dorschman

does anyone know how i will effect the water in my tank if i place an old piece of what i think is cast iron as a decoration in my fresh water tank? the tank is 20 gallons and the peice would make an interesting addition, it is wheel shaped about 4 inches across. i do not want to contaminate the water and can find no info on using metal in a fish tank.
thanks,
gd

Golden Fish

Cast Iron=rust.
Rust=bad for fishes.

I know you don't want to put iron in and I don't think you can safely put any other metal in a tank. I might be wrong though. Aluminum?
Magnesium?
Titanium?

Anybody else?

dazzler

golden fish is right about the rust. however there is many solutions; you can always spray the wheel with a resin the same that all ornaments are sprayed with to make them aquarium safe. you will definately be able to get around this have your cake and eat it too if you like. dipping it in a clear aqua safe resin or spraying it is an option for you. more knowledgable people will be able to help further and may even be able to list a product you can use to make it aqua safe

good luck and hang in there. welcome to fishlore too the people we have here are virtual masterminds in the game of fish keeping. do explore this site and feel free to add suggest or impart the knowledge you have to others
regards
dazzler

Fish Ace

What are you crazy if the metal starts to rust you have to clean the hole tank every single thing.

0morrokh

No he's not crazy, it's a good idea, Fish Ace.
Dorschman--I know there are some aquarium safe, waterproof sealants you can buy. I have heard of people using these to seal stuff like bamboo to keep it from rotting in the water, or driftwood to keep it from leaching tannins. Now where you get these sealants, I don't know. Maybe try googling it or something...