If you have a AquaTop media reactor READ

[Trixter227]

I purchased this AQUATOP MR-30 6 months ago to use as a algea reactor.
Wrapped in led strip light and all that. Worked pretty well untill you have to remoe the algea and it makes a mess of water, but whatever that's my bad planning lol!
The huge issue is i removed it from my system and started to rinse it off. Look at this

The screw heads are beyond rotting. This is wild! It bubbled up the rust 1/2 above the screw head. Immediately pops off aswel. Hmmmm maybe this is why my corals went downhill. Time for a ICP test. Not sure how toxic rust if to a reef but this isn't a tiny amount.

 

[DanyL]

Rust by itself shouldn’t be toxic, as it’s pretty much the same stuff iron based GFO is made of.

However, the alloy the metal is made of can and will dissolve in trace amounts in the water and that could result in elevated heavy metals in the water.

An ICP test is a good think to do to see how bad it is, but since corals do badly I would also start a series of big water changes and consider using metal absorbing media - just don’t use the AquaTop to run it

 

[Trixter227]

Rust by itself shouldn’t be toxic, as it’s pretty much the same stuff iron based GFO is made of.

However, the alloy the metal is made of can and will dissolve in trace amounts in the water and that could result in elevated heavy metals in the water.

An ICP test is a good think to do to see how bad it is, but since corals do badly I would also start a series of big water changes and consider using metal absorbing media - just don’t use the AquaTop to run it

Thank you.
Luckily its been off the tank for a bit, and ive done a few waterchanges. I think i have a test on hand so i will send it out and see whats goin on. Ive never done a icp test on this tank so its good anyway.

 

[DanyL]

Thank you.
Luckily it’s been off the tank for a bit, and ive done a few waterchanges. I think i have a test on hand so i will send it out and see whats goin on. Ive never done a icp test on this tank so it’s good anyway.

Sounds like you’re on the right path.
If you see coral keep getting worse, I would keep doing water changes until you get the ICP test results.

I’ve had magnets blowing up in the water in the past and even without the use of metal absorbing media I was able to get the system back to a good shape only by doing back to back water changes, so that when the ICP results came back and validated what I already knew, it was already behind me.

Good luck and keep us updated.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

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[DanyL]

Do you think I will be ok with the clown fish pair and the fire fish? I don't want to have to deal with the clown fish pair picking on it.

Wrong thread?

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Wrong thread?

Yup lol. That's embarrassing. I could have sworn I put it in my thread, but lol. I guess not.