about 10 mins ago iw as replacing an incandescent bulb in my 10 gallon tank with a fluorescent bulb and on the old bulb i felt something slip off it, looked like solder, i went to grab it with tongs but now it is lost at sea in the sand. could this kill my tank!? any tips to get it out? magnet maybe?! please help
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possible contamination please help!
- Thread starter tjbell
- Start date
how small is it
u cant find it?
u cant find it?
3 mm isnt that pretty much tiny? the size of a LED
STiTCH87
Saltwater OCD Victim
Yeah that's very tiny. Only thing i'd worry is if it were made of copper which I doubt and it's not the internals of a bulb itself,
so I wouldn't be worried about mercury or any weird chemicals (do they even use mercury?).
I would still keep an eye on things, but personally, if you can't find it, I think you should still be fine. In my old 29g it had a paperclip, a razor blade,
various beetle shells lost in it (bugs came in my room through an open window one night and died in the water), and never had any problems.
I know a little different from your scenario, but just trying to comfort you to know that not all things metal or alien are doomed to damage a tank. =]
Edit: Read your worry of copper in solder, but copper solder is used in pipe fitting & plumbing. Electrical solder is usually tin, or a lead/tin alloy.
AFAIK tin will oxidize into nothing over time in saltwater and should be fine. And most solder doesn't contain lead anymore.
so I wouldn't be worried about mercury or any weird chemicals (do they even use mercury?).
I would still keep an eye on things, but personally, if you can't find it, I think you should still be fine. In my old 29g it had a paperclip, a razor blade,
various beetle shells lost in it (bugs came in my room through an open window one night and died in the water), and never had any problems.
I know a little different from your scenario, but just trying to comfort you to know that not all things metal or alien are doomed to damage a tank. =]
Edit: Read your worry of copper in solder, but copper solder is used in pipe fitting & plumbing. Electrical solder is usually tin, or a lead/tin alloy.
AFAIK tin will oxidize into nothing over time in saltwater and should be fine. And most solder doesn't contain lead anymore.
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Run a polyfilter. It will turn different colors depending on what it's pulling out. Should help remove any toxins AND identify them at the same time.
blue = copper salts
blue-green = ionic copper
greenish-yellow = ammonia/ammonium
orange = iron
red = aluminium
black = heavy organics
yellow = lead
blue = copper salts
blue-green = ionic copper
greenish-yellow = ammonia/ammonium
orange = iron
red = aluminium
black = heavy organics
yellow = lead
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No solder contains lead anymore it is against the law. It is all tin and antimony even the stuff used for copper pipe. Most bulbs now only use zinc and nickle because it is cheaper to produce the bulbs with it. I would not worry about it.
Do what John said at least you will know if there is anything.
Do what John said at least you will know if there is anything.
Stirring the sand can be trouble sometimes because you release the anaerobic bacteria that is at the bottom. But in a small tank like a ten gallon I would not worry. How old is the tank?
That's all no worries then there is not enough bacteria at the bottom of the sand to worry about yet.
Anytime that's what we are here for.
