[zimmy]

I picked up some Mag clips (magnets that allow you to do away with suction cups - a brilliant idea) but the clips they came with don't fit my heater. However, if I used a small screw with a washer I could connect the magnet to the clips the heater came with and attach it to the glass.

This is probably me "overthinking" but are there any concerns with me using a metal screw and washer in the tank?

 

[dielikemoviestars]

Some have a greasy coating that you'll want to get off before putting them in the tank. Make sure they're not lead (they're not) and that they won't rust.

 

[hsd]

How about using a nylon screws/washers instead of metal?

 

[zimmy]

How about using a nylon screws/washers instead of metal?

Great idea! Anyone know if these are readily available in hardware stores or HD?

Update: It just occurred to me that the clips that came with the magnets are made of some kind of high density plastic. I was able to clip them so just the screw remained with enough of a head to secure the clip that came with the heater. Problem solved. Thanks for the input everyone.

 

[PfunMo]

Probably not that much of a problem but one we like to avoid sometimes. It has taken a while for me to get around to thinking of metal as not much problem. I finally decided it was just too handy to use for me to avoid metal any longer. With the slow rate metal degrades into the water and the amount of water we change out, I don't think there is much chance of it ever building up to a danger point even though I have alway tried to avoid it. When I lived near St. Louis I found there was enough iron in water supplies to turn the equipment red. Even the tank on the stool was red inside. I never heard of anybody having fish trouble due to the iron content. Maybe the worries about metal in the tank are just one of those myths that get passed around??

Anybody up in the Iron Range of Minnesota/Michigan got some thoughts on that?

 

[fox]

Not sure about iron but I put a strip of silver in the resevoir to my watercooled computer as a bio disenfectant. two years now and nothing has grown in my waterblocks.

 

[PfunMo]

Silver impregnated carbon is added to some water softeners to hold down the bacteria that may grow in the resin tanks. Not sure I would want it added to my fish tanks, though. At the price of silver it probably isn't gonna happen around my house anyway!

 

[fox]

What I was trying to point out was some metals release ions into the water collumn that might not be healthy to the BB. I have some SS clamps on my sumps pump that I often wondered about.

 

[zimmy]

fox, your post got me thinking about the clamp I put on the water pump I keep in my rubbermaid bin for water changes. I went to look at the clamp and noticed that the Danner Supreme Magnum pump it's attached to is held together with metal screws. It sits in the clean water I pump into my tank. Presumably those screws don't cause the many people who use these pumps any problems.

 

[hsd]

How about using a nylon screws/washers instead of metal?

Great idea! Anyone know if these are readily available in hardware stores or HD?

I found nylon ones at home depot, I'm sure lowes has them too.

 

[PfunMo]

There are some metal things that are definitely harmful. Silver is one as it is a commonly used item to kill bacteria. Fortunately most of us are not apt to think of using real silver for mechanical stuff! Lead on the other hand is nearly inert when used in the tank. It's been used for ever as plant weights and such. I think that leaves the metals we might like to use somewhere in the middle. Copper might be suspect as it is used as medicine but then when do you see real copper screws? Brass would seem to be as safer bet while steel is what we find in most common hardware we buy. It's cheap, may rust but doesn't seem to do much harm either. I'm thinking of the old Metaframe tanks and how well they worked for years.

Nylon w[/url]ould seem to be a great item if you can find what you want and don't need great strength.

 

[noddy]

Hey Zimmy, What are the mag clips you picked up?
I'm getting tired of heaters and spray bars just flopping around.

 

[zimmy]

Seasons Greetings Noddy! Here's the item I'm referring to:

http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/zm-ma ... n+Cup.html

They're pretty good but if you're using them on a tank with thick glass (mine is about 12mm) you might need to double up on them...and they're not cheap (each package only has one magnet with a selection of clips to use on that one magnet).