Rusty Clamp
 

Hi all.

I have a 25 gallon plastic pail that I use for pre-mixing my water used for water changes. I have a circ pump hooked to a hose I use for mixing/removing water from the pail. I used a stainless steel clamp (or so I thought) to hold the hose to the pump. Below is a picture of the clamp (I have since replaced it with a plastic one) I used. My question is this, should I be worried about the rust/minerals in my reef tank?? My water change this morning is when i noticed the clamp and my anemone has since (shriveled up) for lack of a better discription..

Thanks, Bill...

http://i1324.photobucket.com/albums/...ps00a40fe4.jpg

more water changes I would imagine, and yes it's probably why the nem is shrivled up.
Nothing I've ever used in saltwater thats "stainless steel" has not rusted. Unless they are rinsed off with fresh water after use.

If you can get your hands on a bag of chemi-pure that would probably help.
Our a poly pad.
Extra carbon as well. anything that could remove the metals.

I will change the carbon right away and try that.

Thanks..

Almost anything made of stainless steel that is available to the average hobbyist even if salt water rated will rust some noticeably faster than others whenever possible it is best to use plastic, PVC, rubber and other like minded materials and anything stainless steel and other metal products should be rinsed off with fresh water right after use if feasible.

That being said you can get rubber encased metal hose clamps that work well as long as the rubber coating is not compromised

I don't think you'll need to worry too much about the rust coming off a single clamp unless your tank is very very small. Also, rust, for the most part, is just iron oxide, which is what GFO is made of.

gripping plastic hose clamps
 

I need to replace some 5/8" clear hose from my saltwater tank.
The original clamps are plastic, can I reuse them?
And if I can, HOW do I remove them without breaking?
Also, where can the plastic clamps be purchased in Victoria?

A picture would help

Iron oxide is what is left after the iron has oxidized. Stainless steel has chromium in it which is what prevents the rust. Studies on stainless steel cookware have found that the stainless steel leeches iron, chromium, and nickel. That's from utensils that don't appear rusted. I haven't looked into it, but I imagine cookware is a higher grade of stainless steel than clamps.

my experience with the plastic clamps are the can be twisted to unlock and be reused

plastic clamps
 

Thank you for your help and advice. I was able to open the clamps without breaking or damaging them so that I can reuse them:)