Lead Flashing/guttering

[fish-face]

Hi,just bought my first Betta and hes set up in a 10 gal tank and i`ve been reading through all the sticky`s and such now my problem is that i`ve a box filter running at the moment and its causing a fair bit of movement across the top of the tank so i was looking to make a channel to take the water to the sides using lead(as its easy to shape).
Would this be safe to use as the piece would be approx 12/14 inches long,would it affect the water (as in lead poisoning) its the stuff that you would use as the flashing on roofs and gutters ect, i know that we get small pieces to weigh down plants ect but just a bit concerned.

 

[catherine896]

Im not 100% sure but I think it would poison the water.
You can cut up a plastic coke bottle to use as a current kill.

 

[fish-face]

cheers might have to go the coke bottle route

 

[The_Dude]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!! THAT IS NOT OK I REPEAT NOT OK!!!!!!! Lead is a really heavy metal, and fish are sensative to heavy metals, no? Plus lead is dangerous to anything in high levels, ever heard of lead poisoning? It's the same for fish, they're as vulnerable to it as we are. Lead is a no no. use a *clean* coke bottle instead. Scientific proof that plastic does not kill fish of any kind. Either that or we just use it all the time on aquariums, can't remember which.

 

[jimw13uk]

TheDude - I agree about Lead being a No No but then why do most plants come with lead weights to hold them down - those weights will stay in the tank for the lifetime of the plant - so why is that a done thing if Lead is so bad. Never did understand that

 

[The_Dude]

Lead in higher concentrations is bad, but those lead weights are only about 10% lead, that's not bad. The other 90% in comorised of metals that aren't poisonous in high concentrations, like aluminum or steel alloys. They just tend to take the color of lead since it's just easier no to polish something that's going under substrate for it's entire usage. IMO they're ok to use but I like plastic better. As they say, plastics make it possible.

 

[fish-face]

thanks all plastic it is