lead plant weights

bathawk

Polypterus
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Oct 19, 2014
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bought some plants today for ma aquariums I saw in the store lead plant weights that are supposed to be suitable for cold or tropical aquariums .But wouldn't lead leach into the water lead is known to be poisinous wouldnt this affect the fish ?.
 

bathawk

Polypterus
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Oct 19, 2014
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some times I use the ceramic rings that some times come wth new plants . Oh so not real lead then as I know lead can be highly toxic.
 

esoxlucius

Alligator Gar
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Dec 30, 2015
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Those lead strips that come with most aquatic plants have been used in the hobby for decades. If they had the potential to cause havoc in our tanks I think they'd have been phased out years ago. The fact they're as popular as ever tells you everything you need to know really.

As for them being magnesium and zinc, I'm not sure. I have a load of those strips in storage and from the weight of them, the feel of them, the colour of them and their malleability, tells me they are lead!
 

andyroo

Peacock Bass
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As I understand it, Zinc is more toxic than (elemental) lead. To this, I'd agree with esoxlucius esoxlucius that the lead strips have been used for eons without particular (immediate) impacts, but as the under-sand gets anoxic there might be reactions & issues over time. Also per Exo, I expect the zinc & magnesium mentioned above aren't terribly cheap nor heavy, so I expect would be another cheaper or more available weight/wire used by the grower & not policed by the FS. Again in agreement with Exo, my guess might be a lead-core welding-wire, which would be to-be-avoided.
I'd disagree with Exo in "everything you need to know" maybe doesn't hold too too much water, as we well know that many shops more about sales than the long-term health of (your) fish.

Me, I'm currently trying/using a blob of cement sealed in epoxy around a cable-tie... though superglue to a stone makes soooooo much more sense.
 
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andyroo

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PS: thoughts on an aluminum wire? Not terribly heavy but would get the job done.
Or a nylon-coated steel?
Or same blob of cement with coated wire coming up & back down so exposed metal ends are embedded in the weight?
I'd ask about nylon-coated copper but the eel & loach crowd would throttle me ;)
 

jjohnwm

Potamotrygon
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Mar 29, 2019
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Even as a kid, with my first aquarium back in the 1960's, I was told by my father to not handle those lead strips too much because they might be dangerous...and he was no scientist. I have never used them longterm in my tanks.

I guess I am lucky to live in Canada, where we are blessed with the presence of unusual natural mineral formations known locally as "rocks". These can be found outdoors, often just lying around on the ground! In fact, I have in my back field a huge pile of these things, probably 60 feet long, 30 feet wide and 10 feet tall. They vary in size, shape and colour; local folklore insists that they were hand-collected by our pioneer forebears and artificially arranged in this odd manner for some arcane reason. Personally, I believe that this is a natural phenomenon, perhaps some sort of breeding colony.

These rocks are quite dense and heavy, and if a couple are placed on top of the substrate around the rooted stem of an aquatic plant, they serve to weight it down and protect it from digging fish. If left in the tank for long periods, the rocks have the ability to culture algae on their surfaces, which causes them to blend in with their surroundings and thus acts as a primitive form of camouflage.

For those who are cheapskates like me...or who simply prefer a natural approach over unnecessary complication ...rocks offer an extremely attractive alternative answer to a simple question. :)
 

Fishman Dave

Potamotrygon
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Nov 14, 2015
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Even as a kid, with my first aquarium back in the 1960's, I was told by my father to not handle those lead strips too much because they might be dangerous...and he was no scientist. I have never used them longterm in my tanks.

I guess I am lucky to live in Canada, where we are blessed with the presence of unusual natural mineral formations known locally as "rocks". These can be found outdoors, often just lying around on the ground! In fact, I have in my back field a huge pile of these things, probably 60 feet long, 30 feet wide and 10 feet tall. They vary in size, shape and colour; local folklore insists that they were hand-collected by our pioneer forebears and artificially arranged in this odd manner for some arcane reason. Personally, I believe that this is a natural phenomenon, perhaps some sort of breeding colony.

These rocks are quite dense and heavy, and if a couple are placed on top of the substrate around the rooted stem of an aquatic plant, they serve to weight it down and protect it from digging fish. If left in the tank for long periods, the rocks have the ability to culture algae on their surfaces, which causes them to blend in with their surroundings and thus acts as a primitive form of camouflage.

For those who are cheapskates like me...or who simply prefer a natural approach over unnecessary complication ...rocks offer an extremely attractive alternative answer to a simple question. :)
All valid for some.
But rocks are quite crap at weighting down plants like valis which propagate by runners sent out under the gravel and up to the surface of the gravel and rocks come with a fundamental design flaw.
If my plant takes up a 1/2 “ square and my rocks to hold it in place take up a 6” square I think we can quickly see that I will have a tank full of rocks rather than a planted tank very quickly. If my plants can’t grow because of all the rocks it sort of defeats the object somewhat.
Think I’ll stick to my use of lead strips and foam.
I am unaware that I am suffering from lead poisoning from handling them (although my logic does go skewy now and again), and l would like to think that the water changes I do negate any heavy metal poisoning I may be subjecting on my fish.
 
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