Glass thermometer broke in tank...

[_Jessica_]

I'm sure I'm not the only one...my fish ran into my cheapo thermometer..I heard a crack (and felt my heart in my throat as I thought it was the tank xD).

Should I do a water change? How much? This is a 55g tank...ingredients of the thermometer: Contains Alcohol, Paraffin Wax, Steel Shot and Lead Paper, Glass Tube, Non-Toxic Coloring.

Oh...and how do I get those damned little balls out of my sand?? I was just thinking the other day that I really need to change to digital...

 

[krichardson]

I have a few of the cheapo,floating thermometers that are broken but not to the point where they don't still work.The very bottoms of them are broken off but the mercury tube is intact.In your case I would do a water change and use a small airline tube to syphon those little balls from off of your sand surface.

 

[_Jessica_]

Great, thanks. I did a 40% wc and threw some carbon in there, just in case. I just ended up scooping out the section of sand where the balls and glass were and chucking it out. Everyone seems fine.

 

[Citrinellus]

Its happened a few times to me, an easy way to get the balls out is using a mag algae scrapper. The balls rise out of the gravel to it.

 

[Options]

Its happened to me in the past as well but never thought of using my mag float to get the balls. Brilliant!

 

[balton777]

I have a few of the cheapo,floating thermometers that are broken but not to the point where they don't still work.The very bottoms of them are broken off but the mercury tube is intact.In your case I would do a water change and use a small airline tube to syphon those little balls from off of your sand surface.

Thermometers haven't used mercury for a long time.

 

[BigO6687]

i used a magnet