When performing routine maintenance with siphons, buckets, etc. Is it smart to use separate equipment specifically for saltwater and freshwater? Or can you use your equipment in both? Is cross contamination a concern? Mucho thanks.:dive:
Is cross contamination a concern?
- Thread starter Pallen81
- Start date
I asked this question a couple of months ago concerning the python. I was told it would be okay but then again, I was only specifically asking about the python (I still run hot water through it in between though). I don't know what others do but I do have separate buckets and nets for fresh and saltwater, probably not necessary though as I do rinse with hot water all my equipment after use.
Edited to add, here's the thread:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93350
Edited to add, here's the thread:
http://www.aquariacentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93350
It will be fine, as long as they are kept clean and washed before use on one tank or the other....I would just keep them washed in RO water..
Niko
Niko
I use the same buckets and syphons for my saltwater and freshwater tanks. I just rinse everything before I use it on another tank. The one pre-caution I take is all the equipment I have (buckets etc) is only used for my aquariums and nothing else.
Germanman
My fish are my babies
yea just keep it all clean and it should be fine...if u guys only knew what fish stores do.....u would never buy fish from most places lol
Eh? what do fish stores do? Also is it okay that i'm not using a bucket that hasn't been used before? For detergent I think. Washed it with soap and hot water before using
no, if your going to use some an old bucket, you need to soak it in a white vinegar solution for a day or so then rinse well...Detergents will be very bad fot the system, for obvious reasons...
Niko
Niko
For water changes, assuming you're not putting any of the water that goes into the bucket back into the tank for some reason, it's not going to matter what the bucket's history is. That water is just going down the drain.
For sw storage, it's best to use a clean, new bucket -- I use the buckets the salt mix comes in to store our sw. If it's good enough to store the salt in, it should be good enough to store sw. Before I had several empty salt mix buckets to store enough sw in for a water change, I was using a couple of buckets that had drywall compound in them about 15 years ago (I know, the horror!!!). That would probably get the reef police sent after me on some boards. But, in my defense, I had been using them to "age" fw for > 10 years and never had a problem with our fw tanks. Needless to say, the buckets were cleaned very well way back when (before the drywall compound even hardened), but only with water and scrubbing -- no soap or vinegar.
I use a separate siphon for fw / sw, and even a separate siphon for our fw fish and turtles (to prevent salmonella from spreading to all of our fw tanks). I could see using the same siphon for fw fish and sw, but a regular siphon is so cheap I just bought a separate one for our sw tank to be safe.
For sw storage, it's best to use a clean, new bucket -- I use the buckets the salt mix comes in to store our sw. If it's good enough to store the salt in, it should be good enough to store sw. Before I had several empty salt mix buckets to store enough sw in for a water change, I was using a couple of buckets that had drywall compound in them about 15 years ago (I know, the horror!!!). That would probably get the reef police sent after me on some boards. But, in my defense, I had been using them to "age" fw for > 10 years and never had a problem with our fw tanks. Needless to say, the buckets were cleaned very well way back when (before the drywall compound even hardened), but only with water and scrubbing -- no soap or vinegar.
I use a separate siphon for fw / sw, and even a separate siphon for our fw fish and turtles (to prevent salmonella from spreading to all of our fw tanks). I could see using the same siphon for fw fish and sw, but a regular siphon is so cheap I just bought a separate one for our sw tank to be safe.