Thermometer Killed My Fish
Suzanne617
I recently bought three glo-fish (glofish.com) and brought them home.
I added them to my 10-gallon aquarium which, until then, only housed
one beautiful male betta. (A few snails, too, which still seem to be
fine.)
Within 24 hours, one glo-fish had died. Within 48 hours, a second had
died, and my betta didn't look very good. Within 72 hours, the third
glo-fish and my betta were dead.
Of course, my first thought was that these glo-fish were infected with
something awful, although the fish still at the store were fine, and
no other customers were bringing back dead glo-fish.
When I scooped the last two dead fish out of my aquarium, I noticed
that the very top of my thermometer was broken off. This was just
above water level, so some water could have conceivably leeched into
and back out of the thermometer.
The thermometer was one of these glass things that has a little
suction cup attached so you can stick it inside the aquarium on the
glass. (Bought at Wal-Mart. Don't remember the brand name.) I have no
idea how the thermometer glass got broken.
I'm wondering if anyone knows what's in these thermometers that might
have killed four fish. I've noticed some beads that could be lead in
the bottom of the thermometer, probably there to help that end of the
thermometer stay submerged.
Any comments? Ideas?
Of course I plan to completely empty out and clean the aquarium before
I use it again, but I'm wondering if I should throw away the gravel,
rocks, and fake plants -- could they have been affected, too? Or can I
reuse them?
I want to put the snails in my other aquarium for my snail-eating fish
and frog. Is that a bad idea?
Thanks for your comments,
Sue
Donna Camp
in a 2 gal Betta vase - it bumped into the acrylic top my husband cut for
me. Water got inside the thermometer; the thermometer actually sank to the
bottom of the vase. None of the weights or the fluid inside the thermometer
got out. That happened probably 3 months ago and the fish is fine.
Sorry for your loss. I hope someone can give you some ideas about what may
have happened.
Donna
carlrs
thermometers are non-toxic. The 'red' fluid you see is a glycerin
compound (which is a sugar and non-toxic). Mercury is toxic, however
it is silver and I have yet to see an aquarium thermometer with
mercury.
Your new fish may have brought in a virulent disease such as the
Sporozoan infection: Pleistophora hyphessobryconis.
http://aquarium-answers.blogspot.com/2007/02/neon-tetra-disease.html
I would also check all your water conditions to make sure there was
not a stress induced infection that may combined with an infection.
Knowing the water parameters of the new fish water could be helpful
(such as pH shock)
Carl
> > Sue- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
NetMax
Carl. I've had more than one break underwater with no distinquishable
effect on the fish.
~~
On Jun 14, 10:02 am, carlrs <c...@americanaquariumproducts.com> wrote:
> I wish I could blame this on your thermometer, but I cannot. These
> thermometers are non-toxic. The 'red' fluid you see is a glycerin
> compound (which is a sugar and non-toxic). Mercury is toxic, however
> it is silver and I have yet to see an aquarium thermometer with
> mercury.
>
> Your new fish may have brought in a virulent disease such as the
> Sporozoan infection: Pleistophora hyphessobryconis.http://aquarium-answers.blogspot.com/2007/02/neon-tetra-disease.html
> > - Show quoted text -- Hide quoted text -
videoman
As far as why the glass may have broken I would say that certain
resonating energy could shatter glass. Such as the classic opera
singer, thermal shock, and/or a humanly/without tools or measuring
devices not detectable dynamic energy wave exposure. These all boil
down to fluctuating energy exposure, significantly rapidly changing
environmental factores. The latter is rare but I have had an
experience with my eyeglasses even when I was in the hospital and I
have a number of witnesses that when I was watching television in
there my left lens in my eyeglasses (and this experience is why I
NEVER get glass lenses anymore, only plastic now) spontaneously
shattered for the latter-mentioned reason and I had to have a small
shard of glass removed from my eye professionally to prevent damage.
The witnesses were spooked by it (thinking exorcism type stuff) but
when I talked to some knowledgeable people about it they brought up
the latter-mentioned explanation and I believe it and can see it
working as a valid explanation, in my head. Bottom line - glass can
shatter easily but I prefer all glass aquariums because in other ways
(such as the scratching-resistant qualities of all glass as opposed to
acrylic, etc.) they are more durable. Good luck all and later!
NetMax
object vibrates at). You can induce resonance by tapping an object.
A tuning fork is a good example, though I also pick ripe watermelon in
the store by the same method (lower note = more ripe). Once you know
the resonant frequency, you can play it back amplified, and now
instead of the object vibrating to an impact, it is vibrating with the
energy of the frequency (audio tone or mechanical vibration), and
depending on its construction, it may shatter (like a bridge with
soldiers goose-stepping, or a lens in glasses). It's caused by the
resonant frequency's wavelength being the size of the object or a
multiple of wavelengths, so the object tends to sync to the wavelength
(probably a poor explanation), but the point is that underwater, the
high frequencies which would shatter a glass thermometer would
probably never exist because the water would dampen it. Only low
frequencies travel well through water (and air, which is why foghorns
are the way they are ;~)
In the case of your glasses, I suspect they were too tight in the
frame (pre-stressed) and had a fault. In combination from a noise
which swept through the glasse's resonant frequency, the glass
popped. Very scary.. were they metal frames or plastic?
