Would stainless steel affect the tank?

[LeanneP]

Was wondering if anyone knows if stainless steal could be detrimental to a tank? I was thinking of hanging a small shower caddy in my tank to hold cheato but not sure if its a good idea. On the label it says rust resistant.

Leanne

[windcoast reefs]

Originally Posted by LeanneP

Was wondering if anyone knows if stainless steal could be detrimental to a tank? I was thinking of hanging a small shower caddy in my tank to hold cheato but not sure if its a good idea. On the label it says rust resistant.

Leanne

No it's not reef safe. All stainless steels will eventually form rust, even the high grade stainless that is used on ships has to be replace a few times a year on some ships. Since it is probably not high grade stainless, I would expect it to rust very quickly, I would not put it in. Instead go and get a cheap frag rack or something made of plastic.

[Borderjumper]

No don't use metal!
Go to London Drugs and buy one of these plastic soap holders. They come with suction cups but I use a plastic magnet to hold them.

They work awesome if you need to isolate a coral or small fish too!

[LeanneP]

Thanks for the info. Didn't want to mess my tank up.
Leanne

[mike31154]

High grade stainless will take quite some time to break down but as far as frag racks or holders go, the plastic ones recommended in this thread are a better bet. I use a pair of low quality stainless forceps to pull algae & do other periodic tasks in my tank & although they're showing signs of starting to corrode, I haven't noted any adverse effects on my livestock. I doubt that a little iron is going to do much harm, it's not copper & after all, people run GFO (granulated ferric oxide) to absorb phosphates from their tank water. Ferric pretty much means iron. Also, if anyone runs an internal return pump, particularly a Mag, be advised the screws holding the volute to the pump are stainless steel. I ran one of these for quite a while on a Remora C skimmer & although the screws discoloured, they didn't really corrode. A little bit of rubbing got them shiny again pretty quick.

Anyhow, as mentioned, for something to hold chaeto, the plastic option is probably just as easy to find, cheaper & will work just as well.

[JetJumper]

Originally Posted by Borderjumper

No don't use metal!
Go to London Drugs and buy one of these plastic soap holders. They come with suction cups but I use a plastic magnet to hold them.

They work awesome if you need to isolate a coral or small fish too!

That's an AWESOME orange mushroom (Atleast I believe its a mushroom) (Sorry to deviate from the original topic)