copper needle valve and cc skimmer

[mallen]

I am hooking up a medo air pump on my just finished cc skimmer. I found a brass needle valve at a store near by and was wondering if it would be ok. Does water ever accumulate in the air tube that would cause a problem with the copper? Thanks.

[SeanT]

As I am sure you know...copper is deadly to many inverts.
I think you should chalk this situation up to "Better safe than sorry."
JMO

[mallen]

That was kind of my feelings as well, my dilemma at this point is when I purchased my medo pump form ebay it has a brass outlet already attatched to the pump. It is sealed with some kind of glue and I can't get it off. Does anyone know for sure the effects of using it this way? I don't really want to buy a new pump. Thanks.

[H20ENG]

Most good compressors will have brass barbs or fittings. If you ever get water all the way down to the compressor, you will lose the compressor.
You need to ensure that no water can get back down the line. An easy way to do this is with a check valve, though sometimes unreliable. Or, run the tubing up a couple feet higher than any water level in the tank, skimmer, etc. This way, theres not much chance of back siphoning.
Most plastic needle valves are not fine enough, and brass is used on both air and CO2 systems. just keep the water away from it.
Chris