Daveedka is dead on - only microporous biomedia suffer from terminal and intractable clogs. Those are the high surface area media such as Ehfisubstrat and all the other sintered glass and comparable media, stars, et al. Sponges and such have only macropores and channels, nothing at the micro-level, so they can be used indefinitely so long as protected from being coated with debris and rinsed periodically of old and loose biofilms. Ditto hard plastic media, indefinite use. Ditto biowheels until the center core wears out against the axle.
Hypochlorite, aka household bleach is a near universal disinfectant which at decent concentrations digests proteins as well. It has been used forever on aquarium equipment and even aquaria themselves (with no livestock of course). It can be rinsed mostly free, and inactivated by dechorinators except from porous materials.
Ammonia - clear ammonia with no added detergents/surfactants - is used for fishless cycling routinely. It is never added to stocked tank, too dangerous.
Peroxide is also used routinely, but may make some plastics brittle and subject to cracking.
Oxyclean is another very useful disinfecting agent, detergent free, it too disinfects and rinses free.
Hypochlorite, aka household bleach is a near universal disinfectant which at decent concentrations digests proteins as well. It has been used forever on aquarium equipment and even aquaria themselves (with no livestock of course). It can be rinsed mostly free, and inactivated by dechorinators except from porous materials.
Ammonia - clear ammonia with no added detergents/surfactants - is used for fishless cycling routinely. It is never added to stocked tank, too dangerous.
Peroxide is also used routinely, but may make some plastics brittle and subject to cracking.
Oxyclean is another very useful disinfecting agent, detergent free, it too disinfects and rinses free.
