Sk8r
08/26/2015, 10:24 AM
Don't spook about it, in general, but try not to leave it there.
THE most dangerous metal you're likely to find in plumbing and tools is copper or brass or bronze (brass is copper and zinc, bronze is copper and tin plus (often) other metals). DO NOT use that. The 'soft' metals dissolve---seawater is very aggressive in that regard. Copper is poisonous. The ONLY reason it's used as a 'cure' is that it kills little things (parasites) faster than it kills fish, but it will kill fish. Lose something copper in a tank? Freakout. Do ANYTHING to find it. It will kill the tank right down to the cycling bacteria.
Iron or steel (iron with carbon) is pretty much a piffle. A razorblade lost? No big deal. It rusts. OTOH, it WILL rust, and that means any metal hoseclamp you used is going to rust and fail, and salt water will play hob with your tools, etc. Stainless, btw, is very slow to rust, which is why a stainless blade in a scraper will last.
I WILL go after something with a metal wrench, screwdriver, etc---but I'm VERY careful about any OIL on the wrench or screwdriver: oil of any kind in a tank is not good, even the oil natural on our hands, which is another reason to wear gloves. If you DO need to fasten something in saltwater, use fishing line, or garbage tie, etc. And use the potent magnet of your mag float to find the lost iron or steel item.
Aluminum---FAIRLY safe. I would not put it in the water---but it's not going to rust or dissolve readily. As, say, a light fixture base, no big problem.
Noble metals, eg, gold or silver jewelry---safe. Just don't leave them there. But safe to wear while in the tank.
Your waterproof watch---your call. I wouldn't trust the seal. Salt water is aggressive.
Your tv remote or child's truck? Several reasons to worry. Batteries are a no-no in salt water. They release nastiness. And copper figures in the contacts and boards. If this happens (and if you don't watch your toddler, it could) run PolyFilter. Polyfilter is the 'I don't know' cure. If anything really weird affects your tank, a strip of PolyFilter will diagnose it (it turns various colors) and better yet, absorb it, removing it from your water. [Don't ask me what connection toddlers see between a tv remote and your tank and your telly, except maybe they're hoping to change the channel in the tank and get different fish. Frustrated, they just throw in the towel---or your remote, as happens.]
HTH.
THE most dangerous metal you're likely to find in plumbing and tools is copper or brass or bronze (brass is copper and zinc, bronze is copper and tin plus (often) other metals). DO NOT use that. The 'soft' metals dissolve---seawater is very aggressive in that regard. Copper is poisonous. The ONLY reason it's used as a 'cure' is that it kills little things (parasites) faster than it kills fish, but it will kill fish. Lose something copper in a tank? Freakout. Do ANYTHING to find it. It will kill the tank right down to the cycling bacteria.
Iron or steel (iron with carbon) is pretty much a piffle. A razorblade lost? No big deal. It rusts. OTOH, it WILL rust, and that means any metal hoseclamp you used is going to rust and fail, and salt water will play hob with your tools, etc. Stainless, btw, is very slow to rust, which is why a stainless blade in a scraper will last.
I WILL go after something with a metal wrench, screwdriver, etc---but I'm VERY careful about any OIL on the wrench or screwdriver: oil of any kind in a tank is not good, even the oil natural on our hands, which is another reason to wear gloves. If you DO need to fasten something in saltwater, use fishing line, or garbage tie, etc. And use the potent magnet of your mag float to find the lost iron or steel item.
Aluminum---FAIRLY safe. I would not put it in the water---but it's not going to rust or dissolve readily. As, say, a light fixture base, no big problem.
Noble metals, eg, gold or silver jewelry---safe. Just don't leave them there. But safe to wear while in the tank.
Your waterproof watch---your call. I wouldn't trust the seal. Salt water is aggressive.
Your tv remote or child's truck? Several reasons to worry. Batteries are a no-no in salt water. They release nastiness. And copper figures in the contacts and boards. If this happens (and if you don't watch your toddler, it could) run PolyFilter. Polyfilter is the 'I don't know' cure. If anything really weird affects your tank, a strip of PolyFilter will diagnose it (it turns various colors) and better yet, absorb it, removing it from your water. [Don't ask me what connection toddlers see between a tv remote and your tank and your telly, except maybe they're hoping to change the channel in the tank and get different fish. Frustrated, they just throw in the towel---or your remote, as happens.]
HTH.