Cracked Thermometer

[Wyld-Fyre]

Anyone knows what happens to mercury (balls) in temperate waters?

The thermometer in one of my tanks was recently cracked, and the base of the thermometer (which holds the balls of mercury?) has released all of its contents into the gravel substrate.

Chances are most of the balls have fallen through the gravel, but I am concerned about the longer term effect this may have on the food chain. I'm hoping the plants and the animals (snails & fishes) haven't managed to consume any of this stuff.

No suspiscious deaths yet, and I'm hoping I'd caught it in time because of a recent clean out.

What is the effect of mercury on living cells?

 

[dgwebster]

deadly if consumed. I remember having to get the toxic clean up team in at uni once when a young un spilt a small (well about half a pint) amount of the stuff. However, thats the genius to the ball method - if it was liquid, you would have been buggered. however, the ball method should staay intact, you just need to worry about the living atter thinking its food and consuming it. any idea how many of the balls got in the tank?

 

[Teelie]

Actually, they don't use Mercury anymore. It's another substance that has similar enough properties but not nearly as toxic. I can't think of what it is they use though. Some kind of alcohol base I think. The balls aren't Mercury either. They're just used by the stuff to gauge the temperature.

 

[IovaykInD]

Old thermometers use mercury and if swallowed, could probably cause real damage or even death. New thermometers use a liquid that isn't toxic, but shouldn't be played with even though it's safe. It is by no means safe for kids to play with thermometers though

 

[Inchworm]

You're right about the liquid being something other than mercury. It's no longer being used in thermometers since they decided it was poisonous. When I was a kid, I remember having a thermometer break and playing with the ball of mercury that came out. You could shatter it and push the bits together and it would become one piece again. It was fun stuff.

I think the little balls are lead and they are used to weigh the thermometer down so it stays upright in the water, but I might be wrong about that.

If they are real lead, it wouldn't be good for the fish to eat them.

 

[Synirr]

For the solid balls to be mercury that would have to be one coooooold water tank! Mercury is liquid in standard state and only freezes at about -38 degrees F!

 

[mikev]

You're right about the liquid being something other than mercury. It's no longer being used in thermometers since they decided it was poisonous.

Actually, even in the days past, mercury was primarily used for more precise/narrow range thermometers (for body temperature). For most other thermometers, including outside and aquarium, alcohol was always the cheaper choice.

When I was a kid, I remember having a thermometer break and playing with the ball of mercury that came out. You could shatter it and push the bits together and it would become one piece again. It was fun stuff

Yeah...that was fun....

 

[Katchan]

When I was a kid, I remember having a thermometer break and playing with the ball of mercury that came out. You could shatter it and push the bits together and it would become one piece again. It was fun stuff

Yeah...that was fun....

sidenote - My father inlaw was "retired" early for health reasons, one of them being a high blood mercury level (although apperently there is now a treatment for it) he was working in a wood and paper mill at the time...

Andrew

 

[Wyld-Fyre]

Thank you all for your responses.

The reactant fluid definitely isn't silver-coloured (mercury), but in fact red in colouration. Here's hoping this liquid and the metallic balls don't impact too negatively.

Good luck all!

 

[Dorkhedeos]

the little balls are lead, and that probably isnt good for the fish if its left in the tank for a long time. at a lake near me, the fish living there dont taste good and are probably have lead in them because there is lots of lead in the lake, so im guessing that lead will make your fish like the fish in the lake after a few years

 

[Teelie]

the fish living there dont taste good and are probably have lead in them because there is lots of lead in the lake, so im guessing that lead will make your fish like the fish in the lake after a few years

This means don't eat your fish.

Seriously though, lead poisoning can take years, even decades to accumulate in the body depending on the amount of lead, the size of the body and the way the lead enters the body. While it's good to remove the balls, lead or otherwise, it won't harm your fish immediately either.