Will rust harm fish?

[chefkeith]

First post, but I've been an avid lurker of the site.

Well here's the question- I built a new hood and I lined the inside of the hood with plastic. I used a staple gun on the plastic to keep it in place. Now condensation builds up on the plastic and has rusted the staples. Occasionly that condensation drips back into the tank and I imagine that the drip is a little rusty. Will the rust harm the fish?


Just in case, I'm planning on getting rid of the staples and using aquarium silicoln sealant (instead of staples) to adhere the plastic to the inside of the hood.

Other misc. info-
I have an established 45 gallon tank, with 6- 3" clown loaches and 8 Tiger Barbs. (and yes, I know the clowns get big)

Also, I use activated carbon in my canister filter.

No hazing please, and thanks i advance. -keith

 

[Dahlia]

Hmm I know what "flaming" and "spamming" mean... what does "hazing" mean?

I think your idea of using silicone sealant instead seems like a solid one to me. Sorry I don't know for sure whether small amounts of rust damage, though.

 

[chefkeith]

no hazing

It was a joke, a bad one at that.

 

[OrionGirl]

If you have plants, I'm sure they will appreciate the additional iron in the water. Iron is a trace element that is included in many fertilizers, so while I don't think rust is the best way to add it, it likely is not harmful. If your water starts turning pink, indicating more than a small amount of iron, then you may have a problem.

 

[mogurnda]

no hazing?

Well, I was going to make you recite "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" while standing on one foot, but I'll forget about it for now.

Experience tells me that rust has no effect on fish. That's based on buying cheap plants with wire inside, losing razor blades for months at a time, etc...

My reading tells me that too much iron can cause algae problems. The idea is that algae growth is often limited by iron in the water, so you keep iron in the water low, and provide it to your plants in the substrate. OrionGirl is right that most supplements have it, though.

What I don't know is how much iron actually gets into the water from rust. From what little research I have done, the iron oxides in rust aren't very soluble, so there probably won't be much effect.

Although your silicone idea sounds fine, you might also think about epoxy. Fast, no fumes. If people can use it to glue corals to rocks, it's safe for a hood.

 

[wetmanNY]

Iron rusts in air in the form of iron oxides. In water the iron oxidizes to hydroxides. These aren't soluble, i.e. they precipitate. For them to become soluble you'd need a combination of low pH and low oxygen.

No problem.

Iron to be available at all, for good or ill, -- i.e. "bioavailable" to plants, algae or animals-- has to be chelated-- bound to a large organic (or imitation-organic) molecule.

The iron that makes your blood red is chelated. The chelating bit is called a "heme group." A familiar heme group is part of hemoglobin.