Is aluminum reef safe?

[BZOFIQ]

But is that reef safe as well or it just won’t rust etc

Both.

 

[BZOFIQ]

Im definitely open to other options i thought steel would rust in saltwater
Steel also takes longer to cool might also take longer to warm up giving it a bigger delay (not that we can’t account for this and shut it off before it gets too cold)

There is saltwater resistant grade of stainless steel.

 

[BZOFIQ]

BTW, with stainless steel, corrosion resistance is greatly increased if it remains constantly submerged - either way its a specif stainless steel grade that should be used.

I bought a cheap stainless steel scraper off amazon years ago, it hardly has any rust stains on it - I am actually positively surprised as I didn't expect it to last for that low a cost.

 

[HCl+NaHO=]

So this is a question for all of you with some knowledge on this
please elaborate or provide links etc not just a simple yes or no

Im looking into making a low power small chiller and want to use aluminum pipe or cooling blocks
so saltwater in direct contact to aluminum and then back into a reef tank

Ah

I figured out what you are trying to do.

Ill find the video for you.

Here it is. The Prof is feeding the lines to and from his model tank for the light. Don’t do that.

He does show how to waterproof the aluminum blocks. Pretty inventive and novel. Might actually work

Can use either cold water to do heat transfer. Or Peltier plate coolers

 

[HCl+NaHO=]

Ah

I figured out what you are trying to do.

Ill find the video for you.

Here it is. The Prof is feeding the lines to and from his model tank for the light. Don’t do that.


He does show how to waterproof the aluminum blocks. Pretty inventive and novel. Might actually work

Can use either cold water to do heat transfer. Or Peltier plate coolers

Wish you luck

Show us how you did after you make these


PS. With the Peltier coolers, what would be the contraindication to just mounting to your sump glass?

 

[BZOFIQ]

GHL is about to release this very product which was shown at recent RAP NY much quieter and less power hungry than a chiller but not for huge tanks unless I guess you use multiple units.



Theirs is made out of specific SS alloy which is rated for contact with saltwater.

https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/products/ghl-cooling-technology/profilux-temperature-control2/

 

[shred5]

Stainless steel still rusts in salt

It’s made to keep salt water off of it. Not itself out of salt

Most of it is Iron(with Cr and C), which turns into what in salt water,,,,?

Ferric Oxide (you know that as what?)

Iron does not have the impurities steel has. That is why GFO is ok..

Just to clarify. I see so many people say rust is ok because gfo is really rust. Rusting steel is different and has impurities.
Stainless does rust and rate depends on grade of stainless.

 

[road_runner]

The only GFO that I saw truly remove Al and si was rowaphos. Most of the gfo out there add si to the system and do not bind Al and take it out.

 

[ourcoralreef]

Titanium is reef safe in the proper alloy as evidenced by the large number of titanium heaters. Stainless steel comes in a wide array of alloys. Not all are rust resistant, only specific alloys. You can search suppliers data sheets for corrosion characteristics and their rating in salt water immersion. That said if your just prototyping...do the coil in a stainless(annealed) and then send that off to be reproduced for the final product. The few weeks it is in your tank will not likely cause harm as long as the proper alloy is selected. This will keep development cost down, especially if you end up making several iterations to find the ideal configuration. Just my .02

The question is do the non rusting types leach anything into the system
Yes ill be making a prototype but i would not be producing it its more for a diy that anyone can make

thank you for the info

 

[ourcoralreef]

BTW, with stainless steel, corrosion resistance is greatly increased if it remains constantly submerged - either way its a specif stainless steel grade that should be used.

I bought a cheap stainless steel scraper off amazon years ago, it hardly has any rust stains on it - I am actually positively surprised as I didn't expect it to last for that low a cost.

Do you know of the name of that steel or requests
Also would you know if it would leach later on

 

[ourcoralreef]

Wish you luck

Show us how you did after you make these


PS. With the Peltier coolers, what would be the contraindication to just mounting to your sump glass?

