Black Eggs - Loach Caviar ? No ! Thermometer lead ! Duh !

[weird]

Is black hard rock like eggs common to any species (these egg-like things are lying on the bottom of the tank) ?

I have these in one my tanks, from a suspicious group ... but I don't want to jump to any conclusions.

I thought it was poo, but in my last 2 years I have never comes across poo like this. Another thing, they refuse to be vauccumed up. Also I tried squeezing one between my fingers to no avail. They are like small back ball bearings.

What is this, where did it come from ? a Mystery.

[kkiu]

broken thermometer?

glass thermometer has these little metal balls in them.

[Aurora]

are they stuck there, or just too heavy to be sucked up? It could be the metal balls from the thermometer if they are not stuck there. If they are stuck I have no idea.

[DiscusMad]

how big are your loches?

[kevkoi]

no chance of loach eggs...

I think u should check your thermometer too... LEAD weights. :lol:

[weird]

LOL !!!!!! I am an idiot ! It is the only tank too that has a lead therometer. I completely forgot that I was still using them...... what a pain to get out !

[DiscusMad]

its harder when its in sand

[weird]

:oops: :oops:

They are a major pain to get out. I will have to try moving them with the vacuum to a corner and scoop them out somehow.

No more red wine for me and posting on the discus forum I think. =)

I have managed with great pain to remove all the ones I can see.

So if they are lead how dangerous are they to the fish ? I am doing a 66% water change.

[kevkoi]

:lol: It's OK..... little tiny bits of lead is not going to harm your fish.

[kkiu]

I used a magnet to get them out when i had the same problem.
But I had a gravel tank at the time. It was fun picking out broken glass and the lead balls! :?

[Merrilyn]

A magnet won't pick up lead. Perhaps you had steel balls in your thermometer.

[Dave76]

I used a bit of airline to syphon them out when the same thing happened to me - now gone with electronic thermometers.

[weird]

It was a major pain I tell u ... hangover ... syphoning out the water (about 66% of it) ....sticking a plastic cover from a folder under the syphon and bringing it all up together without a gap forming ... gee I cursed like nothing else whilst doing it.

The battery went flat in my digital, and being time poor I just stuck an old glass one in until I went to an electronic/photo store ... anyway other things popped up and took priority and wot was a temp solution stayed longer than it ought to ... Never again ... I am throwing away all the glass ones.

LOL ... but I am thinking mercury must have leaked out cause the loaches are as mad as a hatter now ... cause they have never been happier. In the process of cleaning the tank I moved their log right next to another favourite hiding spot ... and they celbrated by doing crop dusting circles for 16 hours. Crazy.

Now that the guys have a tank to themselves, I was thinking about adding some small discus with them ... but 6 loaches in a small 3 foot tank is out of the question ... they need space between them and discus , so I am thinking going with an indonesian theme for the tank and will get some tiger barbs.