Re: Lead ballast

[Zxcvbob at aol_com]

"Jim Kozel" <jimkozel at apk_net> sez:
>  I've stapled about 50 Java fern leaflets to a piece of driftwood I
purchased
>  from a LFS.  Any opinions on whether the pound of sheet lead I've attached
>  to the wood to sink it will cause a problem? I thought lead was pretty
inert
>  in a freshwater tank, hence no danger of lead poisoning.
>  
If you have hard, alkaline water, the lead is gonna be virtually insoluble.
It will slowly form a surface layer of lead hydroxide or lead carbonate.  I
use lead anchors on my plants until they root, then I take the lead out as
soon as it's done its job.  If you have soft acidic water, the lead will leach
into the water, and it is probably somewhat toxic to fish.  You are doing
weekly water changes aren't you?

If you don't want to worry about heavy metal toxicity, use tin instead of
lead.  You can buy a roll of tin solder from the plumbing department of any
hardware store.

best regards,
bob

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