Magic Eraser On Aquarium. Safe? Efficient? Why Shouldn’t You Use It?

Magic Eraser On Aquarium. Safe? Efficient? Why Shouldn't You Use It?

With constant exposure to water, your aquarium glass will probably have stains on it. There can be a few on the outer side, but the real concerns for most aquarium owners are the stains present on the inner side. How do you expect to clean them, especially considering the water and the organisms inside? A fundamental question to ask, isn’t it?

Well, if you are just worried about the glass, then let us draw your attention to the beautiful rock, which has not remained much beautiful because of water stains over it? We believe you haven’t been much intrigued. We guess this is because you have already found a solution to manage all this cleanliness, right? And this is probably through the Magic Eraser by Mr. Clean or the melamine sponge?

The genuine concern for which you are reading this article is regarding the safety of the melamine sponge or the Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser on your aquarium. So, let’s address this question straight away along with covering it.

Today we’ll talk about:

  • Safety of using Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on Aquarium
  • The efficiency of Magic Eraser 
  • Comparison of Melamine foam and Magic Eraser
  • Situations when Magic Eraser cannot be used

By now, we have been treating the Magic Eraser brand and Melamine foam as the same thing. But they are not. Magic Eraser is the particular brand of Melamine foam that you can find in the market, while the simple one is the generic alternative available for the brand.

So let’s evaluate the brand’s safety for your aquarium before we get into anything else.

How safe is Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for an aquarium?

How safe is Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for an aquarium?

Magic Eraser is a unique tool that can help you brush off dirt particles, stains, grout, mold, and all other substances out of the surface in question (which in this case is our aquarium).

The specific brand provides cube-like pieces, which are unscented and chemical-free. They can serve multiple purposes. The specific brand’s aquarium owners have shared that the piece remained intact after many scrubbing. A few of them even forgot the cube piece of Magic Eraser within the tank, but they did not react with water or create any other problem for the fish.

The product manufactured by Magic Eraser is inert and free of chemicals. The strength found in this foam is unique as well as the users have not found any small pieces falling off during the scrubbing process.

So, all these features of the Magic Eraser make it safe for usage even inside the aquarium. It is not only the glass you can clean with this magic piece, but you can also clean the rocks and the other decoration items present in the tank quickly.

How safe is non-branded melamine foam?

Now when it comes to non-branded melamine foam, there are a few concerns raised by the users. A few users complain that small pieces fray from the scrubber and enter into the water and the tank while scrubbing.

But there are no other complaints associated with the general product too. Analyzing it from the safety perspective, let us highlight that irrespective of the branded or the non-branded product, the melamine foam is an inert material. It is cured and treated to such a level that it does not react with water or any other substance present in your tank. It means that even if the small pieces remain in your tank for a few days or months, they will not affect the water quality or the atmosphere of your fish.

But what if the fish eat these pieces? This can be a possibility because you cannot control the wearing off of the foam:

  1. It is unlikely that your fish will feed on this foam mainly because there is a high probability that the worn-off pieces will be larger than the food, making it difficult for the fish to take them in.
  2. The foam floating in the moving water is more likely to get close to the filters from where it can get out easily.
  3. If it doesn’t, the weight of the foam will make it sink to the bottom, so your fish will not even see it.

Is Magic Eraser or melamine foam safe?

Yes, whether it is the melamine foam or the Magic Eraser, it is safe for use inside the aquarium.

Is Magic Eraser or melamine foam efficient?

Is Magic Eraser or melamine foam efficient?

You’ll have to define the word efficiency before we get into this discussion.

Melamine foam is a non-biodegradable product. So, if you are using it, you must ensure that you utilize it to the best of its abilities because once it is discarded, it will lay in the landfills for a long time, and you’ll be a contributor to its existence.

This is true for both branded and non-branded products. But in the case of branded one, you’ll have to spend at least twice the amount of money that you would do in the case of the non-branded product. So, the waste of resources would be higher if you buy Magic Eraser than the simple melamine foam.

From the usage point of view, Magic Eraser works better than its non-branded alternative. On average, you can use it to clean more surface area than the general melamine foam.

Considering it comprehensively, the melamine foam is available as a small cubic piece. If you want to clean the decoration within the tank or the edgy pieces like rock, then the tiny piece would do the task. However, if you aim to clean the tank’s interior, then this tiny piece of melamine foam will require a lot of your time to complete the task.

Reasons you shouldn’t use Magic Eraser

We have discussed that from the safety and efficiency point of Magic Eraser is the right product to choose for all the cleaning tasks related to your tank and fish.

But not every product is for every job type. So, here are the reasons you shouldn’t choose Magic Eraser for your tank.

Does not remove coralline algae

If you have coralline algae at the sides of your aquarium and aim to eliminate it, the Magic Eraser is not the product you are looking for, as it is not strong enough to wipe it off. For removing it, you’ll probably need a scrapper.

Does not provide extended cleanliness

If you aim to spend months without cleaning the sides of your aquarium, then Magic Eraser is not the right product. Most users have noticed that they often have to clean the aquarium’s sides if they use this foam instead of the scraper. So, even if the aquarium walls look visibly clean, they are not clean enough to stay so for a more extended period.

Rigorous scrubbing

If you want to go for rigorous scrubbing, then there are higher chances that you’ll see it tearing off. So, if your aquarium is quite dirty or you are a rigorous scrubber, then you might have to look at the alternatives for the Magic Eraser.

Summing up

By and large, Mr. Clean’s Magic Eraser is a safe and efficient cleaner that you can use to scrub the aquarium tank’s inner surface. Whether you choose the branded or the non-branded product, there are a few times when the melamine foam won’t work as well as you want it to. So, note them beforehand so you wouldn’t add to the extra non-biodegradable waste to this universe.