[BradSD]

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!

 

[mechanical8dragon]

nope. never put metal in fish tanks, ESPECIALLY rusty metal. Rust is dangerous to humans if we get wounded with it, so why expose it to fish? It (not the rust but the metal in general) can leech harmful metals into your tank and alter the chemistry of your tank, the result ending in dead fish. I don't know how it effects plants, but I wouldn't test it.

I believe lead is the only thing you can put in fish tanks, correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[JDM]

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.

 

[BradSD]

Thank you for the answer Jeff. I do not see anything wrong with being budget minded when it comes to keeping fish tanks. I know for a fact that many people here use play sand and diamond blasting sand and DIY C02 systems as well as many other cost saving ways. I use a few cost savers as well and I currently have fish over 3 years old that seem very happy. The key word in your comment is unreshearched which is why I asked the question to begin with. And while the budget is not a issue for me wasting money needlessly is. 5 bucks, times several items monthly, times a few years adds up to some real money. Perhaps you want to spend $15 for a 10 pound bag of sand from your local fish store but I prefer to spend $8 for 50lbs of black diamond sand. I would bet that my fish are doing as good or better than your own. While I agree with your rusty nail thoughts I do not agree with your anti cost saving thoughts. Keeping planted tanks is like 3rd on my list of hobbies so saving money for hobbies that I like better is important to me. I like to fly RC helicopters and airplanes so stretching the fun money is at the top of the list for me. Sorry but if it is okay I would like to keep doing planted tanks and asking dumb questions from time to time.

 

[JDM]

Hey, I never said the question was dumb, far from it, the jab about "unresearched cost savings" did not come off quite as I intended it, you are obviously asking and researching before trying it... that's often not the way it goes.

I have multiple hobbies (some more expensive than others - used to do R/C planes and built my own from scratch.... time was the issue) and have found that some things are best to not scrimp on... mainly from having to buy something twice when I could have bought a better product the first time. While it's a little tougher to justify buying more expensive consumables, as they are purchased over and over again already, there are still many times that you do get only what you pay for.

Sorry but if it is okay I would like to keep doing planted tanks and asking dumb questions from time to time.

Have at it... and they aren't dumb questions unless you ignore the answers that you get.

Oh, some of my hobbies are riskier than many so I got used to not scrimping as needing the best supplies and parts was the norm as my life, literally, depended on it. deep SCUBA and rock climbing the two main ones.

Jeff.

 

[BradSD]

You make good points Jeff, sorry for the snap there. One of those deals were you regret hitting the post tab.

 

[Austin]

Rust isn't dangerous to humans as far as I know. It is the bacteria which grows on it that causes tetanus (that's the big concern with rust, right?) and that comes from the soil and outside. Not sure it can grow in an aquarium, doubt it.

 

[BradSD]

I have heard old tales that old folk used to throw rusty nails under tress to make them do better. Maybe just a myth and of course no fish involved.

 

[BarbH]

I have heard old tales that old folk used to throw rusty nails under tress to make them do better. Maybe just a myth and of course no fish involved.

Doing a search online, pulled up info about people using rusty nails as a source of iron for different trees. That being said I would not recommend it being used in aqauriums. Ny concern would be any metals that may leach into the water, which could possibly be harmful to the inhabitants. When it comes to my fish I'd rather err on the side of caution.