Fiberglass rod and saltwater

[OUsnakebyte]

So, I built a pinnacle/column/whatever akin to what Sanjay did in his tank - 'cept this one is about 3 feet tall. He (Sanjay) used fiberglass rod (from McMaster-Carr), which I did as well (mine is 3/4"). Said pinnacle is currently "curing" in fresh water, and I am steadfastly nearing the date where I am a green light to place it in an existing tank.

 

Then, someone a few days back goes and tells me that using fiberglass is a bad idea b/c it will, over time, deteriorate in the presence of saltwater. Ummm... yeah... I can just picture this structure, heavily encrusted with corals, come tumbling down one day.

 

Can anyone validate or deny the claim stated above...??? A google search on the subject has led me nowhere.

 

Cheers

Mike

Edited June 6, 2008 by OUsnakebyte

[steveoutlaw]

Mike - I can't say for sure, but I know that fiberglass boats that are in the water full time are coated with copper marine paint to keep the figerglass in good shape. Not sure if this is to keep barnacles off or to keep the fiberglass from deteriorating.

[OUsnakebyte]

I thought that was to keep the fiberglass from fading in color over time...? I could be totally wrong here.

 

This fiberglass rod is of course not showing at all - covered by rock and cement - and eventually coral...

 

Cheers

Mike

[ctenophore]

Most aquaculture tanks are made from fiberglass. Mine have been holding water for over 2 years so far.

 

The copper paint is used to keep barnacles from growing on boat hulls.

 

Fiberglass will degrade in the presence of ozone, that's why RK2 etc make their big skimmer bodies from polyethylene now. That may have been what they were referring to?

[OUsnakebyte]

Yeah, that's what I thought. I don't know how trustworthy the source was (random visitor...), but I have two sumps at work that are fiberglass...

 

Ozone won't be an issue where this is going.

 

Thanks,

Mike

[Integral9]

When I was younger and living at home, my father had a Sabre 28 (sailboat fo ye lan lubbers )

 

Over time and I'm not sure if this has to do with the friction of the water against the boat's hull or not. But once the paint erodes away, the fiberglass will eventually develop "blisters". Effectively, these are areas where the water has penetrated the fiberglass. Eventually the blisters will pop and leave the boat owner with a serious problem. However to fix them, the boat is hauled out of the water, the blisters are sanded off and the fiberglass is repaired (usually by painting another layer on where the blistering occurred). Then the boat is repainted with the copper based paint and put back in the water. The paint prevents barnacles from attaching as well as protects the fiberglass from blistering.

 

We used to have the boat hauled out every couple of years for bottom repair.

 

Btw. We don't own the boat anymore.

But you can see her at the MD Maritime Museum on the Eastern Shore. Her name is Risteau. We never did find out what it means.