cicatriz

hi all,

i wasn't too sure where to post this question, but because it is related to chemistry i guess this would be the best place.

anyways, i am working on putting together a slate structure in my tall 47 gal tank. i was wondering if all the brown rust colored stuff on it was in fact rust? does anyone have any thoughts on this? is it safe to put this in the aquarium? should i use a rust remover on it?

thanks all!

cicatriz


(this was also posted on plantgeek)

sirdarksol

Depending on where the slate came from, it could contain iron, which could, in turn, oxidize into rust. It also could be other minerals from the slate reacting to something in the environment. One way to possibly check for this is to use a dry brush to scrub away the red stuff, then put a drop of regular bleach on the slate. If that spot grows more red dust, it's rust. (Then treat the spot with water conditioner. It will destroy the chlorine in the bleach) Don't know how this would affect your water. Wikipedia says that the only way slate normally affects water chemistry is when it contains feldspar, which can leech silica into the water, allowing for excessive diatom growth.
Hope this helps.