Filter tubing infested with "surface scum"

[Arembjorn]

Its just a very minute layer coating the inside of your tube, why clean it? Its not going to do anything bad to your tank.

I'd say so, but it's flaking into my water column. I'll try just cleaning the filter media really well first, but if that doesn't work, it must be coming from the tubing as well..

Also, another idea for a cleaning device is a string with a rag one one end, and a little weight on the other end that you drop into the tubing and out the other end, then pull it all the way through. You are pulling, not pushing, and long strings are much easier to find than a long stick in my opinion. Got this idea from a saxophone cleaner I once had, hehe.

 

[Sigrid]

Hello,
I mentioned chlorine only because I read years ago on the bleach bottles that vinegar neutralizes bleach. When accidentally getting some bleach on my hands while doing laundry or some cleaning chore, the skin gets kind of slippery, I pour a bit of white vinegar over the skin, rinse it off, wash my hands with soap and later on use moisturizer.

 

[Arembjorn]

I would just be worried about the bleach possibly degrading any plastics. I cleaned out the filter (not meticulously) and pulled paper towel through the hoses. I broke down and used water clarifier (the particulate variety), and will see how it all goes. Thanks for all the posts by the way! Will let you know what happens with this in the near future.

 

[Arembjorn]

Particulates are still there, even while running the aquaclear quick-filter (for powerhead), which apparently is a micron filter... Came home today after skimmer being off for 12 hours and the surface scum was so thick that it looked like it could support lead shot. I'm so bewildered. I'm changing 5gallons now, maybe 5 gallons later (33gal tank), and will keep doing that all weekend until these things at least improve a bit. I wish I could just call an exterminator for whatever is specifically causing all this bio-mass!!!!
Now, the stuff in my tubing is just part of the problem. What ever this is (bacteria I figure) is just exploding in population and prospering..

 

[mworks]

I use paper towels. Dip them in vinegar and using a clothes hanger wire or other stiff wire push them through the tubing. No need for bleach. Vinegar will kill algae and just about anything else living inside the lines. vinegar lowers Ph to the point that very few things can live. They did a test with cleaners vs vinegar for cleaning kitchen cutting boards. Vinegar was just as good or better than cleaners with the only difference being that vinegar needed to stay on the surface a few minutes longer . Vinegar will also remove the scum that builds up on tanks, parts, etc. Just soak the parts in it. The cleaners you see at the store for rust , calcium stains are usually strong acids, so vinegar works it just takes longer.

 

[Arembjorn]

And the worst toxic effect is that it will lower your pH a bit, which is avoided with rinsing. Less likely to damage plastics/tubing I would imagine as well.

 

[Arembjorn]

This problem is even worse... I squeezed the output tubing to demonstrate this.
I collected enough of this in a net to examine. Yellowish when clumped up, soft, and smells like the scum in a pond/river/stagnant water. That "Nutrafin Waste Control" is no help (yes, I monitored ammonia). Harmless? Probably, but so is a 1/4" layer of algae on the glass, but we still try hard to remove it ;-)

<< in order of close up, to whole tank >>
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5My28tK3xAY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1vbel3r1A8A
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8WZ03aZyAg