How Bad Is it?

[Kleko]

If something bad can happen it will. I was soldering a broken bond on my lights above my tank. There is a 2inch slot that isn't covered by glass... It wont fall in there! A drop of solder fell into that slot and into my tank. I tried to fish it out with the net and it got buried into the sand. I took a bunch of sand out of that general area. I couldn't find it, but i might have not seen it in the sand I pulled out. Anyway, how bad is it if the solder is still in there?
Thanks

 

[Poseidon]

your whole tank is going to going to overload with toxins and die
the materials that make up that piece of solder are highly poisonous...  they contain a chemical called cyclotianoxide and it can cause a horse to die if it ingests a mere 2 ml of the stuff....

hers a link...!!

www.toxicpoisons/ultra-deadly-common-toxins/soldermetal/guillable/joke.




haha im just yanking yur chain i have absolutely no idea  ;D

 

[unibob]

you may be in for some trouble. Old solder contains lead which is highly poisonous. New solder is mostly tin and copper which will also cause problems.

Plumbing solder is worse health wise compared to electronic solder.

Did you use acid flux before soldering?


I would try to find that chunk.

 

[unibob]

I'm not saying your tank is doomed, I just don't think anyone here will disagree that copper and lead are bad for salt talks lol

 

[Poseidon]

oh... so it really is bad... makes my attempt at a joke look kinda stupid :/

 

[Salty Cracker]

Is anything they put in solder nowadays magnetic?  (I don't think so but maybe)

 

[unibob]

Is anything they put in solder nowadays magnetic?  (I don't think so but maybe)

Don't think so, but who knows. Must be something in the Chinese like as they sit in mounds of circuit boards melting all the solder off :s

 

[Kleko]

The solder is for electric wiring and is brand new. Its silver bearing, lead free. How long do I have to get it out before issues arise? I'm busy till 10:00 tonight.

 

[dale]

you will prob b allright, jst try to find it,. ,if you dont, i would use carbon to take out any chems that may leach FROM NOW ON... /./ , my guess that if its siver bearing it is prob pretty stable but will slowly degrade, thats where the carbon comes in., but i doubt if anything will leach fast enough to to affect anything in your tank. /., a couple waterchanges soon and sooner couldnt hurt either.,  ., of course this is my opinion, and i have not done extensive studies.,., but let us know how it turns out,,, just dont have a stroke.,, i think you will be ok.... 8)

 

[Neopimp]

I would bet that u have absolutely nothing to worry about.  But I can't say for certain.  It will not crash your inside a couple hours or even days if you ask me. 

I got no evidence except I did the same thing on my 46 gal and had no issues arise with anything that was in the tank.  Young tank though so I can't say 100 percent

 

[unibob]

So copper is the next thing I wonder if it has in it, the sooner the better IMO, but just take a peek when you get home.

 

[unibob]

+1 to Carbon if you can, and do a water change.

 

[Bill@IA]

Sorry to hear of your dilemma.

Carbon is great for removing soluble organics..but copper, chelated or otherwise, and many metals, are not soluble is Saltwater because the pH is too high. Lowering the pH in your saltwater aquarium to 6 to make them so, isn't a good idea.

If you are concerned about contamination, your best bet is to filter your saltwater with ChemiPure, Cuprisorb or Poly BioMarine's PolyFilter. The PolyFilter actually turns blue when Copper is detected and removed.

 

[Neopimp]

Yes what bill said. 

 

[unibob]

If you are concerned about contamination, your best bet is to filter your saltwater with ChemiPure, Cuprisorb or Poly BioMarine's PolyFilter. The PolyFilter actually turns blue when Copper is detected and removed.

Good to know for in the future. Thanks Bill

 

[Victoss]

If it's lead free then it may be Tin-Silver-Copper solder. It may be another type as well but that (I believe) is the more common type. So there is a chance there could be some copper in it. Another thing to note is that it probably has a rosin flux core too. I'm not sure the effects rosin flux has in water (there is normal flux and water soluble flux)  so I would try to remove it when possible.

 

[Kleko]

This is the stuff, New opinions based on this solder?
http://www.google.ca/imgres?q=bernzomatic+solder&um=1&hl=en&sa=N&biw=1280&bih=923&tbm=isch&tbnid=7GaMq9w46XtUjM:&imgrefurl=http://www.wahardware.com.au/flux-core-solder/4760-bernzomatic-src300-solder-rosin-flux-core-3-oz-spool--70042196665.html&docid=qM7ROmGKE8kKtM&imgurl=http://www.wahardware.com.au/4760-3809-large/bernzomatic-src300-solder-rosin-flux-core-3-oz-spool-.jpg&w=300&h=300&ei=D8VlUK2lOuTm0QGw9IHACA&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=508&vpy=317&dur=1294&hovh=225&hovw=225&tx=153&ty=117&sig=118011527948496233538&page=1&tbnh=126&tbnw=164&start=0&ndsp=33&ved=1t:429,r:15,s:0,i:118
Long link

 

[spyd]

According to the MSDS it contains tin and copper dust. It is the copper that raises the concern. However, I think Chemipure might be a good idea to run. It will take a long time to breakdown in your tank so I don't think you have to worry too much. Try your best to find it if you can. Unfortunately, there is nothing magnetic in solder. Depending on the tin that they use (white or grey), there may be a slight chance that using a magnet to find it may work, but highly unlikely.

 

[Petercar (RIP Dec 2017)]

Get a kitty litter scoop unless the gaps is to big. It might fall thru

 

[Kleko]

I've taken allot of sand out chances are im not going to find it. I will likely get some of the chemi pure. With the carbon reactor help?