# Oh oh, Broken Aquarium Thermometer!



## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Hey guys, ive been testing the temps in my tank which is now set up...

I have an access "shoot" at the back so i can put my heater in etc ...

I was testing the temp of the water by dangling a thermometer down the "shoot" by a piece of string, then it fell out and smashed....

All the little silver balls were everywhere but the red strip remained in one piece thankfully...

I know for a fact the balls arent mercury, as they wouldnt still be balls once released... also ive read that they are merely stainless steel bearings to weight the bottom of the therm down...

Im nearly 100% sure ive gotten them all out of the false bottom, thankfully they all remained under the part of the tank that is actually accessable without ripping everything out...

Sooo what do you guys think?

If there buy chance is say a couple of them sitting in the false bottom water with this cause any problems...?

As i say im almost 100% sure its all removed...

Richie


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## edwing206 (Apr 9, 2008)

Try using a strong magnet to get all the balls out.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

edwing206 said:


> Try using a strong magnet to get all the balls out.


Hey man, thanks alot for the fast reply...

I read that idea, im sure ive gotten them all out...

I just want to know if theyre are a few i missed, will this cause any problems to future inhabitants, its a 54gallon tank so there is a fair amount of water in there, and the balls are tiny... 

Does anyone think it will be a problem?

Richie


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## yumpster (May 22, 2009)

I doubt they would cause any problems just by being in the water. If they were somehow ingested then it might be a different story, but that isn't likely to happen at all. Luckily, thermometers aren't as deadly as they used to be.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

yumpster said:


> I doubt they would cause any problems just by being in the water. If they were somehow ingested then it might be a different story, but that isn't likely to happen at all. Luckily, thermometers aren't as deadly as they used to be.



Exactly mate  Glad theyve changed...

Im a very paranoid person haha, and i always worry, i know ill end up ripping the whole damn thing down because of it 

Unless completely convinced otherwise haha, im getting there ...

Richie


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## edwing206 (Apr 9, 2008)

I wouldn't go as far as to tear it down, you would be surprised how easy it is to get them out with a magnet. Plus, if they are underwater I HIGHLY doubt that the frog/s would see the balls, much less eat them.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

edwing206 said:


> I wouldn't go as far as to tear it down, you would be surprised how easy it is to get them out with a magnet. Plus, if they are underwater I HIGHLY doubt that the frog/s would see the balls, much less eat them.


There is no chance what so ever of the frogs coming in contact with them because they are under the false bottom, and i have no water features so the frogs will never be "bathing" in that water...

Ill try a magnet to makesure i do 100% have them all...

But is there any chance of the metal contaminating the flase bottom water, thus leaching up through the soil to harm the frogs when i get em?

Richie


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

I always thought stainless steel was non magnetic. I just took a magnet to my sink, stainless fridge, and some silverware and it didn't stick.

If they are stainless though I wouldn't worry about a couple missing in the bottom.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

boogsawaste said:


> I always thought stainless steel was non magnetic. I just took a magnet to my sink, stainless fridge, and some silverware and it didn't stick.
> 
> If they are stainless though I wouldn't worry about a couple missing in the bottom.



Well i havent tried picking them up with a magnet yet, but as edwings says it works...

Ill try it on the ones ive picked out, i red somewhere else they could be iron...


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

So i just tested them out with a magnet and it picked them up...

So it cant be steel as i just tried the same magnet on a stainless steel piece of metal...

hmmmm im starting to think it must be iron...

I read that they use inperfect bearings that other companies wont use...


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Ok so the bit of metal i tried it on was a piece of stainless steel or surgical steel body jewellery, but it didnt pick up...

But then i tried the same magnet on some stainless steel forks and knifes and it picked them upp....

So the bit of jewellery couldnt be stainless steel, so there still is a chance the little balls are infact stainless steel...

Im starting to think i should just pull up the false bottom and stuff to makesure they are all definately infact removed...


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## Toby_H (Apr 6, 2009)

This is a thermometer meant for fish tanks right?

If so... bigger Cichlids get pretty rough and items floating at the surface get broken all the time. I'm pretty sure the manufacturers realize this and would avoid using materials that are potentially harmful if/when possible...

At least that is the assumption I've made the many times I've had similar thermometers break in my fish aquariums. I have simply cleaned out all the broken materials I could find and hoped the fish didn’t eat or chew on anything that I missed.

An aquarium does have a lot more water volume to dilute any pollutant, but I would also imagine the water quality in a fish tank impacts the inhabitant more so than the water quality in a frog tank. Though I'm not saying water quality in a frog tank isn't important.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Toby_H said:


> This is a thermometer meant for fish tanks right?
> 
> If so... bigger Cichlids get pretty rough and items floating at the surface get broken all the time. I'm pretty sure the manufacturers realize this and would avoid using materials that are potentially harmful if/when possible...
> 
> ...


