wilsonjr572
New member
I needed to use a brass fitting in my plumbing on my reef aquarium. Will this hurt any of the corals, fish or inverts? Thanks Jim
Brass fitting in reef Aquarium.
- Thread starter wilsonjr572
- Start date
If you top off using regular RO water it may be leaching at such a small rate that it is not effecting anything, RO water is much less curosive than salt water. or possibly the bonding that takes place when making brass keeps it from leaching out, however if at all you can avoid it better safe than sorry.
Just an FYI for everyone most of your plumbing in the house is copper, tap water will flow through hundreds of feet of copper. The only reason why Copper cannot be used in marine applications in where you have direct contact with salt water as copper will "leach" or more like corrode/disolve into the salt water. If you're using it in a RO/DI it should be fine I wouldn't panic, some people use tap water and are fine.. Just remember not to plumb your closed loop with copper or you will find yourself with extremely healthy fish but no corals will survive 
OnoIgotICH
In Memoriam
what do you think would happen if you used it with air injection?
widmer
Drug Enthusiast
If you bought the brass fitting because you couldnt find a nylon(plastic) fitting that was quite right, just buy a couple different nylon fittings that have a feature you like, cut them with a hacksaw and reglue with cyanoacrylate super glue. I've done it numerous times and it works GREAT.
aastretch64
New member
Not only does it contain copper but it is also has a very severe reaction with saltwater and brass fittings will begin to leak in a matter of weeks.
Alex
Alex
OnoIgotICH
In Memoriam
i've used brass fittings for years...no problems..if anything the copper helps then
tkeracer619
New member
Probably more copper from your salt mix.... but I wouldnt risk it. Before RO is fine.
Also DI water is not friendly. It will corrode metals.
Also DI water is not friendly. It will corrode metals.
saveafish
New member
The copper pipes with lead based soder is why the phosphates are added to the city water supply. This keeps it from leaching in to the drinking water. making the copper and lead ineart. In R/O and in salt water the phosphates are taking out, Causing the leaching process of copper from the brass. pure liquid phosphate is blue color like the blue toilet water in port a jons
greenbean36191
Premium Member
RO/DI water is free of impurities, so is a very good scavenger. It will pick up whatever it comes into contact with that isn't inert, including copper from brass fittings.
The effects of copper are cumulative. That means chronic exposure to even small levels below the threshold of toxicity (like you would likely get from a brass fitting) can cause problems that accumulate over time. Such problems would take a long time to occur and then the effects would be spread out over some time depending on how long the animals had been exposed and how sensitive they are. You wouldn't see the same sort of problems you see with acute copper toxicity where all of your inverts drop dead suddenly.
The effects of copper are cumulative. That means chronic exposure to even small levels below the threshold of toxicity (like you would likely get from a brass fitting) can cause problems that accumulate over time. Such problems would take a long time to occur and then the effects would be spread out over some time depending on how long the animals had been exposed and how sensitive they are. You wouldn't see the same sort of problems you see with acute copper toxicity where all of your inverts drop dead suddenly.
