I think Lime Away is the same thing, or close - I would just rinse really
well, but then that's me - I use chlorinated water to rinse my bio-filter
material which everybody swears kills off all the bacteria, but my filter
never skips a beat
Gale :~)

They can clog here, when outdoors, in a month. Minerals and I assume,
algae. Indoors they last a little longer, maybe 2 months. I wish I
could find real coarse ones. I'm sure they'd be less likely to clog, but
all the stores here carry the same ones.

- mine only runs for 3 - 4 months, without
a problem - I have used the same airstone for up to 4 yrs, after I soak
it in bleach to kill the algae, then rinse it thoroughly for next year -
if it will make a whole winter, maybe CLR ?,

I have a similar product called Lime-Away but was afraid it may not rinse
out completely. Have you ever tried one of those products on airstones?
I do use it on the hoods and filters. May I'll give it a try since I'm
going through a lot of airstones. I always have several running in the
aquariums in the house year 'round.

but at the cost of an airstone, you
only lose 1/2" of airline when you cut the stone off - I am still using
the same airline from 10 yrs ago and have cut 5 or 6 'stones ' off it
Gale :~)

I don't have a problem with my airstones falling off the airline and I
have a bunch of them running in the tubs and pools behind the house in
winter.
--

RM....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
rec.ponder since late 1996.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Zone 6. USA
~~~~ }((((* ~~~ }{{{{(ö