bit and then rinse it well. And then rinse it well again. And then before you put it back in your tank, rinse it. Do you get the point about rinsing?
It works really well for hard to reach/remove algae. But, you gotta rinse it because adding any amount of bleach (chlorine) to your tank will have really, really bad consequences.

 

[Weezer]

Bleach water .........:idea:

 

[coach_z]

bleach it like the others hae mentioned above.

remember though to rinse it super super well and then soak it in a type of dechlor

 

[Finley]

Thanks everyone! I will try that.

I'm off to find myself a bucket...

 

[maryab91]

I scrub with an old toothbrush...

 

[jpappy789]

Bleach and lots of scrubbing!

 

[Jakezori]

I use ketchup.


























jk