Heavy metal danger or overreacting?

[ryshark]

My latest tank build is happening now which is a 120-gallon. The goal is for it be 100% acropora, I’m striving for the success I had years ago In previous tanks but haven’t been able to duplicate in my current 66-gallon, so I’m rebooting with a bigger tank. This time I’m going with majority live rock, although I did order some nice looking dry ancient Florida calcium carbonate reef rock too.
I filled my new tank up with saltwater and put in the dry rock (I’m waiting for my live rock). A week after I put the dry rock in I noticed something coming out of one rock. It looks like a small piece of gray metal or a dark pebble or something, but it’s surrounded within the limestone. I stared another thread in reef discussions whether this is normal or not, but now I’m pretty sure it’s not.
I tend to be a bit on the paranoid reactionary side so I pulled it out of my tank today. If I’m going for an acro tank I don’t want any heavy metals in there, even though I have no clue what it actually is. Then I started Googling and thinking of worst case scenarios in my own head (another bad tendency of mine). If this gray thing happens to be some radioactive metal mined from the earth, such as Uranium or something (I’m completely ignorant on this subject) am I already doomed in having a successful sps tank from the start? Should I run some kind of something to get heavy metal out as a precaution or drain the tank and start over before I get my live rock? Should I stop my kids from helping me and getting the water on them, although I hope they’re not as sensitive as acros. The total surface area of this gray thing is about the size of a dime in one spot, I attached a pic of it wet when I pulled the rock out of the tank and it’s in another spot too but only a spec of it there, I didn’t take a pic of that spec.

 

[road_runner]

My latest tank build is happening now which is a 120-gallon. The goal is for it be 100% acropora, I’m striving for the success I had years ago In previous tanks but haven’t been able to duplicate in my current 66-gallon, so I’m rebooting with a bigger tank. This time I’m going with majority live rock, although I did order some nice looking dry ancient Florida calcium carbonate reef rock too.
I filled my new tank up with saltwater and put in the dry rock (I’m waiting for my live rock). A week after I put the dry rock in I noticed something coming out of one rock. It looks like a small piece of gray metal or a dark pebble or something, but it’s surrounded within the limestone. I stared another thread in reef discussions whether this is normal or not, but now I’m pretty sure it’s not.
I tend to be a bit on the paranoid reactionary side so I pulled it out of my tank today. If I’m going for an acro tank I don’t want any heavy metals in there, even though I have no clue what it actually is. Then I started Googling and thinking of worst case scenarios in my own head (another bad tendency of mine). If this gray thing happens to be some radioactive metal mined from the earth, such as Uranium or something (I’m completely ignorant on this subject) am I already doomed in having a successful sps tank from the start? Should I run some kind of something to get heavy metal out as a precaution or drain the tank and start over before I get my live rock? Should I stop my kids from helping me and getting the water on them, although I hope they’re not as sensitive as acros. The total surface area of this gray thing is about the size of a dime in one spot, I attached a pic of it wet when I pulled the rock out of the tank and it’s in another spot too but only a spec of it there, I didn’t take a pic of that spec.

As long ad the metal is out I would not worry about it. By time anything this metal have leached behind will be out by the water changes.

 

[Dan_P]

How did you determine it was a metal or metal ore?

 

[ryshark]

How did you determine it was a metal or metal ore?

I didn’t, I said, “I don’t want any heavy metals in there even though I have no clue what it actually is” I also said, “ if it happens to be” There’s no way for me to know what it really is.

 

[Silver14SS]

You could do an ICP test if you’re concerned that it left something in the water.

 

[Dan_P]

I didn’t, I said, “I don’t want any heavy metals in there even though I have no clue what it actually is” I also said, “ if it happens to be” There’s no way for me to know what it really is.

OK thanks.

 

[Paul B]

Put something over it so you don't see it and go out to dinner and have a nice glass of Merlot. Thats what I do and never had any problems.

 

[Silver14SS]

Put something over it so you don't see it and go out to dinner and have a nice glass of Merlot. Thats what I do and never had any problems.

And if you’re really lucky, you’ll actually forget about it!

 

[Rjukan]

Check if its magnetic.

Would be cool if it's a meteorite, embedded in ancient coral reef. $$$

 

[ryshark]

You could do an ICP test if you’re concerned that it left something in the water.

I will eventually

 

[ryshark]

That's what my

 

[ryshark]

Put something over it so you don't see it and go out to dinner and have a nice glass of Merlot. Thats what I do and never had any problems.

And if you’re really lucky, you’ll actually forget about it!

That's what my wife says. She's the opposite of me, I told her about it and she couldn't care less, meanwhile my mind makes up stories like what if my tank is emitting gamma rays and radon gas into the room AND will never grow acros. I hope the chemist @Randy Holmes-Farley chimes in.

 

[ryshark]

Check if its magnetic.

Would be cool if it's a meteorite, embedded in ancient coral reef. $$$

I never thought of that, its definitely embedded in there. I'll have to find a good magnet; maybe my glass cleaner! Would be interesting to see if its magnetic, whether meteorite or not.

 

[ryshark]

According to my ICP I was overreacting, I chose this company because they test for uranium and they are quick. I know my salinity is not reef ready yet, I’ll bring that up before I add the live rock 28ppt is about what my refractometer also shows.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

According to my ICP I was overreacting, I chose this company because they test for uranium and they are quick. I know my salinity is not reef ready yet, I’ll bring that up before I add the live rock 28ppt is about what my refractometer also shows.

They test for enriched or weapons grade uranium like for N. Korea needs? You could mine the uranium and make some $ to pay for frags.