Rust on Jecod pump after 2 months

[DSC reef]

I agree, they should do a full scientific write-up. @Fritzhamer You interested?

 

[Fritzhamer]

I don’t have time for a full write up but I’m happy to put a bunch of stainless steel screws in my sump. Some of them are likely to rust. I’ll keep you posted.

 

[HOOPDEEZ]

Well how about plastic fasteners?

 

[DSC reef]

Well how about plastic fasteners?

That's what I use now. They work great.

 

[Fritzhamer]

What might be better is to setup five tanks and put stainless steel in three; one visibly rusty, one not and one surgical grade. One control and one with GFO and send them all out for ICP testing.

It’s be cool to do a real world with the theee as well and move some corals back and forth between them.

 

[HB AL]

Why stainless, just throw in a bunch of steel screws so they rust quicker that way it won't take as long for the experiment to begin, or just throw in already rusting metal.

 

[Fritzhamer]

There is the possibility that regular screws would have a different composition. Since there wouldn’t ever (hopefully) be regular screws in a tank it wouldn’t tell us much about what we are trying to find out here.

Stainless steel screws have a particular makeup:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_steel

The theory presented here was that once the coating was compromised, some inside metal would leech out. In my experience stainless steel stains pretty easily. It also isn’t uncommon for rust to appear on it in salty environments.

To coat a machine screw with a stainless steel plating would be hard to pull off and likely not worth he effort or cost unless we’re talking about HUGE bolts. A stainless steel screw of this size would be pretty uniform although possibly of questionable mix and quality.

To the point of rust causing mass die off, there are a bunch of threads of people complaining that their current and new vortech wetsides are all rusty without mention of an epidemic of rtn/stn.

 

[DSC reef]

Rust is rust right? I thought you were trying to prove rust won't harm the tanks inhabitants so why worry about what type of screws. I agree, get some already rusted metal and tell us how it goes

 

[HB AL]

Rust is rust right? I thought you were trying to prove rust won't harm the tanks inhabitants so why worry about what type of screws. I agree, get some already rusted metal and tell us how it goes

Exactly, rust is rust, might as well start off with already rusty metal, if someone is positive rust won't hurt a thing in a closed system like a tank I can send you free of charge some chunks off my boat trailer.

 

[Fritzhamer]

Yeah I don't think a little bit of rust on a tiny screw is going to matter much. Would I change it? Absolutely. Would I do it today? Only if I happen to be at Lowes. Otherwise its going to be pretty far down my priority list otherwise.

As was mentioned I think it has a lot to do with "what is rusting". Stainless steel doesn't really have anything terrible in it. I wouldn't want brass in my tank or random metals of unknown composition. Stainless steel from a device intended to go into a saltwater aquarium (even from China) is a fairly safe bet in my mind. That's all I'm saying.

 

[alton]

https://www.reef2rainforest.com/2016/10/21/coral-excerpt-the-high-price-of-being-cheap/

 

[Fritzhamer]

That's a great read, thanks for sharing. Its a bit misleading and kind of anti-Chinese, I think though. The root point of metals leaching is a good and valuable one. However to the Chinese end, many of the German products are made in China now. Also most of the Chinese "rip-offs" aren't rip-offs they're just not re-branded. For example, way back Cisco started making entire appliances under one roof in China. If you own a factory you want it humming 24-7, 365. So for half the year they'd crank out these appliances and put the Cisco Badge on them. The other six months, instead of retooling and making something else, they'd crank out the same appliances and badge them Hwai Wai. Totally unethical and outright thievery. However it was the same appliance. I'm convinced that Jebao isn't ripping off products but rather IS the manufacturer of many of the brands we know and love. The Varios pumps are obvious Jebao pumps. Coralvue made a better controller, uses a better power supply but they've used the same molds Jebao uses for the pump. To keep costs down Jebao uses cermaic (not a tungsten composite) for the shaft and plenty of other cost cutting measures.
If you look through the Coralvue line and the Jebao line you'll recognize that many of the products are just rebranded Jebao products.

This article did freak me out a bit though. Thanks.

 

[Even Further]

Coralvue is a USA master distributor of Reef Octopus. Coralvue does not make the Varios pump or any other RO products. RO is a Chinese company itself.

 

[Fritzhamer]

Ah, that totally makes sense. Also this thread has gotten me freaked out about my return pump.

 

[Velcro]

Rust is rust right? I thought you were trying to prove rust won't harm the tanks inhabitants so why worry about what type of screws. I agree, get some already rusted metal and tell us how it goes

Not exactly. While "rust" really only refers to ferric oxide, similar corrosion happens across many types of metals. In the science arena, "rust" is only used for ferric oxide. To hobbyists, rust is really only going to be called rust. While I wouldn't worry about the effect of a pure iron rusting in my tank, I would not want any other type of metal rusting and release that metal to the water column.

 

[DSC reef]

Not exactly. While "rust" really only refers to ferric oxide, similar corrosion happens across many types of metals. In the science arena, "rust" is only used for ferric oxide. To hobbyists, rust is really only going to be called rust. While I wouldn't worry about the effect of a pure iron rusting in my tank, I would not want any other type of metal rusting and release that metal to the water column.

I get it, my point was semantics. Going back and forth about rust harming inhabitants. It's what's leaching into the aquarium. I've experienced it and anecdotal or not I believe rusting parts in the aquarium is not good.

 

[Bruce Burnett]

I have had stainless steel hose clamps and screws rust in the sump and never had problems with corals or fish. If you go back far enough many people used steel frames tanks for fresh water and these were used early on for saltwater. The glass was embedded in a tar like substance, because saltwater was so hard on the metal and sealant other ways were found. Could I say various metals will leach out and be a problem? Give me a real study other than just some that show certain metals are toxic like did they leach from normal items used in our aquariums. All my corals that had tissue necrosis was always my fault, not enough nutrients or alk changes that were to fast.

 

[rck329]

Almost all stainless with rust if it is not passivated (dependent on grade, how it is finished, with what equipment, etc). Passivation removes minor impurities in the surface of the metal that are deposited during manufacturing. I've got 2 or 3 sets of of cheap "stainless" tweezers off eBay that rust like crazy. It appears like the base metal is stainless, but they get little spots of rust all over them which I assume are impurities in the surface.

 

[LbulletM]

Not exactly. While "rust" really only refers to ferric oxide, similar corrosion happens across many types of metals. In the science arena, "rust" is only used for ferric oxide. To hobbyists, rust is really only going to be called rust. While I wouldn't worry about the effect of a pure iron rusting in my tank, I would not want any other type of metal rusting and release that metal to the water column.

You're looking for "oxidation".

 

[Forsaken77]

I only use Titon titanium hose clamps on all my hoses. It's actually strange seeing a silver metal object under water that's completely rust free, even the screw. Downside is they cost more than the frigin hose... $8 a piece!