Reef nutrition

Soak pump to remove algae?

MolaMola

Supporting Member
Circulation pumps in one of our tanks has macroalgae seriously growing on them. Scrubbed them well, but algae came right back. Would vinegar soak help? (Yes, reducing feeding and all that will also help.)
 
We did a little experiment and soaked one pump in diluted vinegar and one in diluted bleach. Vinegar did nothing to the algae (maybe should not have diluted) and bleach hardly required any scrubbing. Go bleach!
(Two thumbs down for pair of boys who put monti frag into the tub of bleach water with pump instead of tub of tank water and for their teacher who assumed the pump made it clear enough which tub was which. Lesson learned. Strangely, frag looks okay so far.)
 
Vinegar is great for getting rid of calcium deposits inside the pump. Those can build up and kill your pump.
It is also good at loosening up coralline algae on the outside.
So I strongly recommend vinegar soaking for those. I usually use about 1/4 vinegar, 3/4 water. Soak overnight.
As far as macro algae, yes, bleach kills faster.
 
Thanks for the details. Did not know you could soak overnight. Sounds good for my Tunzes because I want to keep those things going. Only soaked the little Korallias 30 min.
 
Back
Top