Frag plugs rusting????

[DiscoReefRover]

I have over a dozen frag plugs that seam to be showing signs of rust ... and they all seem to have come from the same place anyone else experianceing this ????? i will leave the source nameless at this time ...:eek2:

 

[aznnutty]

what are they made of? i thought most frag plugs were ceramic, sand, along those lines

 

[Posidion]

only ever seen the magnetic ones rust and even then only one. the magnet wasnt fully encased foctory oops.

 

[DiscoReefRover]

these are a common bought frag plug!!!

 

[DiscoReefRover]

Ok folks .....heres the deal I cut up one of the suspect frag plugs and much to my surprise I find ....Rust ...yes Rust all through it almost like ther were metal shavings or filings all throught he plug so either this is a cruel joke from a disgruntled employee or someone needs a little QC in there shop !!!! So anyone that has a got a frag on a plug from me I would look at it close and maybe even remove it and find a better plug or rock to attach it to it ....again not all are doing this I just have found about 8 or so so far but better safe than sorry !!!!!!! If you would like to know where i got the plugs you can PM me as untill I hear back from the maker I will not pass Judgment Yet !!! But .......

 

[itZme]

I wouldn't sweat it a bunch.

Rust= Ferric Oxide
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ferric_oxide

Granular Ferric Oxide = Phosphate Reducer
http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2004-11/rhf/index.php

Rust in tank = Reduced Phosphate

 

[DiscoReefRover]

Still not cool regardless ....would you buy a rusty frag ....I wouldnt

 

[itZme]

If you are having a rusty frag closeout sale I might be in your area tomorrow

 

[Matt1351]

I'm going to try and post a pic of this frag I have the plug kind of looks rusty

 

[aznnutty]

so its ok to have a little rust?

 

[serpentman]

I really don't think it will harm anything but completely agree that its not acceptable. For the life of me, I can't figure why there would be metal in a frag plug unless its residual from the molding process?

 

[dendronepthya]

I have some plugs from Boston Aqua Farms that rust a little bit, strangely where I glue and rarely anywhere else. I don't pay much mind to it.

 

[DiscoReefRover]

i chopped one up it was worse rite at the base where glued but inside it was rusting looked like a rust berry muffin ....lol ...still waiting for a reply from the manfac.....

 

[itZme]

Might want to go to the chemistry forums with this since it is sounding a lot like a reaction between the glue and something.

Just a thought.

 

[the budman]

hey dendronepthya, cool avatar. whats that a pic of?

 

[aerius007]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14277644#post14277644 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by serpentman
For the life of me, I can't figure why there would be metal in a frag plug unless its residual from the molding process?

Here is my guess.

The company that makes the plugs probably buys the cement, sand mixture in bags from a chemical company. That chemical company probably makes many different types of mixtures. Possibly in the product they made previous to the plug cement they had to use some type of metal shavings (probably iron) for strength. Say one batch is 2000lbs and in that batch goes 1200 of cement, 400lbs of sand and 400 of iron. All of that stuff goes into a mixer, and from the mixer through pipes and into bags. If everything isn't cleaned or flushed out perfectly, things that were in the last batch will still be in the next batch. They probably make many different products in just a few different lines.

 

[Rhodophyta]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14276729#post14276729 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by aznnutty
so its ok to have a little rust?

Much of the ocean's bottom is covered with basalt, a rock that includes iron oxides and iron-titanium oxides in its make up. I guess you could say the real ocean has more than a little rust, so chances are we can get away with a little of it in our tanks. And as pointed out, a little rust may even have some benefits. We once had a very heavy live rock in our tank. After several years, we noticed rust coming out of it, and found out that it was actually a sheared bolt head about three inches across, probably dropped who knows how long ago by a passing (or sinking) ship.