Will do if anything comes of it ill be making a video and post going into how everyone can make one on their own

I didn’t think of that because i wanted to keep it as far as you can (out of the stand) so the heat shouldn’t counter the cooling

 

[TheHarold]

Not only would it work,it's nearly the cleanest, least reactive material you could use. Borosilicate "Pyrex" laboratory glass can be easily customized to your size and shape requirements. Search for scientific glass blowing shops in your area. Stop in, in person and talk about what you want to do and I'll bet they will help you out cheaply.
If you were in my area id tell you to stop by my shop, I could have it for you in an hour or so. I've been a scientific glassblower for about 25 years and have countless custom mods or helping tools laying around for aquarium use.

Now that sounds like an awesome profession

 

[ourcoralreef]

GHL is about to release this very product which was shown at recent RAP NY much quieter and less power hungry than a chiller but not for huge tanks unless I guess you use multiple units.



Theirs is made out of specific SS alloy which is rated for contact with saltwater.

https://www.aquariumcomputer.com/products/ghl-cooling-technology/profilux-temperature-control2/

Interesting i was there but didn’t see it
Theirs looks extremely similar to what i had in mind

I had this idea for a couple years now ever since someone made a fridge out of a peltier and i remembered a post on diy fridge chillers and thought this would be really cost efficient electricity etc

 

[AZMSGT]

Read this
https://www.alumeco.com/knowledge-technique/general/corrosion-of-aluminium-surfaces

 

[HCl+NaHO=]

Will do if anything comes of it ill be making a video and post going into how everyone can make one on their own

I didn’t think of that because i wanted to keep it as far as you can (out of the stand) so the heat shouldn’t counter the cooling

It is very doable, btw

Here is one designed specifically to cool aquarium tank water

https://www.amazon.com/IceProbe-The...probe+chiller&qid=1561680798&s=gateway&sr=8-3

 

[AlgaeBarn]

The corrosion factor would be multiplied by the flow of water also

I was under the impression that chloride pitting (typical corrosion mechanism that you see in saltwater) is actually accelerated by stagnant water. 304 stainless isn't terrible with saltwater as long as the flow is VERY high, but if you leave 304 in stagnant saltwater, it rusts like crazy. 316L has much better resistance, but you will still see corrosion on parts that are in stagnant water. This corrosion tends to lead to oxidation (and rust!)

Aluminum will tend to form a pretty strong oxidation layer (Aluminum Oxide or Alumina) on the surface, but there are alloys of aluminum that tend to have better resistance. I still under the impression that chloride pitting is the main mechanism for corrosion.

Titanium is king here for metals in regards to oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance. Glass as some people mentioned is likely the cheapest GOOD solution (but also the most fragile).

 

[AlgaeBarn]

Interesting i was there but didn’t see it
Theirs looks extremely similar to what i had in mind

I had this idea for a couple years now ever since someone made a fridge out of a peltier and i remembered a post on diy fridge chillers and thought this would be really cost efficient electricity etc

Peltiers are REALLY energy inefficient in terms of cooling. A DIY fridge chiller will have a hard time keeping up with the heat load and will likely cause premature failure of the compressor.

 

[ourcoralreef]

It is very doable, btw

Here is one designed specifically to cool aquarium tank water

https://www.amazon.com/IceProbe-The...probe+chiller&qid=1561680798&s=gateway&sr=8-3

I don’t know if that’s a peltier

 

[ourcoralreef]

I was under the impression that chloride pitting (typical corrosion mechanism that you see in saltwater) is actually accelerated by stagnant water. 304 stainless isn't terrible with saltwater as long as the flow is VERY high, but if you leave 304 in stagnant saltwater, it rusts like crazy. 316L has much better resistance, but you will still see corrosion on parts that are in stagnant water. This corrosion tends to lead to oxidation (and rust!)

Aluminum will tend to form a pretty strong oxidation layer (Aluminum Oxide or Alumina) on the surface, but there are alloys of aluminum that tend to have better resistance. I still under the impression that chloride pitting is the main mechanism for corrosion.

Titanium is king here for metals in regards to oxidation resistance and corrosion resistance. Glass as some people mentioned is likely the cheapest GOOD solution (but also the most fragile).

What if i took a aluminum liquid cooling block and ran liquid epoxy through it then let it dry think the epoxy would crack

 

[jordan9095]

i think the rails on my DIY innovative marine screen top are made of aluminum. is this an issue? condensation forms on the bottom of the rails