I use pure vinegar and soak for a few hours. I re-use it a few times as well. It doesn't lose its potency, but neither did my wife when she almost used a bit of the cleaning vinegar in her cooking. Sheeesh, coralline is just a bit of calcium - it's good for you!

Thanks everyone for all the great responses.

yup, its bleach. I just have a 5 gal bucket with a tight fitting lid (one for making wine) and I keep reusing it, probably get a years worth of cleaning for 15 bucks

Steve

can u use vinegar to clean powerheads with hair algae growing on it, and how much ratio don't want to eat any seals or rubber.???

Good ol' Vinegar....no longer just for my fries!

I also use a 10 to 1 ratio, but might start going with more potent mixes as well. I'm very impatient

guess somethings wrong in my tank as never find a build-up when I pull my pumps apart other than a thin slime coating.