Question about metal aquarium implements

[Duckquarium]

So, I’ve worked in food production before and we used a lotta stainless stuff, and I notice a lot of people use stainless in their aquariums.
My question is about rust.
Will you visually see corrosion first or will you notice a drop in water quality first?
And what parameter do you have to look at to notice the change in water quality from metal corrosion?
Also, how long do stainless implements tend to last before showing signs of corrosion?
I think i would prefer to use glass but I want to explore the situation because sometimes the metal stuff is a bit cheaper.
Of course I’m talking about stuff like Lilly pipes, co2 atomizers, and mist makers.

 

[Colin_T]

Stainless steel should not rust. It is a mixture of mainly iron and nickel. The nickel stops the iron from rusting. Stainless steel comes in a variety of grades with 4, 5 & 6% nickel being the most common. Generally the cheaper stainless steel has 4% nickel, and the best stainless steel has 6% nickel. None of it should rust but some of the cheap stuff coming out of China will rust because of poor smelting practices and insufficient nickel in the metal.

Good quality stainless steel items will last 50+ years and should not rust during that time. People usually throw the items away when something else comes into fashion.

Even if steel/ iron rusts, it is unlikely to affect the water quality. You will see surface rust on metal implements and can use a scouring pad to rub it off.

There is more chance of catching tetanus from a rusty implement than water quality being affected by the same implement.

 

[Duckquarium]

Stainless steel should not rust. It is a mixture of mainly iron and nickel. The nickel stops the iron from rusting. Stainless steel comes in a variety of grades with 4, 5 & 6% nickel being the most common. Generally the cheaper stainless steel has 4% nickel, and the best stainless steel has 6% nickel. None of it should rust but some of the cheap stuff coming out of China will rust because of poor smelting practices and insufficient nickel in the metal.

Good quality stainless steel items will last 50+ years and should not rust during that time. People usually throw the items away when something else comes into fashion.

Even if steel/ iron rusts, it is unlikely to affect the water quality. You will see surface rust on metal implements and can use a scouring pad to rub it off.

There is more chance of catching tetanus from a rusty implement than water quality being affected by the same implement.

I had heard that no matter what you do if you put metal in water it will rust eventually. I just wanted to know if there’s anything to be worried about if I want to use any of that stuff.

 

[Duckquarium]

Probably mostly for co2 for me

 

[Colin_T]

Stainless steel is unlikely to cause problems in an aquarium even if it does start to rust.

Galvanised metal is the most dangerous to living things unless it is old and has been kept outdoors for 6 months or longer. New galvanised metal has zinc on it and that can poison things that ingest the zinc. But most other metals aren't going to be a big issue in an aquarium.

 

[Uberhoust]

Curious, is rust bad for fish? I agree with @Colin_T about galvanized material in the tank, but there is rust everywhere, even in natural environments you get rust deposits. For example in Great Britain and parts of the US, likely other places, there are deposits of bog iron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_iron?msclkid=c0e4f126ae3011ec8d39ac32c91936ac. When you study soil development you often look for the Gleyed (reduced iron zone) versus the Mottled Zone (partially oxidized zone) indicating the lower extent usable for plant roots https://sedimentology.uconn.edu/201...ots.?msclkid=0a9dddb2ae3111ecab140cdabccbe5af. All of aerobic life started with the introduction of oxygen to the planet during the great oxygen event at which time vast deposits of oxidized iron dropped out of solution and developed great banded iron deposits, normal Fe +3 iron oxide is effectively insoluble in water. I wouldn't worry about about a little rust showing up on something. I would be more concerned with the other metals and compounds leaching out.

 

[Duckquarium]

Curious, is rust bad for fish? I agree with @Colin_T about galvanized material in the tank, but there is rust everywhere, even in natural environments you get rust deposits. For example in Great Britain and parts of the US, likely other places, there are deposits of bog iron https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bog_iron?msclkid=c0e4f126ae3011ec8d39ac32c91936ac. When you study soil development you often look for the Gleyed (reduced iron zone) versus the Mottled Zone (partially oxidized zone) indicating the lower extent usable for plant roots https/sedimentology.uconn.edu/2017/03/24/gleying/#:~:text=What is gleying? It is when low oxygen,remains an orangey color- just around the roots.?msclkid=0a9dddb2ae3111ecab140cdabccbe5af. All of aerobic life started with the introduction of oxygen to the planet during the great oxygen event at which time vast deposits of oxidized iron dropped out of solution and developed great banded iron deposits, normal Fe +3 iron oxide is effectively insoluble in water. I wouldn't worry about about a little rust showing up on something. I would be more concerned with the other metals and compounds leaching out.

Well now that you mention it I’ve seen creeks with crayfish that had liquid rust pouring directly into them.
But all the crayfish would always be upstream of that rust pocket so I wasn’t really sure