Brass gate valve in my plumbing

Lou Raffael · Nov 13, 2016

Hi everyone,

I just did the plumbing for my tank where I have two overflows going into the sump with one return back. I bought a plastic gate valve but it was about $35 which I thought was very high. For the second overflow I bought a brass gate valve that turns just as well for much cheaper. I was talking to a buddy who is a plumber the other day and he said the saltwater will break down the brass and mess with the PH level and possibly kill my fish when I get them in there. I don't have any water in there just yet. Is this true? Has anyone had any experience with brass valves in their plumbing, good or bad? Thank for your help.

Joey waid · Nov 13, 2016

Any thing metallic is bad for a tank..

Breadman03 · Nov 13, 2016

Your buddy is right. I don't know that it would kill your fish, but the copper released would kill off your invertebrates. Ditch the brass. I know, the prices don't always make sense.

Antics · Nov 13, 2016

Replace the brass valve, it will undoubtedly rust/corrode at some point. No offense, but saltwater is expensive as is, don't cheap out on a 35$ valve and potentially risk issues with hundreds of dollars in fish or coral.