Rust in tank/Chemistry?

[Abbeys_Mom]

When I was taking things out of my tank I was checking the ornaments for snails. I looked at the bottom of a piece of driftwood attached to slate and noticed that there was rust on the bottom of the slate. I thought "what the heck? It look like they have used a rivet". With a bit more investigation, I found that it was really a screw. The screw was about 3 inches long and completely rusted.
My question is, How badly has that been screwing up my water chemistry?

[Willyleigh]

Rust is actually iron oxide, so as a metal oxide it may be alkaline once it has dissolved, therefore your pH may have been raised slightly.

[sergo]

wouldn't that add iron into the water too?

[Abbeys_Mom]

I have been having PH problems for years. I figured it was the tap water. Maybe now I can keep tetras. I have had that driftwood in at least one of my tank for 10 years now. I still have to wood, I just removed the screw and the slate. Removing the ornament my have been what saved my last sparkling gourami. I the wood out about 2 weeks ago and did a larger water change, maybe that lowered the PH enough.

[crackatinny]

Was this a store bought decoration?

[xoolooxunny]

All aquarium advice I read mentions not to put anything metal in your aquarium. You could always replace that screw with a galvanized one, they don't rust, and then check on it every couple of months

[crackatinny]

All aquarium advice I read mentions not to put anything metal in your aquarium. You could always replace that screw with a galvanized one, they don't rust, and then check on it every couple of months

But how would the gal go?, I know it is not good for birds, or when welding.

[Abbeys_Mom]

I don't know if it was store bought originally, I had it given to me by my Mother-in-Law. Funny enough, She always had problems with her tank.

I am not going to bother replacing the screw. It's a small piece of wood and it stays at the bottom fine if you soak it and stick it part way into the gravel.