White stuff push out of Teco Chiller

[iplant]

Bought a 2nd hand Teco Chiller and there are white stuff that was pushed out of the chiller into my freshwater planted tank.

The chiller was used as for marine tank before i bought over. Can anyone shed some light about this white stuff? It is calcium residue? or some other stuff?

Thanks

[BFG]

It could be calcium residue or maybe even coralline algae. Did you flush the chiller before using it?

[iplant]

Yeap flush the chillder and these white stuff keep coming out. Then when transfered to the tank i guess some came out again. Now it ok no more of the stuff are flushed.

Nothing wrong with my fishes, they are still doing fine. If it is calcium then I dont forsee any problem but if it is the algae, do you think it will survive in a freshwater tank?

[BFG]

I don't think coralline algae will survive but I have no experience in that. How did you flush the chiller? You should flush both way through the outlet and inlet.

[iplant]

Nope I did not flush both ways, please advise. Thanks again so much.

[BFG]

You could use vinegar for the cleaning agent. Flushing both way is to pump the vinegar or even water from one of the chiller opening and then switching to the other opening. Usually when chiller is in operation, the water flow will flow in one direction. Overtime, whatever stuff that would 'grow' or accumulate on the wall of the tube will form in a certain way as they follow or conform to the flow of the water. If you flush the chiller in it's operation mode, some of the stuff might peel off and flow out. So, to assist the stuff that has formed in the wall of the cooling coil to peel off, you should flush the chiller from the other opening ie the outlet tube. You could repeat the process going from the inlet tube as the start of the water flow to the outlet tube and then from the outlet tube to the inlet tube. Until you are satisfied that the water is clear from debris, you can then stop the procedure.

Or like what I am doing right now, let the chiller sit by itself for a few weeks as the content of the coil start to decompose and decay. By then I would start the flushing method as described above.

Hope this helps!