[rich]

Durring my weekly maintenance, Does anyone see any harm in rinsing the filters and pre-filter sponges with a blast from the hose, and then wringing out, or shacking off and putting them right back to work? Or soaking a filter cartridge in a bleach/water mix for a couple days to clean, then letting it dry and then use again in a hot magnum.??

[rich]

Oh, forgot to mention that i only use RO water and I buy pre-mixed salt water from LFS.

[glampka]

I regularly rinse my sponges in tap water & wring them out before putting them back in. I wouldn't use bleach. Another option is to rinse them out in the water you take from your tank when you do a water change.

[rich]

Thanks, I was wondering about the bleach as well, The instructions say to soak the filter in a bleach water mix to clean, which i did, it's still in the bucket. I was going to let it dry before i used it again. Mabe I'll just throw it away and buy another one just to be safe.Thanks for your help.

[glampka]

You might want to rinse it real good & then soak it in some water that has been really overdosed with dechlorinator. Just be sure it doesn't smell of bleach if you plan on using it.

[PalmDesert]

The residue from bleach can be toxic. Don't use it. There is a product called Net Soak by Jungle Laboratories that works well. It can be used for sponges to remove algae. No rinsing is necessary for the nets but I always do. Sponges should be rinsed well.

[mtfabel]

In my opinion if you had it in the bleack just replace it. I know its money but thats cheaper than restocking your whole tank.

[rich]

I want to thank everyone for their help.This forum is so educational and helpful. especially when your new to this hobby.

[Krazy]

I always rinse out my prefilter to my return pump every other week, I have a spare, I take one out, replace with the other, gives me a chance to wring it out well and to let it dry