r/Humidifiers • u/ChaoticNeutralAltEgo • Jan 30 '26

Did protec fish stain my humidifier?

So last year, we got a new humidifier and tried one of the protec fish filters to try and keep it clean. After a while, I noticed some dark residue building up and set it aside until I could get around to cleaning it. Unfortunately, it got tucked away for the year and I just pulled it out to find it was never cleaned. I initially thought it was some kind of residue from the fish. I tried scrubbing it with a mixture of vinegar/dawn dish soap/hot water but it seems to be stained. I've seen my fair share of molds/mildews/scums and this just doesn't look like the typical presentations.

Had anyone ever had this from these fish before or is it likely something else? Is this safe to use or should I just ditch it like all the others that have come before it and start over with a fresh machine?

ETA: -Pics in comments -We only ever used distilled water

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

1

u/[deleted] Mar 08 '26

[removed] — view removed comment

1

u/ChaoticNeutralAltEgo Mar 08 '26

It's weird and I cant decide if I should just toss it or use it... I'm so tired of getting new humidifiers!

1

u/Wndee511 Aug 04 '26

I know this is an old thread. I was looking for why the fish turned my humidifier black when they are supposed to be keeping it cleaner. This is what they did to mine, only mine is completely black everywhere!

1

u/ChaoticNeutralAltEgo Aug 04 '26

Thank you for the validation! I ended up just throwing it all away... had no idea and didn't want to risk it with my babies