# Brown "stuff" in filter tubing?



## jnick (Apr 13, 2011)

Hi everyone,

It's been about 3 months since I've hooked up my Rena XP4 and to my surprise, there is brown "suff(?)" growing inside the tubing. I'm assuming it's an algae of sorts, but am not positive. Is there any way to clean/prevent this from happening. I cannot imagine it's good for the tank.

The other problem is I believe it's constricting flow, as when I do my normal tank cleaning, once I power the filter back on, it spits this crap out of the intake right back into the tank. So it's completely counter-productive seeing as I just completed a water change/cleaning.

My first thought was a cleaning trush, to run through the tubing. However, with Rena's tubing, it's 7/16th's I believe where as the barbs are 1/2". Therefore, you have to boil the ends to get it on the barbs and once they cool, good luck getting them off!

Here are some pictures of the stuff:



















Any help is appreciated!

Thanks!


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

Thats normal. My rena xp3 does the same thing. I wrapped the tubes in black duct tape then took some old black pants and made sleeves to fit over the tubes. You can clean them. You tie a strong string to a nut or bold then drop it down the tube. Then tie the other end to some thin cloth and use the string to pull it through the tube. That brown stuff is not harmful to the tank though. I never mess with it anymore, but I duct taped them simply so I wouldn't see it anymore and then it never bothered me again. 

Yeah mine spits that crap out too every time I power it back on especially after cleaning it. Its never bothered me much as it does away quickly. 

Your tubes are no where near bad lol. I don't want to know what mine 4 year old renas tubes look like....


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## zof (Apr 23, 2010)

I get that on my sump setup too, I don't worry about it I figure its just some algae that loves the high water flow and some other crud.


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## AbbeysDad (Mar 28, 2011)

Whatever you do, don't listen to Mikaila - I've seen pictures of her filter 'cleaning'! :-D

Yes, heavy cord, twine, fishline or weedline pushed through then a piece of cloth or a plastic pot scrubber tied on and pulled back through will make short work of it. Just make sure the material isn't too big and you're tied on well cause losing it in the middle could be a real head scratcher.


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## Byron (Mar 7, 2009)

I agreee with all that's been mentioned. I like Mikaila don't fuss over this, when I clean the filters I seldom bother with the tubing. But if you do take it off too, running very hot water in one end will sometimes loosen a lot of it. I do this in the bathtub, it is easier with the 5-foot coils of tubing. And you can blow into the end to swish the water more.


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## Nubster (Aug 1, 2011)

I've read some people will pour hydrogen peroxide into the tube and let it sit a few minutes then blow it out and rinse well. Tubing looks almost new when they are done. I don't worry about it. My tubing on my CO2 reactor is brown with patches of pink. Wild looking stuff. Not sure what the pink is all about...just hope it isn't harmful...lol


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## AbbeysDad (Mar 28, 2011)

Nubster said:


> I've read some people will pour hydrogen peroxide into the tube and let it sit a few minutes then blow it out and rinse well. Tubing looks almost new when they are done. I don't worry about it. My tubing on my CO2 reactor is brown with patches of pink. Wild looking stuff. Not sure what the pink is all about...just hope it isn't harmful...lol


'Nubster hears a Who'.


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## Mikaila31 (Dec 18, 2008)

AbbeysDad said:


> Whatever you do, don't listen to Mikaila - I've seen pictures of her filter 'cleaning'! :-D


HAHA! You mean this? Hey at least my new place has no nitrate in the tap water. More reason to let the rena be till its flow drops too low for the 55 gallon. Its not my fault that that requires a ton of crap to be in the filter. My college budget calls for maximum nutrient recycling, saves me costs in dosing nitrate lol! =P

I fed that tank scrambled eggs tonight. My fish always love them, then I always relearn how damn messy they make my tank by turning into a thousand tiny particles as the fish tear them apart. At least the rena is good at removing scrambled egg particles... 

I should of taken a pic of the powerhead in my filterless tank. Its flow rate had dropped a lot so I finally decided to take it out and see what the issue was. Turns out it was filled with mud! How a powerhead can collect mud I'm not sure......


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## AbbeysDad (Mar 28, 2011)

Mikaila31 said:


> HAHA! You mean this?


LOL - yes, that was one photo in the series! I've seen oil come outta cars cleaner than that!

I've been an organic gardener for over 30 years and so in a planted tank, appreciate fertilizing the substrate with fish and plant waste - so you need to filter the water more and the poo less. Then again those eeuu sea monster critters I saw in yer video prolly produce a mega-ton of poo!

(footnote: "stay in school - don't do drugs")

;-)


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## jnick (Apr 13, 2011)

Thanks, ladies and gents! I will no longer fret about this!


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