WD-40 And Tetra Filter

First I'd like to say I'm not as stupid as I will sound in a minute, I really would just like an opinion.

One of my Tetra filters recently failed and I disassembled the unit to inspect the motor. As expected, it was covered in sand and I thought it had failed completely. I thoroughly rinsed the impeller and intake/outflow tubes and brushed them carefully, but the motor would not start. A slight buzzing sound indicated that the motor was recieveing power but it would not move.

On a whim, I decided to use WD-40 to restore the filter, and it worked without a hitch. As a former engineer, I love this stuff. My problem is I have no idea how toxic it is to my Axolotls, Fish, or other livestock. I have other filters running all my tanks at the moment so it's not like I need to put this filter back into a tank stat. I've plugged a sink and let the filter go at it in there for awhile, just cycling the water around.

My question is this: Now that I've left the filter in the sink, in clean water, how long will it take for any toxic residue from the WD-40 to dissipate? Will it ever dissipate, period? Can I no longer use this filter in a tank with livestock, or does it simply require good cleaning to remove any danger of poisoning a fish or lotls.

Please don't flame me because I sound retarded, I would never do something as stupid as spray a filter and just drop it right back into a tank. If it come down to it, I'll simply throw it away.

Since WD-40 isn't water soluble, I would think it would NOT dissipate on its own. You would probably have to use a solvent to get it off. Then rinse rinse rinse. And you'd probably have to scrub the whole thing to remove any WD-40 stuck to the filter itself. But even with this, I'd be wary.

I've used olive oil in the past on filter parts (especially waterfall type filters with the rotating biological filter drum). I cannot say scientifically that it's safe for axolotls, but I usually go with the "safe for me, safe for them" strategy. If I can eat it and not die, it's okay to have around their tank.

I would toss it now. You could try scrubbing it with Dawn but I wouldn't chance it. Its designed to repel water so it will not dilute or dissipate in it over time. It will build up to a sludge on the impeller and housing and a film on the glass if anything.

Toss it in the trash. Next time you can use Vaseline to lube your impeller.

I tried vegetable oil before WD-40. No effect.

I think you're both probably right, I'll probably toss it or use it for something where it can't do any harm.

Thanks for the input.

Don't worry Matt, the only stupid questions are the ones you never ask.

Is WD-40 like petrol? Will it evaporate?

If it does, you could potentially pull the filter apart again, and leave it in a dry warm place until the WD-40 evaporates - this will of course crash the cycle, but at least you would not have to throw the filter out.

I guess if it is being trashed anyway, you could try it - nothing to lose

Bren

I believe the main lubricant in WD-40 is mineral oil.

Rather than trash the entire filter, I've found another home for the pump, and just tossed out the assembly (the plastic housing part).

Thanks for the input.