Rusting Light Stand

[thefirethief]

Hello lads and lassies, I've just noticed the legs of my MH light stand are beginning to rust on the side thats in the tank. Any idea how much this will affect my water param's? I know I need to get this fixed asap, however is it an emergenct situation? AS for the fix, I've read on here that silicone is my best bet however I've had a scout through google for direct to rust paints but I'm unsure of whether they will still corrode under salt water conditions. I've also had a look at marine paint for boats however I'm concerned these paints might leach harmful chemicals into the water? Can anyone put my concerns at rest? Should I just go for the silicone?

any help is appreciated
Mark

 

[Adrinal]

You should be able to find a spray on epoxy... or enamel. I just sprayed up some beams and the construction crew had me go get rustolium brand and the hardware store.

I can't tell you what the rust will or wont do to your system, but simply it is profilactically better to just nip it in the bud. Rub it out with steel wool or something and spray the metal down.


HTH

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, remove the housing from the tank, clean off the large scale rust with steel wool or some abrasive, and then use some kind of spraypaint designed to seal even to rust. Let it dry for 24 hours (your tank can be dark for a day, no big deal), and then re-install it. Silicone will not do it since silicone is gas-permeable and Oxygen will get through to cause more rust

Small amounts of rust aren't bad for most tanks, seawater does have iron in it. However allowing the rust to continue could comprimise the metal's strength over time and it could crumble in the corrosive saltwater environment

 

[alexlark]

The brand "Hammerite" do some excellent anti rust spray paint.

 

[thefirethief]

Thanks a million for the input guys. Glad to hear its not the end of the world, I'll get onto it today anyway.