Having to put a screw in powerhead!?

[Ulta]

Hey guys i have a question. im looking to buy 4 powerheads and a wavemaker from a local reefer. prob is 1 had a prob and he had to drill a hole and use a galvanised screw in it place.

i dont know much about galvanised metal. will this rust/corrode?

and secondly what would be the best alternative solution?


here is our convo:

I have 2 pairs of jbj oceanstream pumps and a ocean pulse quadra wave maker. 2 os-101 and 2 os-1 pumps. I bought them new from marine depot about 8 months ago and used them for 3 months before getting a nice deal on a wavebox.

Not sure when hopefully soon. One of the large powerheads has a issue. when putting the magnet on the Powerhead i snap the screw that holds them together so i had to drill a hole and use a galvanised screw in it place. Which should be replaced with something better like a plastic or nylon screw. The powerhead works great though.

Any advise?

 

[Smitty]

I'm not 100% sure, but I think that will eventually rust and cause issues with corals and inverts. It'll probably be ok to use in a fish only tank or fresh water tank.

 

[bjohanson1234]

If you do get it, I would replace the screw with either a nylon one or a stainless steel one. The galvanization will eventually wear off, which is mostly a zinc compound, and the screw will start to rust. Not sure what effect the zinc has on livestock, but I wouldn't want to willingly introduce it into the tank.

 

[kbuser92]

+1 BJ. Stainless will eventually rust, too. Your best bet would be nylon, though Im not sure if it would get eaten, too, or a gel superglue if you can, and that would be best because its innert. If you can find those blue tapcons in the right size, those are approved for use in Miami-Dade County and are very resistant to salt. They might have to be changed eventually, though.

 

[Smitty]

Or replaced it with a plastic screw... I've seen those before.

 

[Ulta]

Thanks all! :)

 

[MitchReef]

Actually, galvanization is nothing more than coating with Zinc, which is used on boats because of it's rapid degradation in saltwater. The Zinc undergoes galvanic corrosion so readily that it then prevents other parts of the boat from undergoing galvanic corrosion. Therefore, zinc WILL breakdown in your tank and it IS toxic to our microenvironments....