Help Broken Thermometer!!!

[cesar_1304]

Broken at the bottom... all the silver or metallic balls fell to the tank bottom but the inside glass container containing the red fluid ( mercury??) did not break... Can I remove by hand? I tried syphoning up the balls and glass with the python but its is not strong enough... how should I dispose of this?


-Cesar

[DarkDiscus]

Cesar,

I'd scoop it out with a cup. You should be able to get it all without cutting yourself.

I don't think they use mercury in aquarium thermometers, for the most part due to the problem you just had. They break too easily.

John

[Ryan]

Hi Cesar,

I had one of these break a few weeks ago. The bottom fell out. I pulled it out by hand as the glass was not shattered, just the bottom. Good luck getting the beads up off the tank bottom, they're hard to grip between your fingers!

Ryan

[jeep]

The little balls are just weights. If they're silver, they're stainless steel. If they're brown or black, they're lead. It would be a good idea to get them out but probably no problem unless the dicsud think they're snacks. A little hard to digest.

Do, however, remove the red stuff. It's not mercury, but still not a healthy thing to have in with discus. Mercury is silver and deadly...

[cesar_1304]

Thanks once again people for responding so quickly... I think they are lead because they have turned solid black... I guess I am lucky the red stuff did not leak out...

I am changing my glass heater to a new titanium that I had as a back up... I wouldnt want to find out my heater broke by mistake...

Thanks again everyone...
-Cesar

[ALEXIS]

Mercury is nasty and dangerous. Put on sum rubber gloves and get a magnet and remove the small balls with the magnet.

[Top_Bhoy]

I would remove the metallic balls by using a suitable length of 3/4" tubing and syphon out into a bucket. By holding the tubing over the areas of contamination, the suction this generates should be more than adequate to clear the debris. Take you about 10 mins maximum and no chance of cutting yourself.

[goldengatediscus]

I agree with Top_Bhoy. I had one of theose thermometers break last week with little black balls all over the bottom of the tank. The suction in the pump that I use to drain the tank wasn't strong enough to suck them up. Then, I just used an eight ft length of 3/8" tubing and sucked those puppies into a bucket. I did fill the tubing with water prior to putting it into the tank, so that I didn't need to put my mouth to the end of the tube to begin the suction.
Brigitte

[Steve_Warner]

Hi all,
How about using a turkey baster? Keep the bulb squeezed until right over the weights and then release.......the suction will pull them into the baster. I believe the fluid in the thermo's for aquariums is sometimes alcohol, but not sure of that.

Steve

[saints27]

I had it happen to me this morning I just sucked it all out with a 1/2 " hose .no Drama's it took about 30 seconds

Jamie