7 replies to this topic

[Ausfishes]

Can I use steel (galvanised?) 44 gallon drums to store water for WCs? eg: http://www.gumtree.c...rums/1070392097 I know I can use food grade ones but the cheapest I can find those is around $50 while these are $5 sooo

Edited by Ausfishes, 15 February 2015 - 11:03 AM.

[TheTexasCichlidMasacre]

there is someone in rockingham that sells the food grade ones for $25 

[jjm66smokey]

http://www.gumtree.c...high/1003787382

[Terry]

Do not use steel. I have 2 plastic ones with the tops removed that you can have for free, they have had fish in them.

0408191141

 

Cheers Terry

[werdna]

Galvanising is zinc.
Zinc is toxic to fish.

So no...

[sydad]

Andrew is quite right about zinc salts being toxic to fishes, but "old" galvanising is coated by a layer of zinc oxide/basic zinc carbonate, which resists dissolution in hard and alkaline waters. So a problem would only exist if new galvanised metal was used in soft water that exhibited significant acid levels (that is to say pH levels consistently below 6.0).

 

When I joined the Aquarium Society in 1953, they held the first Water-Life show at the old Perth Town Hall. The prize exhibit was an Australian lung fish, which was housed in a 300 gallon galvanised-steel tank that had a glass viewing window built in. The lung-fish was maintained in this tank by a Society member for several years before being returned to the wild. The point is that the animal remained healthy in the galvanised tank for all that time, despite the fact that water-changes were not deemed either necessary or desirable in those days.

 

Syd.

[malawiman85]

Wow!

[bigjohnnofish]

explains why all them mozzie larvae prosper in old water tanks made from galv sheets.... not to mention tadpoles and frogs too