~~
> acrylic, etc.) they are more durable. Good luck all and later!- Hide quoted text -
Frank Bayne
videoman
On Jun 15, 4:35 pm, NetMax <computeral...@hotmail.com> wrote:
> The phenomena is the resonant frequency (the frequency which any
> object vibrates at). You can induce resonance by tapping an object.
> A tuning fork is a good example, though I also pick ripe watermelon in
> the store by the same method (lower note = more ripe). Once you know
> the resonant frequency, you can play it back amplified, and now
> instead of the object vibrating to an impact, it is vibrating with the
> energy of the frequency (audio tone or mechanical vibration), and
> depending on its construction, it may shatter (like a bridge with
> soldiers goose-stepping, or a lens in glasses). It's caused by the
> resonant frequency's wavelength being the size of the object or a
> multiple of wavelengths, so the object tends to sync to the wavelength
> (probably a poor explanation), but the point is that underwater, the
> high frequencies which would shatter a glass thermometer would
> probably never exist because the water would dampen it. Only low
> frequencies travel well through water (and air, which is why foghorns
> are the way they are ;~)
>
> In the case of your glasses, I suspect they were too tight in the
> frame (pre-stressed) and had a fault. In combination from a noise
> which swept through the glasse's resonant frequency, the glass
> popped. Very scary.. were they metal frames or plastic?
> ~~
>
They were metal frames. I would go plastic frames except they are not
aesthetic to me and in my opinion just make people look TOO nerdy even
when they don't want them to. Metal frame glasses seem to just look
better in my opinion and I like the ones with a nose bridge but
admittedly I couldn't afford those types of metal frames the last two
times I had to get new frames (I have been wearing glasses since about
15 years old and without them I am as blind as a bat so I wear them
almost all of the time). Right now sometime soon I am going to need to
go to the eyeglass office for a replacement nose pad. Good luck all
and later!
> On Jun 15, 3:41 pm, videoman <video...@ccountry.net> wrote:
Mister Gardener
> aesthetic to me and in my opinion just make people look TOO nerdy even
> when they don't want them to.
Thanks for the encouragement. I've been wearing eyeglasses for 50 years and
always metal frames. New pair on order will be my first plastic frames.
Round lenses. Tortoise shell.
>Metal frame glasses seem to just look
> better in my opinion and I like the ones with a nose bridge but
I went to plastic because metal frames without the nose bridge, (aviator
style), are impossible to find these days. I hate that bar across the top.
Makes them look like goggles worn by WWII aviators. Heh. Maybe that's why
they're called aviator frames.
It seems to be mostly on the weekends when we wander this far from the topic
of fishkeeping.
MG
Mister Gardener
> They were metal frames. I would go plastic frames except they are not
> aesthetic to me and in my opinion just make people look TOO nerdy even
> when they don't want them to.
Maybe you're right. Metal frames don't make people look nerdy. This being father's day, here's a picture of my dear old dad in 1930 wearing his not-nerdy wire frame glasses.
videoman
On Jun 17, 12:19 pm, "Mister Gardener" <mrgarde...@email.toast.net>
wrote:
> image001.jpg
> 27KViewDownload
I don't know if you intended to MG but your last 2 messages here come
across to me as being comedy oriented and cynical. LOL, he, he. To
further explain myself without being confusing - The metal frame
glasses that are my favorite are the style George Bush senior wears,
and I am far from liking the man himself though and I will refrain
from political and possible conspiracies comments. But man - I love
that style of eyeglasses.
Mister Gardener
> I don't know if you intended to MG but your last 2 messages here come
> across to me as being comedy oriented and cynical. LOL, he, he. To
> further explain myself without being confusing - The metal frame
> glasses that are my favorite are the style George Bush senior wears,
> and I am far from liking the man himself though and I will refrain
> from political and possible conspiracies comments. But man - I love
> that style of eyeglasses.
I am trying to bring a picture of the older Bush to mind, but can't recall. I'm familiar with the large, teardrop shaped lenses with the cross bar over the top, what I call "aviator" style. Then there are the kind worn by my father in 1930. And there are the little round John Lennon glasses, which he called "Nationals", because he said they were the only style that the UK national insurance would pay for. And Lennon, trying to embrace the cause of the working man hero, made that style quite popular.
Comedic? Cynical? Moi?
Did I tell you I got a brand new washing machine for Father's Day? Yes, I mean a clothes washing machine. It's pretty neat. It replaced my old washer which was my birthday present in 1982. Missus Gardener got a Volvo for her birthday that year.
MG
OK. I had to look him up. I still don't know what kind of glasses he wears.
