How bad is rust for a reef tank?

[kevindub]

I know copper is bad but what about rust from stainless steel?

 

[Anonymous]

Probably not too bad, unless in very large quantities (in relation to total water volume). IIRC, some Phosphate removal medias (like PhosBan) are made with a form of Ferric Oxide...

If you're worried, a large water change and running a PolyFilter would help.

So what happened?

 

[Len]

I'm with Mr. Henry ... small amounts, don't worry. They even sell Ferrous additives to grow plants/macroalgae.

 

[Anonymous]

A few "stainless" steel out there are not for marine environment. Many powerhead use SS shafts that rust slowly, for example. It is pretty harmless, for there are some non-ferrous metal in SS that can be bad for the inverts. Should be alright in most cases unless you have large quantity of fast corrosion due to galvanic effect.