Thanks mate...

I was thinking that too, the people who make the things know what their doing and i doubt theyd put anything harmfull in them just like you said...

Im just a bit paranoid, having not kept any frogs before, i want everything to go smoothly as possible 

Richie


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## Toby_H (Apr 6, 2009)

R1ch13 said:


> Im just a bit paranoid, having not kept any frogs before, i want everything to go smoothly as possible
> 
> Richie


I wouldn't say paranoid... I would say responsible...

In many ways and on many things I share your passion to show ideal concern to things... I'm brand new to frogs so I've been feeling that a lot lately (still making my first Viv). But having been deep into fish for a while (have had between 500~1500 gallons of fish tanks for the last 7 years), so I've dealt with your concern at hand a few times


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## frogfreak (Mar 4, 2009)

R1ch13 said:


> Ok so the bit of metal i tried it on was a piece of stainless steel or surgical steel body jewellery, but it didnt pick up...
> 
> But then i tried the same magnet on some stainless steel forks and knifes and it picked them upp....
> 
> ...



There's different qualities of stainless 304 will be somewhat magnetic. 317 stainless is not magnetic. Then there's surgical stainless or body jewelry. Pure stainless steel. That's why you can pick up cutlery and not body jewelry. If it is stainless it will not rust so you should have no worries.


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## boogsawaste (Jun 28, 2008)

frogfreak said:


> There's different qualities of stainless 304 will be somewhat magnetic. 317 stainless is not magnetic. Then there's surgical stainless or body jewelry. Pure stainless steel. That's why you can pick up cutlery and not body jewelry. If it is stainless it will not rust so you should have no worries.


Thanks, that clears up why it works sometimes lol.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Toby_H said:


> I wouldn't say paranoid... I would say responsible...
> 
> In many ways and on many things I share your passion to show ideal concern to things... I'm brand new to frogs so I've been feeling that a lot lately (still making my first Viv). But having been deep into fish for a while (have had between 500~1500 gallons of fish tanks for the last 7 years), so I've dealt with your concern at hand a few times


Hey buddy, well thanks 

Ive had fish around me since i was 3 because my dad kept them. I started keeping them myself when i was 10 so ive been keeping them myself for nearing 9years...

I remember how i was with my first fish, a shoal of 9 tiger barbs, i watched them like a hwk for hours on end to makesure they wer okay haha.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

frogfreak said:


> There's different qualities of stainless 304 will be somewhat magnetic. 317 stainless is not magnetic. Then there's surgical stainless or body jewelry. Pure stainless steel. That's why you can pick up cutlery and not body jewelry. If it is stainless it will not rust so you should have no worries.



Thanks alot man...

That does clear alot up as boogsawaste said...

So if stainless steel is okay, then from what ive read ive got nothing to worry about...

But if the balls are infact iron like i have read once or twice, then i guess i might have to worry, 

I guddled around in the bottom for ages, i positioned my lights so i could see the whole bottom clearly and im 100% sure i dont see anything, as do my girlfriend and my dad...

Soo heres hoping i got rid of them all 

Thanks

Richie


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## Dragonfly (Dec 5, 2007)

If you are taking about metal balls and no liquids, and it was designed for an aquarium, it sounds probable that this will be ok. 

You should take very good care to make sure that there is no way your frogs can get behind backgrounds or stuck into places in backgrounds, take very good care to make sure that there are no ways your frogs can get into the false bottom. There are plenty of posts about people having frogs and tadpoles in false bottoms. 

I use a false bottom technique that a breeder showed me which is very basic, inexpensive and because it is exceptionally safe. 

and just a point of information: at some point (usually excessive lengths of time into the decades) depending on care or other circumstances stainless steel will actually rust. Also, there are some excellent "paints" which make the stainless steel look on some appliances. I work with appliance issues among other things and sometimes have to point my customers to specs which indicate that the finish they are looking at on a lower priced "stainless steel" fridge is actually a stainless look done with paint. And I have recently had to deal with a true stainless fridge which has rust spots like freckles all over the 2 doors - in less than 2 years of use.


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## Dragonfly (Dec 5, 2007)

Being excessively curious, I wanted to know more about the stainless steel alloys and how they become non-magentic, since all steel whether stainless or not is an alloy containing iron which is magnetic by nature. I found the following site which is interesting as to the alloy and may be useful for some:

Is Stainless Steel Magnetic?

Note: please don't call this off topic.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Dragonfly said:


> Being excessively curious, I wanted to know more about the stainless steel alloys and how they become non-magentic, since all steel whether stainless or not is an alloy containing iron which is magnetic by nature. I found the following site which is interesting as to the alloy and may be useful for some:
> 
> Is Stainless Steel Magnetic?
> 
> Note: please don't call this off topic.


