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Diffuser Maintenance

1K views 9 replies 6 participants last post by  o snap its eric 
#1 ·
Hi,
We have a couple new Rhinox 5000 glass diffusers. We are wondering which is the best way to clean them. I have read of several different ways of doing this, and the simplest seems to be soaking them in Excel. This method negates the need to rinse in Prime, or the hassle of getting the diffusers Tilex or bleach, free.

We had a little trouble getting the airline to stay attached to the diffusers, originally, and resorted to nuking some water and softening the tygon tubing, so we could push it on the glass stem far enough so that it stayed.

So, to clean the glass bases of the diffusers we put them in small tupper ware and remove them from the tank, leaving the airtube intact, and then pour Excel onto the base, (which is partial full of tank water). Letting them soak, while we do the water change.
Then take them out of the tupperware, pour any Excel in the tank, and reinstall the diffusers back in the tank.

We are wondering if this sounds like a feasible way of cleaning the Rhinox Diffusers?
Is there a way of scrubbing the algae on the white micro plate, in the base, with a toothbrush, without damaging it?

Being new to them, and realizing they are easily breakable, we thought we shouldn't be constantly removing and reattaching the airlines, but we have noticed that tank water stays in the base and dilutes the Excel (app. 5ml per disc) that we are pouring in each diffuser.

Thanks for any input!
 
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#2 ·
Some people use Tilex because it is made for ceramics. Bleach will work too. Hydrogen Peroxide will work if it isn't too dirty.

You should just let your diffuser soak. Don't scrub it.

Be sure to rinse well, de-chlor, etc.
 
#3 ·
I use bleach and also hydrogen peroxide. Either works fine, in my experience. I have never tried Excel.

Do not scrub your diffuser. This will damage the ceramic disc and make the pores larger (meaning that the bubbles will be larger).
 
#4 ·
I just use bleech. I honestly probably don't rince it enough, never use any prime or simiiar, just soak it for awhile and then rinse. Never had any issues. I do this during a water change so I do have prime (well the kordan version) just added to the water.

Excell seems like a good plan though, does it just get the algae off or does it clean more? I can have no visable algae on it, but it will be brownish, and it only bubbles from a few spots. I can't imagine excell cleans as well but it defineatly would be simpler.
 
#5 ·
Diffuser Maintenance Solution?

Hi,
Thanks for the responses. One of them suggested dropping a small amount of Seachem Acid Buffer, onto the disc. It seemed to kill the algae instantly. I have rinsed twice with tank water, and soaked them in Prime. I will post the results for those interested.
 
#6 ·
Hi,
Thanks for the responses. One of them suggested dropping a small amount of Seachem Acid Buffer, onto the disc. It seemed to kill the algae instantly. I have rinsed twice with tank water, and soaked them in Prime. I will post the results for those interested.
Subscribed.

I used to use h202 but it didn't seem to do much. I was scared of bleach because, if it would soak through the ceramic, how would you get the bleach out? It never occurred to me to try Excel and I usually have that on hand anyway. Seachem Acid buffer - sounds interesting.
 
#7 ·
Diffuser Maintenance Solution?

So, it seems that the bubbles are mainly coming out of only one diffuser( I have a Co2 splitter ffrom GLA, with equal length tygon tubing to the discs). I guess I will clean the discs again, and see if that helps. I had about equal dispersion from the 2 discs.
 
#8 ·
Aren't those acid buffers usually just dilute solutions of phosphoric acid?

The problem with using a CO2 splitter (I assume you only have a single needle valve controlling both lines) is that the gas will tend to take the path of least resistance.
 
#9 ·
Aren't those acid buffers usually just dilute solutions of phosphoric acid? ...
Seachem's Acid Buffer doesn't contain any phosphates. It contains bisulfate salts.

One the other hand, Seachem's Acid Regulator contains a proprietary blend of phosphate buffers and conditioning agents.
 
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