×
Retirement and forum shutdown (17 Jan 2022)

Hi,

John Howell who has managed the forum for years is getting on and wishes to retire from the role of managing it.
Over the years, he has managed the forum through good days and bad days and he has always been fair.
He has managed to bring his passion for fish keeping to the forum and keep it going for so long.

I wish to thank John for his hard work in keeping the forum going.

With John wishing to "retire" from the role of managing the forum and the forum receiving very little traffic, I think we must agree that forum has come to a natural conclusion and it's time to put it to rest.

I am proposing that the forum be made read-only from March 2022 onwards and that no new users or content be created. The website is still registered for several more years, so the content will still be accessible but no new topics or replies will be allowed.

If there is interest from the ITFS or other fish keeping clubs, we may redirect traffic to them or to a Facebook group but will not actively manage it.

I'd like to thank everyone over the years who helped with forum, posted a reply, started a new topic, ask a question and helped a newbie in fish keeping. And thank you to the sponsors who helped us along the away. Hopefully it made the hobby stronger.

I'd especially like to thank John Howell and Valerie Rousseau for all of their contributions, without them the forum would have never been has successful.

Thank you
Darragh Sherwin

mercury in water!!!!!!!!!!!!

More
17 Mar 2009 22:36 #1 by peter (peter campbell)
:angry:
just broke my thermometer and theres mercury on the sand.
i took it out and did a 25% water change!
what else should i do and is it harmfull?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
17 Mar 2009 23:13 #2 by lampeye (lampeye)
i doubt its mercury. try google it to see what the substance is? maybe someone on this forum will know.
if you have any polyfilter it would be no harm to stick it in your filter.

lampeye

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
17 Mar 2009 23:19 #3 by Mick0075 (Michael OSullivan)
To the best of my knowledge common thermometers arenot made using mercuary. Mercuary thermometers are expensive. The ones you buy in fish shops are not toxic if broken but water change is a good idea just in case ! Maybe somebody with a little more knowledge than me might confirm this !

Mick

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
17 Mar 2009 23:25 #4 by funkychic (trish coughlan)
HI i agree with mick , theres an article on www.myfishtank.com about same thing check it out , hope it helps a bit

trish

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Mar 2009 11:27 #5 by cardinal (Lar Savage)
Hi Peter
If the thermometer hada red liquid in itthen it was most likely not mercury type but an alcohol one,if so you dont have to worry about it,what did the sustance onthe sand look like...?

Lar

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Mar 2009 13:10 - 18 Mar 2009 13:19 #6 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner)
If its pure mercury then yes it can be lethal, however I think your fish would be belly up by now if that was the case. Instead I reckon it was a red spirit thermometer and while its not harmless its unlikely to cause any effects as it is a small amount of spirit and I doubt it will effect your fish.
If I read the question correctly however I think its the small balls that are at the bottom of the thermometer that are on the sand? Am I correct. If that is the case then you should be fine. I would imagine they are made of either lead (which is harmless anyhow,we even use them to keep plants on the bottom!) or alternatively its stainless steel balls,if that is that case then get a magnet and it will probably suck alot of them up. Do another 20% water change in a day or two if you are unsure and I reckon you will be in the clear, also maybe some carbon in the filter.
Dont think you have anything to worry about.Most of the red thermometer are made from alcohol based afaik nowadays.
Gavin
Last edit: 18 Mar 2009 13:19 by Fishowner (Gavin fishowner).

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Mar 2009 14:59 #7 by peter (peter campbell)
ok ive found out that it wasnt mercury,aquarium thermometers dont have them so use were right!
i just saw black beads on the sand and sort of panicked.
thanks for all the help anyway,all the fish are ok.:)

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Mar 2009 17:00 #8 by pkearney (Phil Kearney)
i think thermometers can have mercury or alcohol in them.i think alcohol has a lower freezing point.if it was alcohol were the fish acting strange?:laugh:
phil.
ps. has anyone ever seen mercury in water?

Please Log in to join the conversation.

More
18 Mar 2009 17:13 #9 by cardinal (Lar Savage)
Hi phil

mercury in water looks just like mercury in air,silverblobs which break into smaller blobs when pressure is applied to them.we usedtodoexperiments in school science lab with the stuff.


Lar

Please Log in to join the conversation.

Time to create page: 0.056 seconds
Powered by Kunena Forum