Brass fitting in my sump

[Packdog]

I have a brass adapter in my sump...in the water.

Is this going to cause problems??

Will it release metals into the water ??

I had a problem adapting from the fitting on my OR return pump to the pvc connections.....the garden to 3/4" brass adapter worked.

Had a few snails die the last week...don't want to panic...but don't want to have a problem.

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello
Remove ASAP, Brass can be upwards of 90 percent copper, witch is deadly to most invets (ie) snails!

[leeweber85]

yeah not a good idea!!!

[kravi]

No brass. brass = bad.

Not sure you'd want to use the sump at all, even if you remove the brass fitting.

--Me

[drummereef]

The brass is most definitely NOT a good idea!

[jolson10450]

brass is no good for tanks in any ways i work out in industry for pipe fittings and it will relase copper based material as it deteriates killing most things in your tank... it will also bend/break really easy depending on what its used for... your best bet would be find a hard plastic fitting at a local hardware store.

[LobsterOfJustice]

100% bad for your tank. Brass is an alloy containing copper, and copper is toxic even at very small concentrations to almost all invertabrate life. Take it out immediately. Even then you may still have problems with copper in the water, and being absorbed into your rock and sand. Even if you did a 100 percent water change copper could slowly leech back out of your rocks, sand, and other porous surfaces and re-contaminate the tank.

[Packdog]

Thanks for the replies.

Brass fitting removed.

Noticed a couple of snails looking pretty bad....three dead so far. My cleaner shrimp seems ok at the moment.

Now that the brass is out of the sump....how do I remove what copper may have been introduced ???

Water change only ?? Is there any media or anything else??

thanks again.

[Douglas LEHMAN]

Hello
A little activated carbon will do, I use about 1/4 cup per 25 gallons.

[Im14abeer]

That fitting is available in plastic. Go to Lowes or HD before they put away the garden hoses and sprinkler parts.

[boxfishpooalot]

poly filters or some other copper remover. I think Seachem sells some. Your going to have to remove it now, as your tank will not support life.

O yea and do a large water change asap. :)

[kryppy]

This thread made me wonder if it would eventually form a coating which would prevent leaching.

http://www.njscuba.net/artifacts/matl_cupreous.html

It seems to survive intact under the ocean, I wonder how much could be coming off the fitting.

I would be interested in the Cu test results.

I'm not ready to replace my PVC just yet. :)

[LobsterOfJustice]

I think because it is a plumbing fitting, the flow of water would keep it from building up a protective coating.

Even if it did form a coating, the coating is formed by the corrosion of the surface area, and even this small amount of Cu would still be dangerous in a tank.