is brass reef safe?

[fungia]

i know copper is very bad but how about brass? i have a brass plumbing part that might get wet, i can replace it with pvc if i need to but it is a pain to change out.

 

[Anonymous]

No. Brass = bad.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

brass is an alloy, and depending upon the particular kind is usually over 50% copper.

 

[fungia]

ok, thanks. i knew it had copper but i didnt know if it leeches, i will play it safe.

 

[JustReefIt14]

brass is so bad, a friend of my installed a pump into his tank that had brass attachments ruined his tank and he lost his whole 300 gallon tank to it. a black tang($385) and a 5 year old purple tang and more. the black tang lived for a long time. alot of everything had caught ick and it was too much to take care of.

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't know that copper posed a problem for fish. In fact they are sometimes treated with copper. Is the copper in a brass fitting somehow harmful to fish?

It is the corals and other invertabrate that copper kills.

Louey

 

[Anonymous]

I didn't know that copper posed a problem for fish. In fact they are sometimes treated with copper. Is the copper in a brass fitting somehow harmful to fish?

It is the corals and other invertabrate that copper kills.

Louey

Thats what I thought too Louey.. - But.... - After my recent stupid human trick (using a ground adapter as an impromptu spacer) I started to wonder.. - I lost a juvenille hippo tang that had been doing great and fattening/growing at a monstrous rate.

Made me start to wonder if copper isn't maybe deadly to some fish too.

Love to hear from someone a little more in the know I guess.. (Not that I ever plan on using copper ever, but hey, nice to know is nice to know.)

 

[trigger0214]

Copper can form copper sulfate (i.e cupric sulfate). The copper ion (i.e. copper metal disolved in this form) is toxic. For larger organismsn it is tolerated more. However, it WILL reek havok among the smaller ones (i.e invertabrates). This is why it is used as a medication for parasites for fish (almost like sort of like chemo-therapy for humans, enough to kill the pest and not the host).

They use this stuff to kill aglae in ponds/lakes all the time. However, too high a dose will also kill the fish....

 

[trigger0214]

PS that blue/green stuff you see on copper/brass is copper sulfate.

 

[trido]

Does that meen I should change this out with the flimsy looking plastic one I didnt buy? LOL another $7 down the drain.

 

[Anonymous]

Does that meen I should change this out with the flimsy looking plastic one I didnt buy? LOL another $7 down the drain.

YES.

 

[Anonymous]

Yes

 

[trido]

I was just kidding.. I definately had a lack of chemistrry moment when I bought it. Consider it done.

 

[Anonymous]

Errrrr...? I have just bought 2 very expensive solenoids that are brass to work with my automated RODI topoff system. I dont presume that the fact that they are in line before the RODI unit means that I can use them? Will the RODI unit not 'clean' the water of any of the harmful chemicals refered to in this thread. If not, what happens to the brass 'residue' that comes in as a consequence of the municipal water systems being full of brass fittings?

Sorry if its a stupid question, I am new to all this...
Andy

 

[Anonymous]

I am not completley sure, but I think since they are before the RO/DI you should be fine.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks Mark. I will monitor this thread and see if anyone has any other thoughts. I only picked up the solenoids yesterday and was going to install the entire automation this Sunday... getting tired of wet floors when I forget that the topup is running and that has been often!

Andy

 

[Anonymous]

You only have to worry about brass/copper if it comes into direct contact with saltwater. Your solinoids,while it's true will corrode over time, won't bring any appreciable copper into your tank, infact if I had to hazard a guess I'd say they'd oxidize and form a prodective layer before the start to breakdown.

 

[trido]

You only have to worry about brass/copper if it comes into direct contact with saltwater. Your solinoids,while it's true will corrode over time, won't bring any appreciable copper into your tank, infact if I had to hazard a guess I'd say they'd oxidize and form a prodective layer before the start to breakdown.

Well now Im confused. You mean it is'nt as simple as Brass= bad? Are you saying that the copper wont leach from the pipes or fitting into fresh water? I'm pretty sure the R/O will remove all metals that come into the unit as alot of our houses are plumbed with copper. To err on the cautious side I will replace the float valve for MY R/O container with the plastic one I didnt buy. Its simply worth the piece of mind that there is no copper in contact with my tank.