Can you clean a Python - No Spill Clean and Fill?

percula99 · 12/21/2010, 09:22 AM

I have the 50 foot Python for doing water changes, and I need every foot of it. I have been noticing my hose is turning grey inside and I am concerned this might be mould. Could it be that? Do you have any suggestions for cleaning the hose to make it clear again? I rinse the hose with water from my RO unit after every use and store it in a green garbage bag so it gets no light to grow algae, but after a few years of using it it is definitely greying on the inside.

kpl519 · 12/21/2010, 09:24 AM

You could try running vinager through the hose. That is the only thing I can think of that would be safe and may dissolve any gunk in the hose.

percula99 · 12/22/2010, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kpl519

You could try running vinager through the hose. That is the only thing I can think of that would be safe and may dissolve any gunk in the hose.

This is what I was thinking also. I would have to dilute the vinegar 50-50 with water and run it back and forth through the hose. When the hose starts to look clean I would empty it and flush the hose with RO water again.

I have had many hoses over the years and this is the first one this has ever happened to. I have also sent an email to the Python company through their web site. If/when I get an answer I will post it here.

snulma1 · 12/22/2010, 07:39 AM

why dilute it? Use it full strength for quicker cleaning

percula99 · 12/23/2010, 06:07 AM

There would be a couple of reasons why I would dilute it. Firstly, because whever I soak power heads (or anything else for that matter) I have always diluted vinegar with water. I have read this in the past and always done it. Vinegar is acidic and should be diluted. Secondly, I would not want to risk a reaction between the vinegar and the rubber in the hose. Granted it is only once and it should not break down the rubber on contact, but I would need to swish it back and forth as it is a 50 foot hose. Rinsing it clean with RO water would also be easier.

argi · 12/23/2010, 06:13 AM

Bleach. Make up a diluted solution of bleach in a 5 gallon bucket. Put a powerhead in there to push water through the python. Circulate it from the bucket through the python then back into the bucket. Let it run for a little while. Drain all the water, flush with hot water and some type of dechlorinator the same way you were running the bleach through it. Then allow to dry. I have done this many times when I was using my python a lot more and it got rid of the algae/mold growing in it.

Keith

patsfan1130 · 12/23/2010, 07:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by argi

Bleach. Make up a diluted solution of bleach in a 5 gallon bucket. Put a powerhead in there to push water through the python. Circulate it from the bucket through the python then back into the bucket. Let it run for a little while. Drain all the water, flush with hot water and some type of dechlorinator the same way you were running the bleach through it. Then allow to dry. I have done this many times when I was using my python a lot more and it got rid of the algae/mold growing in it.

Keith

Perfectly stated ^^
I do this all the time as well

jdm18honda · 12/23/2010, 08:41 AM

you might want ot let the hose dry before you put it away in the bag

percula99 · 12/23/2010, 09:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by argi

Bleach. Make up a diluted solution of bleach in a 5 gallon bucket. Put a powerhead in there to push water through the python. Circulate it from the bucket through the python then back into the bucket. Let it run for a little while. Drain all the water, flush with hot water and some type of dechlorinator the same way you were running the bleach through it. Then allow to dry. I have done this many times when I was using my python a lot more and it got rid of the algae/mold growing in it.

Keith

Thanks Keith. That is an excellent explanation of what to do. I just got the following solution from Python. See below. Your description is even more thorough than theirs.

Quote:

We use a gallon of water, a cup of bleach and a little dish soap.
Fill the tubing like you would be emptying your tank. Let set for a while and rinse thoroughly before using in your tank again. It will not remove all of the discoloration, but it will be sterilized.

Python

argi · 12/23/2010, 09:55 AM

No problem at all. I'm not sure I like the dish soap, but I tend to be over paranoid about soaps and my tank.

percula99 · 12/24/2010, 06:21 AM

I used the method described by Argi last night. I ran the bleach solution through a power head and my python for about a half hour last night while I was watching a hockey game. Then I dumped the solution and ran hot water with some dechlorinator in it for about another fifteen minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. The hose is almost completely clear again. And of course, it is sanitized. Thanks Keith, and everyone else who replied.

