How do you sterilize your equipment?

[Zoaeasy]

How do you sterilize your aquarium equipment? Does anyone use chlorine? I need to sterilize powerheads to go into my Nuvo 30 L .

 

[reeferfoxx]

How do you sterilize your aquarium equipment? Does anyone use chlorine? I need to sterilize powerheads to go into my Nuvo 30 L .

H2O2 or vinegar are my two methods. Soak powerheads in vinegar for 24 hours. Depending on where it came from, let it soak in a h2o2/water mix for an additional 24 hours.

 

[Zoaeasy]

H2O2 or vinegar are my two methods. Soak powerheads in vinegar for 24 hours. Depending on where it came from, let it soak in a h2o2/water mix for an additional 24 hours.

Thanks will try. How much do you dilute H2O2?

 

[reeferfoxx]

Thanks will try. How much do you dilute H2O2?

I just eye ball it. Typically 1:3 - h202:water. You can soak in 100% h2o2 if need be. Either way both h2o2 and vinegar are reef safe if rinsing didn't do the job.

 

[Velcro]

I'm gonna be that guy. H202 and bleach do not sterilize, they disinfect. If you want to sterilize it you'd need an autoclave (would melt SOME plastic), dry heat oven (would melt the plastic), ethylene oxide or gamma irradiation.

I'm assuming you're just wanting to minimize the life that you introduce with the equipment, which would be done with bleach. You also can't disinfect anything that has visible crap on it so start with vinegar to break up all the nasties, then soak in bleach.

If you're curious, the difference between sterilization and disinfection has to do with the certainty of how much stuff you killed. Sterilization is considered total killing of any organism. Disinfection is not total.

 

[Zoaeasy]

I'm gonna be that guy. H202 and bleach do not sterilize, they disinfect. If you want to sterilize it you'd need an autoclave (would melt SOME plastic), dry heat oven (would melt the plastic), ethylene oxide or gamma irradiation.

I'm assuming you're just wanting to minimize the life that you introduce with the equipment, which would be done with bleach. You also can't disinfect anything that has visible crap on it so start with vinegar to break up all the nasties, then soak in bleach.

If you're curious, the difference between sterilization and disinfection has to do with the certainty of how much stuff you killed. Sterilization is considered total killing of any organism. Disinfection is not total.

You are absolutely right. I have an autoclave. But it will melt the hell out of everything!
I tend to use different terms in my office and hobby.
The most I'm hoping for is not having to go after bad things in the aquarium.
My patients can however not tolerate the same.

 

[Velcro]

I'd love one of those autoclaves at home! I just have an old pressure cooker style one that I use for some homebrew equipment.

 

[Reeferdood]

H2O2 or vinegar are my two methods. Soak powerheads in vinegar for 24 hours. Depending on where it came from, let it soak in a h2o2/water mix for an additional 24 hours.

+1

 

[Duke4Life]

I use nothing but vinegar, bleach if its super bad.

 

[ngvu1]

I don't! Anyway, if you let anything sit in vinegar over night, be careful with those rubber seals. I never had any issues with the rubber seals/rings of high end equipment like Ecotech or tunze, but 1 time I left the o-ring of the two little fish 150 gfo reactor in vinegar over night and the next day I saw a black circle thing looking like a bristle worm in the vinegar bucket. I was like how the H this thing got in there. It took me a while to realized that was the o-ring which I could not find. I was deformed so badly I did not know what it was at first...then I started to find the o-ring

 

[Reeferdood]

I don't! Anyway, if you let anything sit in vinegar over night, be careful with those rubber seals. I never had any issues with the rubber seals/rings of high end equipment like Ecotech or tunze, but 1 time I left the o-ring of the two little fish 150 gfo reactor in vinegar over night and the next day I saw a black circle thing looking like a bristle worm in the vinegar bucket. I was like how the H this thing got in there. It took me a while to realized that was the o-ring which I could not find. I was deformed so badly I did not know what it was at first...then I started to find the o-ring

Rubber should be inert to vinegar... Was it dry rotted??

 

[ngvu1]

It was used then washed ..... I had 2 so I normally switched out and washed the just used one and put the other one in....$3 for the o-ring $5 for shipping from MD.... :-(

Rubber should be inert to vinegar... Was it dry rotted??

 

[Zoaeasy]

I'd love one of those autoclaves at home! I just have an old pressure cooker style one that I use for some homebrew equipment.

A bit expensive for home use !

 

[alyee5]

I use dilute bleach mostly....and I make sure items are completely dry for at least a few days...I live in AZ so my garage is basically an autoclave in the summertime...

 

[tankstudy]

Max temp on my autoclave is only 250 F. Got to start finding products that can withstand that much heat.

 

[saltyfilmfolks]

remove minerals with vinegar, light bleach/water and dry in the sun.

 

[josh.j.avila]

I actually autoclave some my stuff glassware

For my tuning for pumps I'll do hydrogen peroxide sterilization

For the majority of my equipment I'll just give stuck a soak in vinegar. Powerheads and pumps.

Carbon sources, bacteria, etc get the real sterilization.

 

[iFishy]

Vinegar is your best bet. Don't overthink it.

 

[Zoaeasy]

Vinegar is your best bet. Don't overthink it.

Soaking right now!