Mantis emergency

Docbones

New member
Ok my mantis just decided he did not like my thermometer and whacked it i now have little metal balls in the sand bed.....what do i do? Should i worry bout this being harmful?
 
Those "little metal balls" are usually made of lead, so I would suggest you get them out ASAP. I really can't be 100% certain of what they're made of, but I would get them out for peace of mind.
 
It is very important to determine whether you have lead shot or mercury in the tank. Many hydrometers and hydometer/thermometer combinations have lead shot. Old thermometers had mercury. If the spheres are all the same size, sold and grey, you have lead shot. It is somewhat toxic, partly because of impurities such as arsnic. You should scope out the gravel or sand in the area removing as many as possible.

If the spheres are different sized, liquid and silver, you have mercury. Mercury is now considered extremely dangerous to people and you should not come in contact with it. (I know, as a kid I used to rub it on dimes to make them silver, but I probably lost several million nerve cells in the process.) It is extremely difficult to get all of the mercury out of a gravel bed, but you should. I've had many mercury thermometers broken over the years by stomatopods and it is really a pain.

Roy
 
It was lead and i gt it all scopped out i hope, and odered a digital thermometer that has the metal probe today , dont reall like the ones that stick to the outside of the tank.


And i use to break my moms thermomters when i was a kid cause the mercury was so cool to play with.
 
Uh,oh...

I have had three lead accident, I guess. Time to scoop sand/gravel in Baron's and Hydra's tanks...Grrr..


-Ron
 
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