Tunze magnet in sump
 

I picked up a tunze ato. Just wondering if magnets are ok in reef tank.

those magnet should be coated with epoxy.

Are you talking about these magnets ?
They are safe if kept away from other equipment

http://www.jlaquatics.com/images/tun...s/3155_600.jpg

They don't appear to be coated. Just wondering about rust

Magnets are made from iron so unless coated and completely sealed they certainly will rust which is not safe for a reef tank.

I've wondered the same about the magnets that come with the Tunze nano ATO.. They don't appear to be coated!

Yeah I'll either silicone it or modify a existing hanger for sensor

You would think that Tunze would know to use coated magnets? When I got my ATO and first looked at the magnet I thought they forgot to put the back half on it... Then I looked at the ridiculous to understand instruction book and the picture shows the open back magnets... I may email j and l and ask what they think....

I found this

Unless you’ve been living under a rock lately, then you’re probably well aware of the skyrocketing neodymium magnet prices. The reason for this price hike is the fact that the mines in China, the single largest source of the metal, have all been nationalized. This obviously heavily affects the aquarium community, as neodymium magnets are found in almost all of our water pumps, magnet holders, and other devices. This also presents a huge dilemma for aquarium equipment suppliers, as their costs shoot for the moon. In order to keep competitive, suppliers are scrambling to come up with different solutions around the neodymium problem. Tunze is tackling the issue, in part, by switching to a completely different magnet for their pump holders. Ditching neodymium altogether, the German equipment manufacturer has gone with weaker ferrite magnets, but have also crammed more ferrite into the space to compensate. Because ferrite magnets do not rust, unlike their neodymium counterparts, the pump holders no longer need the epoxy cover to protect them from water exposure. This means that, yes, the magnets you see above are exactly how they’ll show up packaged with your new Tunze pump. And before you grab the pitchforks and start prepping the torches, we want to reiterate the fact that these magnets do not rust.


The last thing to remember when getting uneasy about exposed magnets is the fact that exposed ferrite has been in your aquarium and you probably never even knew it. Ferrite is very widely used as impeller magnets on water pumps, since they do not need to be coated. These magnets rotate at a high velocity, and there has been no issues with them in that capacity. So, a stationary magnet should be even easier to overcome, mentally.

Our only real concern about this magnet’s exposure is possible scratching of the glass or acrylic they will attach to. Tunze has promised that this won’t happen, as the magnet is recessed within the holder and the rubber feet provide even more of a gap. Fortunately, most aquarium keepers don’t move their pump holders around like algae scrapers, so it really shouldn’t be an issue.

These ferrite magnet mounts are currently shipping with new Tunze water pumps, and they will be even more prevalent as suppliers run out of the stock neodymium magnets.

Because the material within the magnet material is already in oxide forms, it cannot be oxidized further. Therefore ferrite / ceramic magnet have superb corrosion resistance. Water and salt water have no effect at all on ferrite magnets – they simply will not rust (in simplified terms, ferrite magnets contains iron oxide, which is what rust is!).

Apperantly I live under a rock

Cool! Thanks for the info!

Yes, one would think a manufacturer of marine aquarium equipment would have the presence of mind to design their product with water/saltwater resistant/proof components. Most of course do, but they don't always get it right in the beginning & changes in design occasionally introduce issues. Generally a reputable company like Tunze or EcoTech will fix the problem in a hurry.

It never hurts to question whether something is safe or not though, regardless of who makes it. Many components that make up the product of a manufacturer are sourced out to 2nd & 3rd party producers.

Here's a photo of the 1st Generation VorTech MP40 wet side magnet. They were coated with a rather flimsy plastic film that would start breaking down & allow water to creep under the coating. Result is that the magnet would have to be replaced about every 6 months.

https://tsl4pa.blu.livefilestore.com...net.JPG?psid=1

EcoTech realized fairly quickly that this would "Not be the Mama" over the long term, so this is the new wet side magnet. No idea what the material is, but no more rust issues. And in the end, a little rust in the water is not a huge deal anyhow. The stuff many of us use to remove phosphates is essentially rust dust, iron. Note that the new magnet pictured was damaged in transit, got attracted to a conveyor I reckon. The package was a mess, arriving 2 months after EcoTech shipped the item with a letter of apology from Canada Post. Yay Canada Post.

https://tsl4pa.blu.livefilestore.com...net.JPG?psid=1

And here's the impeller of a "Penguin" powerhead, also poorly designed with a plastic coating that broke down allowing the metal beneath to rust & swell. The Powerhead seized up of course.

https://tsl4pa.blu.livefilestore.com...95a.JPG?psid=1

Thanks for the info Nick
Now I know why I wasn't worried about my Osmolator magnets
Guess I have the newer ferrite ones