Carbide tip in the tank!

IPT · Apr 11, 2023

So, I was drilling some rocks to make holes to place new frags. Well, along the way I notice the spade tip of a drill bit is gone! I used a magnet in the rubble, and ran it over all of the holes. I even re-drilled some of them today to see if I could go deeper - no luck finding the tip! So it might be in the tank, but I don't know. it might have fallen out as I was rinsing the rocks.

My plan, I guess, is too wait and see. I figure I could get an ICP test now to see my baselines and then follow up in 6 months. It's quite possible it broke off and got dumped out with some of waste water I was using in a 5 gal bucket to rinse the rocks. I figure if it's an issue and I see corals reacting I can get the water re-tested and see if something shows up

Open to thoughts and suggestions......

Randy Holmes-Farley · Apr 12, 2023

IPT said:
So, I was drilling some rocks to make holes to place new frags. Well, along the way I notice the spade tip of a drill bit is gone! I used a magnet in the rubble, and ran it over all of the holes. I even re-drilled some of them today to see if I could go deeper - no luck finding the tip! So it might be in the tank, but I don't know. it might have fallen out as I was rinsing the rocks.

My plan, I guess, is too wait and see. I figure I could get an ICP test now to see my baselines and then follow up in 6 months. It's quite possible it broke off and got dumped out with some of waste water I was using in a 5 gal bucket to rinse the rocks. I figure if it's an issue and I see corals reacting I can get the water re-tested and see if something shows up

Open to thoughts and suggestions......

It is likely OK. If you knew which hole it was in, sealing the hole with epoxy might slow any dissolution of the metals in it. But since you do not, I wouldn't worry about it.

IPT · Apr 12, 2023

Randy Holmes-Farley said:
It is likely OK. If you knew which hole it was in, sealing the hole with epoxy might slow any dissolution of the metals in it. But since you do not, I wouldn't worry about it.

I was hoping you would chime in. Yeah, I do not know what hole it's in - dang it. I though about doing the epoxy thing, but where to start..... I'll get an ICP as a baseline, watch the tank and retest in 6 months or if stuff looks off. It's always something.

Thanks for chiming in.