Razor Blade Lost In Tank!!!!

[SaltWaterDave]

My brother was using a razor blade to scrape off some coralline and it fell out of his grip in the process. The powerhead blew it behind his rocks and he can't find it. He's been trying to fish it out with a magnet for the past week, but has had no luck.

My question is will this razor blade in the tank start to rust and mess things up for him?

He doesn't want to have to dismantle his whole tank to find it, but if that's what it will tank then we just might have to do it.

Any input would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[Reef lvr]

It will rust away, but i would worry about a fish swimming into it..

 

[H2O]

yeah u need it out rust will kill your coral over time . get a bigger magnet that might help.

 

[swannyson7]

I've had it happen a few times over the years and I've never had a problem afterwards.

 

[Reef lvr]

yeah u need it out rust will kill your coral over time . get a bigger magnet that might help.

Its ok, GFO is basically rust lol

 

[bct15]

The issue would be if the razor blade is made of stainless steel, which is not magnetic and also contains copper...

 

[subielover]

I would get it out, if for no other reason than peace of mind.

 

[Reef lvr]

The issue would be if the razor blade is made of stainless steel, which is not magnetic and also contains copper...

Good point!

 

[slapshot]

It is stainless. It will take time but I would get it out. I had a penny crash my tank once. Granted a penny has more copper but I would not take a chance.

 

[SaltWaterDave]

Thanks for all the replies. Seems like there are some mixed reviews about what to do. I know the particular razor blades we use are magnetic as I have dropped one before and used the magfloat to pick it back up. I know GFO is basically rust and it doesn't hurt the tanks. I guess we'll just keep trying to fish it out, but in the time being we're going to break down his tank. I'll tell him to continue to monitor his levels and see if any ill effects happen.

 

[nixer]

The issue would be if the razor blade is made of stainless steel, which is not magnetic and also contains copper...

typically the same amount as regular steel

 

[tnyr5]

I've got a way to find it. It starts with rolling up your sleeve and ends with "ow"

 

[Giancarlo]

Agreed, dive right in there man!

 

[tnyr5]

Dunno how similar rust, FeO, and gfo, Fe2O3, really are. Maybe a chemist could chime in...

 

[_sludgefactory]

I wouldn't worry about it. I have hose clamps in my sump for years now and no problems. They've actually crusted over with coraline and other organisms they've been in there so long.

Sent from my LG-P999 using Tapatalk

 

[SaltWaterDave]

I've got a way to find it. It starts with rolling up your sleeve and ends with "ow"

We've both had our hands in there trying to find out and no luck. Last night we even got one of those mechanice extendable magnets to stick behind the rocks and in the crevaces and still didn't get it.

 

[subielover]

How big is the tank? Can't you just move the rock?

 

[Paul B]

Leave the thing in there and I guarantee, nothing will happen. Your fish will also no longer have a five oclock shadow.
That much iron will do nothing and may actually be beneficial. I have enough Iron in my tank to build an Oldsmobile.
A 1959 Oldsmobile which was huge. :angel:

 

[SaltWaterDave]

How big is the tank? Can't you just move the rock?

It's a 50g breeder with about 70lbs-80lbs of rock in it. It's not that easy to just move the rock due to all the corals and such being on them. He also has a multicolor BTA that's attached to two different rocks and he doens't want to rip its foot by pulling the rocks apart.

 

[Steve175]

I had a similar issue (screw from a light pendant), did a search on RC which suggested no issue and reminded me that many (including myself) have had in-sump pumps with screws that rust) with no issue, I had no issue, and if I were you and tank is not tiny, I would not stress about it.