Are Melamine foam pads really safe for cleaning active tanks?
While looking for ways to clean mineral stains from one of my tanks, I ran across some favorable reviews of Melamine foam pads. These are the white spongy pads that work as a mild abrasive to remove algae and minerals from glass very easily. One of the common brands available in supermarkets is called "Mr. Clean Magic Erasers".
While I'm convinced that the foam is chemically inert enough to use in a fish tank, I'm still fairly concerned about the fact that these sponges break down as you use them. If you look at the sponge structure in a microscope, it looks like a net of rather sharp barbs and wires...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Melamine.jpg
When the pad is scowerd against a dirty surface, these wires are broken and the pad breaks apart. My main concern is that the microscopic particles that break off the pad may be sharp and hook-like, which could easily harm the fish.
Does anyone have any opinions or expert advice about the use of these pads in live tanks?
Hard to say. I've not heard anything pro or con against them in active tanks.
However you do raise good points.
If you are concerned I'd suggest going with what I use which is a combination of a metal scraper (for algae) and a rubber squeegee like scraper for the less difficult to remove stuff.
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