12/21/2010, 09:22 AM	#1
percula99 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 609	Can you clean a Python - No Spill Clean and Fill? I have the 50 foot Python for doing water changes, and I need every foot of it. I have been noticing my hose is turning grey inside and I am concerned this might be mould. Could it be that? Do you have any suggestions for cleaning the hose to make it clear again? I rinse the hose with water from my RO unit after every use and store it in a green garbage bag so it gets no light to grow algae, but after a few years of using it it is definitely greying on the inside. __________________ Hobby Experience: Marine tanks for thirty years. Current Tanks: 180 gallon reef. 270 lbs live rock. SPS, LPS and softies. 3 Kessil A360W-E pendants and 2 Evergrow IT-5080 fixtures.

12/23/2010, 06:07 AM	#5
percula99 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 609	There would be a couple of reasons why I would dilute it. Firstly, because whever I soak power heads (or anything else for that matter) I have always diluted vinegar with water. I have read this in the past and always done it. Vinegar is acidic and should be diluted. Secondly, I would not want to risk a reaction between the vinegar and the rubber in the hose. Granted it is only once and it should not break down the rubber on contact, but I would need to swish it back and forth as it is a 50 foot hose. Rinsing it clean with RO water would also be easier. __________________ Hobby Experience: Marine tanks for thirty years. Current Tanks: 180 gallon reef. 270 lbs live rock. SPS, LPS and softies. 3 Kessil A360W-E pendants and 2 Evergrow IT-5080 fixtures.

12/23/2010, 06:13 AM	#6
argi Everybody Talks Join Date: May 2002 Location: East Haddam, CT Posts: 3,210	Bleach. Make up a diluted solution of bleach in a 5 gallon bucket. Put a powerhead in there to push water through the python. Circulate it from the bucket through the python then back into the bucket. Let it run for a little while. Drain all the water, flush with hot water and some type of dechlorinator the same way you were running the bleach through it. Then allow to dry. I have done this many times when I was using my python a lot more and it got rid of the algae/mold growing in it. Keith __________________ "We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are." Calvin & Hobbes "Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience." Denis Waitley Last edited by argi; 12/23/2010 at 06:14 AM. Reason: .

12/23/2010, 08:41 AM	#8
jdm18honda Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: jacksonville fl Posts: 327	you might want ot let the hose dry before you put it away in the bag __________________ Chris from the middle of no where Current Tank Info: 110 rimless with 75 gallon sump/refuge and 24 gallon frag tank all custom by reef savvy

12/23/2010, 09:55 AM	#10
argi Everybody Talks Join Date: May 2002 Location: East Haddam, CT Posts: 3,210	No problem at all. I'm not sure I like the dish soap, but I tend to be over paranoid about soaps and my tank. __________________ "We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are." Calvin & Hobbes "Never become so much of an expert that you stop gaining expertise. View life as a continuous learning experience." Denis Waitley

12/21/2010, 09:24 AM	#2
kpl519 Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Daytona Beach Posts: 12	You could try running vinager through the hose. That is the only thing I can think of that would be safe and may dissolve any gunk in the hose.

12/22/2010, 07:39 AM	#4
snulma1 Registered Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 2,281	why dilute it? Use it full strength for quicker cleaning

12/24/2010, 06:21 AM	#11
percula99 Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2003 Location: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Posts: 609	I used the method described by Argi last night. I ran the bleach solution through a power head and my python for about a half hour last night while I was watching a hockey game. Then I dumped the solution and ran hot water with some dechlorinator in it for about another fifteen minutes. I was pleasantly surprised. The hose is almost completely clear again. And of course, it is sanitized. Thanks Keith, and everyone else who replied. __________________ Hobby Experience: Marine tanks for thirty years. Current Tanks: 180 gallon reef. 270 lbs live rock. SPS, LPS and softies. 3 Kessil A360W-E pendants and 2 Evergrow IT-5080 fixtures.

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