Magnet Question

[jimroth]

I hope you can help me!
I want to use a certain type of magnet in my tank. It's going to be in there more-or-less permanently. I suppose I could coat it with epoxy, but I'm still curious about the effects. I have these rare earth magnets, they are Neodymium -Iron-Boron magnets with either a nickel or gold plating. Any idea how these coatings would react to saltwater? What about the Neodymium itself?
I'm gonna stick some in a jar of tank water for a test right away.
Thanks.

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

Jim:

I seem to recall Ron saying that nickel was fairly toxic. It's already quite elevated in our tanks compared to NSW. It might be no problem, but I wouldn't leave the magnet in the tank when not in use. Just during glass cleaning is probably not an issue.

The iron and boron are nothing to worry about (except that it might rust and get ugly).

Neodymium is not very toxic, and I wouldn't worry about it.

Gold will not dissolve at all in reef tanks. A gold coated magnet would be fine.

[jimroth]

I'm interested in using it to hang a coral on the glass, so it's in the tank to stay. Gold is definitely an option, so I'll go with that. It's just that that magnet isn't the best shape for "implantation."