Metal Probes

[Stidd]

I am in the market for a pH/Temp Meter and was wondering if I should stay away from the Metal Probes. I am looking to eventually setup a Calcium Reactor and will be ordering one that will take a probe to control pH.

Stidd

[bertoni]

I think a pH controller like the PinPoint should be fine. What product did you have in mind? Most pH probes have some metal in them.

[Stidd]

Well, I've been trying to wrap my head around the monitors and controller and trying to understand how they interace with specific equipment.

Example: How does a pH Controller interact with a Calcium Reactor? Or a Temp probe interact with a heater/chiller combo...

This aspect of the hobby is very interesting.

I've read that one should never put metal in their tanks yet most of the probes are made of metal. I am assuming that the companies that make this equipment and have material that is aquarium safe.

The specific equipment I was looking at was the Neptune Systems line's Aquacontroller III.


Stidd

[bertoni]

There are some safe metals for reef tanks. The high-quality stainless steels are a good example. Any reasonable pH probe should be safe, since they're designed to handle some very corrosive environments. I think the Neptune should be fine.

I wouldn't put any metal item into the tank unless I was sure it was ready for a saltwater environment.