Regular Member Levi Posted November 30, 2006 Regular Member Share Posted November 30, 2006 I dont kno if this is in the right place or not.. sorry if it isnt..What types of metal can i put in the fish tank.. Is led alright...What kinds of metals and plastics can i put in the tank that wouldnt be harmful??? thanx levi Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member denniss Posted November 30, 2006 Regular Member Share Posted November 30, 2006 Try to avoid metal in the tank if possible. Non-reactive metals should be OK, like stainless steel. Don't put anything in the tank that will oxidize (rust) or leach into the water. Lead should be non-reactive under most circumstances, but aggressive water can leach lead. Plastics are generally OK, but watch for painted surfaces. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member daryl Posted December 1, 2006 Regular Member Share Posted December 1, 2006 Generally the highly flexible plastics have more plastisizers in them to keep them soft. These plastisizers are what can leach out into the water and potentially cause problems. Aim towards the harder plastics if you can. Remember that some crockery and fired clay can contain leads and other hazardous products. These should not be submerged in water. Look for things that are "food grade'. As far as metals - Denniss covered those well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regular Member denniss Posted December 1, 2006 Regular Member Share Posted December 1, 2006 A bit of elaboration here about lead - For many years, lead pipes were used in our potable water distribution systems. Even now, in older cities, the connections between the street mains and the houses are still made of lead pipe. Those of you in the Washington, DC area may recall some major headlines a couple of years ago when lead was detected in Washington's drinking water. This was caused by the Army Corps of Engineers which operates the District's water treatment plant on the Potomac River. They switched disinfectants from chlorine to chloramine. The chloramine made the water slightly more aggressive and resulted in more lead leaching from lead pipes that have been there for a hundred years. Similarly, as Daryl points out, some crockery is made with lead glazes. These have always been thought to be safe as food containers and have used for that purpose for years. The problem arises when they are used to store acidic foods (like those containing vinegar). Under those circumstances the lead can leach out. That's why I suggested that lead should be generally OK, except if you have aggressive water. Probably best to avoid it if possible. Daryl's suggestions about "food grade" is a good guideline. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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