lead in a fish tank

[Thunderchild]

WE bought some goldfish and acquatic plant to put in our fish tank. one of the fish just died, not that we can confirm that its related as the others are fine but we have realised that the "weight" holding the plant down is lead ! it was a bit of sponge rapped around the pland and clasped with a strip of lead about 8 X 40 mm. I'm amazed that lead is being used for this, with all the efforts to eliminated it from our daily lives we go and find it in a fish tank which will have water changed once every 2 weeks and put down the drain or onto the garden, surely the use of lead is not allowed in this sort of thing ?

 

[steveB]

... surely the use of lead is not allowed in this sort of thing ?

The manufacturer will happily use gold or platinum if customers are willing to pay fair market value.

Really, lead is an ideal ballast material from a density/cost perspective. It's not easy for lead to get dissolved in water and does not oxidize/corrode easily. The main risk of lead is to children, so obviously be careful in that regard. Don't let them eat it, but keep in mind that many people allow their kids to fish using lead sinkers, and you rarely hear of kids eating sinkers. Lead paint is a bigger concern, of course. I guess colorful chips are more tempting than a dull grey blob.

As far as significant lead in the water, consider that my grandparents grew up with all lead pipes in their homes. They both lived to 92 and neither died of lead poisoning. Still, you shouldn't drink the fish water, ... just in case.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

The main risk of lead is to children, so obviously be careful in that regard. Don't let them eat it, but keep in mind that many people allow their kids to fish using lead sinkers, and you rarely hear of kids eating sinkers. Lead paint is a bigger concern, of course. I guess colorful chips are more tempting than a dull grey blob.

In the UK lead sinkers have been banned for many years (so I'm told, I've never fished), and lead paint was banned long before that.

There's a lead smelter (now used mostly to salvage lead from car batteries) only a few miles from where I work, and my wife used to live not far from it. As a child she was provided free milk daily, and I understand kids there still are - milk is a big help against lead poisoning in children. The smelter have also planted many woods full of trees, and there are monitoring points all over the area. As far as I'm aware there have never been any pollution problems, and it's mostly just to keep the local council happy.

 

[3v0]

Two weeks sounds about right if you are new to keeping fish and the store people did not do their job.

If you already know about the nitrate cycle please forgive me

ELSE Please Read


3v0

Edit: Just reread you post. Get an ammonia test kit (or take the water to fish store for testing and bring a test kit home). If it is ammonia you need to change about 3/4 of the water asap and stop feeding the fish. Also clean out the tank if there is uneaten food. The fish can go weeks without food but will die in hours if the ammonia builds up.

The water you change with needs to be treated with dechlorinator (check with a good fish store to see if your water has chlormines). It needs to be withing 4 degrees F (2 is better). Run an air stone in the new water for about 3 hours prior to using it in case your water is saturated with gasses. Most common with well water.

As I said, if you already know this please excuse me. Most people do not.

3v0

 

[Hero999]

How do you know it's lead and not tin?

You can easily determine this out by weighing it and getting its volume by measuring the amount of water displaced when you drop it into a measuring cylinder filled with water.

 

[Speakerguy]

The lead didn't kill the fish. Odds are it was either an ammonia spike or disease.

 

[HarveyH42]

Were these special goldfish, or the basic 4/$1.00 feeder variety? The ones we put in with the Oscar were lucky to last more than a day...

 

[3v0]

Years ago I purchased a group of 50 feeder goldfish to see what the mortality rate was. I knew the ropes and did not cause deaths. After about 2 weeks 2/3 were dead and after a month that went up to 3/4.

At the time people were buying feeder goldfish to cycle their tanks. It is a non smart thing to do because as shown above most of the feeders are sick to start with. It reduces the chance of the good fish living.

While we are on the subject. In a few months I need to cull my goldfish pond. There are some 100's of single tail goldfish that need to go. Some are butt ugly suitable for feeder fish use, others are nice looking long fined and or calico. Anyone within driving distance of the OK panhandle is welcome to them.

3v0

 

[Thunderchild]

well its not so much the possibility of the fish dying from lead poisining it is possible that it was due to other causes. what I'm wondering more about is that lead is used at all, the water will be regularily changed meaning that water containg lead traces will be regularly poured down the drain or onto the backgarden. also there is the issue of the actual peice of lead being disposed of it will end up in the bin and in landfill (well not from my home but certainly from others). will all attempts to keep lead out of products its amazing that I find it used in my fish tank.

 

[Menticol]

A very effective fish killer is the added Cl to the water... leaving the "clean" water in an open jar for a day (i mean, before using it to change the viced water) seems to evaporate the Cl. I don't know if is an urban myth, but worked for my fish.

 

[3v0]

A very effective fish killer is the added Cl to the water... leaving the "clean" water in an open jar for a day (i mean, before using it to change the viced water) seems to evaporate the Cl. I don't know if is an urban myth, but worked for my fish.

It is not a myth.

EDIT: Some places have gone to using Chloramine which needs to treated with a chemical to make it fish safe.

 

[Hero999]

well its not so much the possibility of the fish dying from lead poisining it is possible that it was due to other causes. what I'm wondering more about is that lead is used at all, the water will be regularily changed meaning that water containg lead traces will be regularly poured down the drain or onto the backgarden. also there is the issue of the actual peice of lead being disposed of it will end up in the bin and in landfill (well not from my home but certainly from others). will all attempts to keep lead out of products its amazing that I find it used in my fish tank.

A lump of lead is unlikely to harm the fish.

The oxide layer that forms on the lead should prevent it from dissolving enough to produce the kind of concentration of lead that will harm the fish. It's acids that cause metals like lead to dissolve, the water in your tank should be slightly alkaline.

Lead can be easily recycled so the disposal issue is not a problem, your local council should take it. You might even be able to sell it, lead isn't cheap.

 

[3v0]

Sort of like unicorns or horses. The lead is the unicorn the ammonia is the horses.

 

[Thunderchild]

Lead can be easily recycled so the disposal issue is not a problem, your local council should take it. You might even be able to sell it, lead isn't cheap.

and how many people will actually take that small peice of lead to the recycling centre ? in my house it will be recycled but most people would just put it in the bin (yes of course they would!)

the fish died after a couple of weeks so its not a case of bad water to start with, maybe he/she was just poorly

 

[3v0]

the fish died after a couple of weeks so its not a case of bad water to start with, maybe he/she was just poorly

Unless you cycled the tank the fish died from ammonia.
Unless you cycled the tank the fish died from ammonia.
Unless you cycled the tank the fish died from ammonia.
....

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

If you are that worried about the lead piece in the tank take it out and paint it.
give it several coats of good paint letting each coat dry.
The idea is to seal the lead part inside so the water no longer comes in contact
with it.
There may be an even better material, such as good silicone rubber sealant
to cover the lead piece with.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Unless you cycled the tank the fish died from ammonia.
Unless you cycled the tank the fish died from ammonia.
Unless you cycled the tank the fish died from ammonia.
....

Do you think there's any chance the fish might have died from ammonia?

 

[3v0]

Do you think there's any chance the fish might have died from ammonia?

I am trying to show restraint.

 

[Pommie]

Another 10 year old thread resurrected.

Mike.

 

[JimB]

Another 10 year old thread resurrected.

By a spammer, since deleted.

JimB