Not off topic at all Dorothy, very very interesting...

Thanks for the link, im reading it right now.


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

the little metal balls in the cheap aquarium thermometers are commonly LEAD not stainless. they are intended to be sealed inside of a glass tube. at least that's what they are in the ones i have. i would be very careful and it might be worth breaking the tank down, its not worth losing frogs to poisoning from lead contaminated water.
you should be able to tell, if you can see one look for the luster that it has. if it is dull and grey, you have a problem, if it is reflective like a mirror then you are probably ok.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I wouldn't worry as iron can be a limiting nutrient for plants and can be reduced by bacteria which is a good indication that the small amount leached is going to probably get bound up pretty quickly. 

Ed


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

james67 said:


> the little metal balls in the cheap aquarium thermometers are commonly LEAD not stainless. they are intended to be sealed inside of a glass tube. at least that's what they are in the ones i have. i would be very careful and it might be worth breaking the tank down, its not worth losing frogs to poisoning from lead contaminated water.
> you should be able to tell, if you can see one look for the luster that it has. if it is dull and grey, you have a problem, if it is reflective like a mirror then you are probably ok.


Awww SH*T

They are like a kinda clouded matt metal... its shiney but you could by no means see your face in it if it was bigger...

This is crappy, even though im sure ive gotten them all out im going to have to rip the whole thing apart and rebuy pretty much all the stuff...

Gah!

Thanks though

Richie


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

well if ED says it shouldn't be a problem then i would say his experience overrides mine as he seems much more knowledgeable than i on the subject.  if they are lead then they should be reasonably mailable at room temp. if you can hit it with a hammer and it crushes, deforms it obviously isn't steel and more likely is lead. again im not sure what ED meant but he obviously knows more about the chemistry behind the ability of metals to be dissolved and absorbed.

ed im not sure you were relating to the idea that it could be lead shot and not steel bearings. lead from my understanding at low levels in water can be absorbed , and even mistaken by the body for calcium. since you seem more well versed on the topic perhaps you could enlighten me on the absorption properties of lead in water. i understand that leaching would likley be minimal, however does that mean that it is necessarily safe for amphibians?


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I had discounted lead as lead doesn't react to a magnet and you were stating that they were attracted to a magnet which would rule out lead...


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

oh i must have missed that it was magnetic. i saw that a magnet was proposed as a removal tool but not that it had been used and worked.

that being said, my apologies for causing a scare (if it indeed was magnetic). i just know that the ones i have use lead shot in the bottom.


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

R1ch13 said:


> So i just tested them out with a magnet and it picked them up...
> 
> So it cant be steel as i just tried the same magnet on a stainless steel piece of metal...
> 
> ...


There was a bunch of discussion but here is where it was mentioned. 

With respect to lead.. if we assume that the exterior is still lead oxide then the amount of lead that would dissolve in the water at 20 C is 0.0171 g/l... and this amount would require that the lead is then not precipitated out of the solution by insoluable salts such as humic salts of lead.... 

Ed


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

Thanks alot for all the info guys...

Specially Ed amd James67...

Well yes the bearing were magnetic, but me and my over worrying ways led me to take the tank apart anyways haha...

The mention of lead got me wayy to worried...

I was almost 100% sure i had gotten them all out via my access "shoot" and after taking the whole thing down and draining the false bottom etc, i still have found none...

So im very sure i dont have any, whether its lead or not, its better to be safe than sorry isnt it.

The tank is back up and planted etc, didnt take long so its all good now


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## james67 (Jun 28, 2008)

im happy things worked out. again sorry for causing a scare. i must have missed the magnetic part. good luck. and in the future a digital thermometer with a probe or, a liquid crystal thermometer should be good for those submerged parts. and best of all, there's no metals to leak. they also generally run about $1.50 US (liquid crystal) and are nearly indestructible, so one can be placed in there to monitor temps continuously.


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## R1ch13 (Apr 16, 2008)

james67 said:


> im happy things worked out. again sorry for causing a scare. i must have missed the magnetic part. good luck. and in the future a digital thermometer with a probe or, a liquid crystal thermometer should be good for those submerged parts. and best of all, there's no metals to leak. they also generally run about $1.50 US (liquid crystal) and are nearly indestructible, so one can be placed in there to monitor temps continuously.



Dont worry mate, its better i made sure because id constantly worry until i knew for sure theyre werent any in there...

Its weird, cause in a way i knew theyre werent any in it, but because i care for any animal i keep ALOT like all of you guys, i had to double check 

Thanks again everyone...

And James ill defo look into getting some of the things you mentioned...

Richie


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## Ed (Sep 19, 2004)

I have an instant read IR Tempgun that I use to spot check.. the nice thing is that you can get temps from several levels in the tank. 

Ed


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