Have a great weekend reefnecks!

Well this may be one of those moments where all proud acrylic tank owners can take an deserving exhale because it seems that someone might have found the perfect cleaner for your delicate tank. Ladipyg on Reef 2 Reef forums, has used an unconventional tool to help her clean her tank: the Magic Eraser.

What is that you say? Well the Magic Eraser is a Proctor and Gamble product that manages to ‘magically’ erase or wipe out any blemishes on most surfaces. It has been recently marketed as the best cleaning sponge ever to be used at home.

So when Ladipyg used this scrubber on the inside of her tank, she found amazing results. Not only did it help clean the acrylic, but it prohibited the algae to return in faster numbers.

So what is this ‘Magic Eraser”? It is a melamine foam scrubber.  Sound worried? According to the wiki article, melamine foam is safe for our reefs:

Melamine foam is a foam-like material consisting of a formaldehyde-melamine-sodium bisulfite copolymer.

The foam is manufactured in Germany by BASF under the name “Basotect”. It has been used for over 20 years as insulation for pipes and ductwork, and has a long history as a soundproofing material for studios, sounds stages, auditoriums, and the like. The low smoke and flame properties of melamine foam prevent it from being a fire hazard^{[citation needed]}.

In the early 21st century it was discovered that melamine foam was an effective abrasive cleaner. The open cell foam is microporous and its polymeric substance is extremely hard, so that when used for cleaning it works like extremely fine sandpaper, getting into tiny grooves and pits in the object being cleaned. On a larger scale the material feels soft. Because the bubbles interconnect, its structure is more like a maze of fibreglass strands than like the array of separate bubbles in, for example, styrofoam.

The most important thing is it doesn’t have any harmful chemicals that would react under water.

So, I am tracking this thread for us acrylic owners. Because if this proves to be THE cleaner of choice for the immediate future, you will be the first to be aware. In fact, I will be trying this method out very soon and will post some results. But if you are already out the door, make sure you buy the PLAIN ones. Not the scented or anything else.
Now where is my nearest supermarket?

Continuing from my previous post, which could be found here (putting together an internal overflow), I am going to illustrate a simple 1 hr project that can quiet down your overflow substantially.

So for the Silencer you need…

1. 1.5″ ABS or PVC pipe at 4″-6″
2. 2″ coupler
3. 2″ to 1.5″ reducer/bushing
4. 1.5″ ABS or PVC pipe at 1″-2″
5. 1.5″ end cap, with a 1/8″ hole in the middle

As for the silencer, this is how I managed complete it as there are multiple ways to accomplish this task:

You take a 1.5″ pipe and cut it in a 5″ or 6″ length. Some overflows may require you to have a shorter cut. For this application I had set it at 5″. You have to cut out the middle area, where the water will overflow into.  So you need to make cuts with your miter, and a Dremel just like above.

You also have to put together the bushing and 2″ coupler. You will attach it later on to the cut-out 5″ pipe.

Here is a tricky part… You must shave off a bit of the inside of that bushing so that a 1.5″ pipe could be fitted through the underside of the coupler.

When put together, it should look like a mushroom made out of pvc.

You also have to cap it from the top, so a 1″ to 2″ 1.5″ pipe is cut. You slip it into the bushing. A cap, that has a 1/8″ hole for air venting, is placed on top of that pipe.

Finally, you are to place the silencer into the top portion of the overflow. To make it fit inside the 2″ hole, I used rubber bands around the bottom of the silencer. This will provide enough thickness for the silencer to stay in place. You may have to find its silent point, but when you do, you will be amazed on how its quiet. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email me at vlad@fragd.it