What effect would a rusty common iron nail have placed in the substrate next to a large Sword. Why would it be different than a root tab for iron? Would it be toxic to the fish? I am not doing this but the thought has entered into the ole head. I am always looking for ways to save or stretch the money in this hobby.
Just for a money saving tip to you guys one of the best I have seen is the use of Thiosulfate for a chlorine killer. It is dirt cheap and works perfectly, it is used extensively in the chemical industry to kill unwanted chlorine and works in our little aquariums as well. One cheap bag will last like 5 years or more!
Seachem Root Tabs: insert once every three months:
Total Nitrogen 0.28%
Available Phosphate 0.17%
Soluble Potash 0.16%
Calcium 14.9%
Magnesium 0.06%
Sulfur 12.2%
Boron 0.029%
Chlorine 0.55%
Cobalt 0.001%
Copper 0.001%
Iron 2.2%
Manganese 0.23%
Molybdenum 0.0009%
Sodium 0.14%
Zinc 0.0024%
Derived from: Potassium Chloride, Calcium Chloride, Copper Sulfate, Magnesium Chloride, Ferrous Gluconate, Cobalt Sulfate, Magnesium Sulfate, Manganese Sulfate, Boric Acid, Sodium Molybdate, Zinc Sulfate, Protein Hydrolysates.
Rusty nail.... Iron ?? anything else that happens to be used in the alloy or processing along the way. In a closed environment there could be very detrimental affects of just plopping metals in the tank. I think that too much iron (too much of anything really) could cause some fish issues too... but I don't know iron specific ones off hand.
I don't think that Thiosulfate handles chloramines, just chlorine (can anyone confirm or refute this?). I use well water at home and the little bit of Prime that I use in the office tank is insignificant enough that a small bottle will last a long time.
There's a point where unresearched cost savings end up costing more than was ever saved... good ideas on the surface but the results may be uncertain. DIY is one thing and I don't mean to slam anyone for wanting to keep fish, but if the budget is tight enough that a few extra dollars spent to do something is going to break the budget, maybe find a cheaper hobby.
Jeff.