Do all reefers have rusty tools?

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Or is it just me? LOL!

I can't keep anything looking good! Even the air vents! LOL!

 

[sexycorals]

Lol! Yes yes yes! I trip to get stainless steel tools but hard to find

 

[redemer123]

yeah its pretty tough to keep tools nice with saltwater, its extremely corrosive towards metals. I find rinsing everything I use with freshwater will help delay the corrosion but ultimately its unavoidable. I use a lot of stainless steel tools but they come to the same end as normal tools, just last a little longer

 

[reefkoi]

all my stuff is rusted out, even my snap-on tools! I keep 3-4 cans of wd-40 on hand and always have to spray pliers and scissors down to use em LOL

 

[Loki]

Last week I was able to use a pair of needle nose pliers like vise grips

 

[jonbar1]

I've always rinsed anything that went in the tank off with tap water and dried it quickly and never had a problem. Use car wax on things near the tank you're worried about and dielectric grease on electrical connections and you shouldn't have any problems.

 

[skinz78]

I have a pair of bone shears that have been soaked in vegetable oil several times....

 

[chort55]

Even my non-reef use tools are covered in rust..... I didn't think about it and threw my tool box in the back of the truck with the 100g rubbermaid full of water when we were moving, one of those... oh yeah Im gonna need some of this stuff when we are putting it all back together, tailgate was down seemed like a good idea sorta things lol

 

[Mstansbery]

Guilty as charged!! :tongue:

 

[bige]

I do not have rusty tools. But I weld and am able to grind off rust. And keep things oiled. But my reef stuff I can't oil. So I just grind it off. Also, why is rust not a stain? Why do they say this steel will not stain. Well I'm not worried about mustard on my metal.

 

[Eggs]

LOL, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

 

[reefknight]

Yep, another one here. Had a livestock tank in the garage cycling live rock, all of my tools now are rusted. The Georgia heat & humidity doesn't help either. Eventually I'll sit down with a can of wd40 and some fine sandpaper and get to work. :sad:

 

[JSemour]

After using, always rinse with RO/DI water and dry thoroughly. Use fine sand paper to remove rust as it becomes evident. Try storing your coral tools in a bag of rice to keep moisture away from them when not in use.

 

[larryl]

LOL......rusty and trusty!

 

[blackx-runner]

Yep, another one here. Had a livestock tank in the garage cycling live rock, all of my tools now are rusted. The Georgia heat & humidity doesn't help either. Eventually I'll sit down with a can of wd40 and some fine sandpaper and get to work. :sad:

I did that except in my basement. I moved a large system and was temp housing things in several stock tanks and aquariums until I could get the main tank set up. The tools did not fair well in that environment.
Now I try to keep tools away from the tank, and if they are used around the tank I remember to rinse and dry before they get put away.

 

[Reef Breeders Verified Sponsor]

No problems yet, I always use stainless in the tank, and rinse it every time

 

[seth&angelle]

I'll have to show my wife this thread. She always fuses at me for our rusty tools.

 

[Nomadic1]

I had a 400 gallon tank in my garage, and all my tools hanging on the other side of the room, my bike, my generator, my power tools, and anything else metal either rusted or corroded. Never used ANY of it on my tank.

 

[beaslbob]

yeppers

but then I hear a little iron is good for macros.

lol

 

[jonbar1]

If anyone is wanting to restore their severely rusty tools I just remembered a really cool method for the DIYer that uses a car battery charger, baking soda, and a spare piece of stainless steel.

Do a search for "rust removal using electrolysis" and there are many guides on how to do it better than I could explain it. Very cool little DIY and some amazing results!