Do you need separate tanks (color b/w)

Hey guys I was just wondering if there is just a simple rule that you don't mix tanks for b/w and color. Do you need one for each process. Sorry if it's a dumb question but I'm not sure

No. But you need to clean thoroughly between uses.
Different types of tanks will require slightly different approaches to control temperature, which is much more critical with colour.
And some processes are harder on plastic reels, and more likely to discolour them, so if that bothers you....

What Matt said.

MattKing said:

No. But you need to clean thoroughly between uses.
Different types of tanks will require slightly different approaches to control temperature, which is much more critical with colour.
And some processes are harder on plastic reels, and more likely to discolour them, so if that bothers you....

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Thanks for the input. Would normal washing like with soap as if it were a dish work or should I be careful with what I use to clean it?

Hot water and a toothbrush work well.

What MattKing said. I use the same Jobo 1520 tank for B&W and E6, though I haven't done E6 in a while. I don't use soap, though I have been known to use the same water I wash my film in so there might be wetting agent in there.

Warm/hot water, plenty of rinses, a cheap toothbrush to get any residue out of nooks and crannies especially lids and light traps. You just want to be sure that there are no chemicals from one process still in the tank when you move over to the other process. The same really as what you'd do after fixing, but before developing your next B&W film...but just be a bit more thorough.

Don't use the dish washer unless you can dedicate a dish washer to photo equipment only...as they tend to keep a reservoir of water and recycle it...so you'd get low levels of photo chemicals on your dishes and glasses the next few runs. Not ideal especially with colour chemistry.

Never washed a tank in 40 years it gets a good wash in the long and boring final water wash.

MattKing said:

No. But you need to clean thoroughly between uses.
Different types of tanks will require slightly different approaches to control temperature, which is much more critical with colour.
And some processes are harder on plastic reels, and more likely to discolour them, so if that bothers you....

Click to expand...

No, just what Matt said. But thoroughly clean between processing rolls of any type. Contamination is your enemy.

My practice is identical to Harry's. I used separate tanks only because I used a Bessler motorized tank for color print and E6. Odd, but after buying a Jobo processor I never home processed color. Getting back to the question, I see no advantage to using separate developing tanks.

Curlypengling said:

Hey guys I was just wondering if there is just a simple rule that you don't mix tanks for b/w and color. Do you need one for each process. Sorry if it's a dumb question but I'm not sure

Click to expand...

Thanks everyone for your input I'll bee sure to buy some new chems since I was on a budget to buy a new tank. Seems like I'll be doing b/w this weekend

I purchased separate all plastic tank/reels for color, but been too lazy to dig it out from under the countertop. Using same plastic tank/reels for BW, ECN2 and C-41 and no washing with anything else than water. It works.