In need of URGENT HELP!!!!!

[jason604]

My cheap thermometer bottom broke!! I don't know when but I saw today and all the mercury balls in the thermometer was all gone!! It's prob everywhere in the sand bed. What do I do now!!! Is this going to kill everything?!!

I got this one. http://www.jlaquatics.com/product/ht-httfloat/Marina+Floating+Thermometer.html

[Coasting]

Not sure what that video has to do with thermometers.
But the little silver balls are no mercury, their simply weights to help weigh down the thermometer. The part that tells the temperature is most likely an alcohol based solution as well.
Most thermometers don't contain mercury.
Not sure what the little balls are made from, lead perhaps? Not sure if their magnetic. But their not mercury.

[jason604]

Sorry post wrong URL. Corrected now. Will the lead cause a crash? A few zoas hasn't been opening and my LPS arnt fully opened either. Dunno what to do. Making ro/di water now. Thinking about a 40% water change?

[hillegom]

I would siphon all the gravel out and turn all the LR upside down under water so that any mercury would fall out of the LR.
Once all the gravel is siphoned out, you could "pan" for the mercury with a gold pan.
Many many years ago miners would add mercury to gravel from a stream bed, in a gold pan. Then they would pan for the gold. The mercury is very heavy and would stay behind along with the gold. In actuality in this situation, the gold would have amalgamated with the mercury and would be last to leave the gold pan.
I can forsee that you could do the same with aquarium gravel as it is very light compared to gold and mercury.
In any case, I would get the mercury out of your tank.

[hillegom]

Oh, just the thermometers weights.
So the thermometer is still showing the temp?
If it was filled with alcohol then the liquid would have been red
If mercury, a metalic colour.

[Coasting]

There is no mercury in that thermometer :)

[jason604]

Oh, just the thermometers weights.
So the thermometer is still showing the temp?
If it was filled with alcohol then the liquid would have been red
If mercury, a metalic colour.

It's red. I think it's lead now not mercury. Should I try to find the balls n remove them? I doubt I can get them all. Is it still poisonous to my reef

[Coasting]

.... There are numerous things they can be.
A simple google search brings up numerous answers.
Looks like the most common thing to use as weights is steel.
However I would be more concerned about the broken glass harming any human who sticks their hand in there, or the fish.

[SoloSK71]

They are alcohol and steel. I have the same ones and found that out when mine decided to float free and the weighted end stuck to my mag float cleaner.

Charles

[hillegom]

I just checked my three thermometers. All of them are red, ie alcohol
Two have steel pellets on the bottom, one has led.
As mentioned, I would take all the broken glass out and get a magnet and run it over the gravel. You will soon see if its lead or steel.

[jason604]

Oh, just the thermometers weights.
So the thermometer is still showing the temp?
If it was filled with alcohol then the liquid would have been red
If mercury, a metalic colour.

Ok so I can confirm its metal balls. I only foun 1 ball but I'm sure I can drag a magnet across the sand bed n grab the rest. For the glass I can't seem to find it. Hope my sand sifting fish didn't eat it!!! Do I still need to do a large water change if its just metal balls?

[Wayne]

I wouldn't

[pinkreef]

my tang broke mine and it had no ill effects

[SteveConn]

The balls are magnetic.. My guess it they're iron.. I dont think that would be a problem for your tank. Magnetic metals are iron, nickel, cobalt, gadolinium, neodymium and samarium (I googled it!), Nickel and the others are more expensive. Call it inadvertent iron dosing.