Seaweed contain lead??????

[Fishingandreefing]

So it’s well known that seaweed contain lead and heavy metal, just more less in what brand you buy. Does it really hurt our reef or fish?

I personally being eating and feeding the tangs for years but just want to hear from you guys.

At some point I was feeding them lettuce but then there’s possible pesticides , can’t win lol

 

[Dan_P]

So it’s well known that seaweed contain lead and heavy metal, just more less in what brand you buy. Does it really hurt our reef or fish?

I personally being eating and feeding the tangs for years but just want to hear from you guys.

At some point I was feeding them lettuce but then there’s possible pesticides , can’t win lol

Never heard about this. What information about seaweed are you referring to?

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

Yeah...I haven't heard anyone voice that concern before...I'm sure there are trace amounts of heavy metals in some ocean harvested seaweeds but I don't think it's a particular concern (or not one I'm aware of or have ever heard about). If you believe all natural seaweed contains lead and other heavy metals, then that would be their diet in the wild (in modern times at least), right? As for lettuce, if you're really worried about the seaweed containing heavy metals in high concentrations, buy organic lettuce grown without the use of pesticides. I'd personally consider that an overreaction and it would probably be pretty expensive but if it gives you a sound mind, go for it.

 

[Nano_Man]

Seaweed a lot of companies use seaweed for health products if there was high levels I would say they wouldn’t be able to use it . I have seaweed in my tanks and had no problems. But maybe other members might have more information on the subject

 

[DED65]

All of our food sources are contaminated with something. Some are natural and others are synthetic. The amount of contamination really depends on where and how they are sourced. Organic doesn’t mean the product is grown without pesticides, just that the pesticides are supposed to be natural and not synthetic, but that trust is in the producers hands.

 

[livinlifeinBKK]

All of our food sources are contaminated with something. Some are natural and others are synthetic. The amount of contamination really depends on where and how they are sourced. Organic doesn’t mean the product is grown without pesticides, just that the pesticides are supposed to be natural and not synthetic, but that trust is in the producers hands.

I don't know where he buys his lettuce or it's source but I'd definitely assume that natural pesticides wouldn't cause extensive harm to his fish. I wasn't actually equating "organic" with 100% "pesticide free" btw but I understand how it was easily interpreted that way. I'm sure there actually are small farms who don't use any pesticides natural or synthetic out there but that's beside the point. Regardless of any of this, I don't think that the lives of OP needs to be too concerned about his fish ingesting pesticides from lettuce with just a bit of care in what lettuce he buys (probably not heavy metals from seaweed either but again, I'm not very knowledgeable on that specific topic).

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Seaweed will likely contain some amount of every element in seawater, which is every element. Noting some is there is not going to be useful to interpret. If one has a measurement then perhaps it can be assessed.

California has some extreme warning systems, such as Prop 65. This company details levels and how that triggers Prop 65 for seaweed.

Maine Coast Sea Vegetables - Prop 65

We understand that the Proposition 65 warning labels found on our products, and on many, many other products in the marketplace, can raise concerns and we welcome any questions you might have. We will answer them clearly and forthrightly, based on the science and the available data. We want...

seaveg.com

 

[Fishingandreefing]

Here. Figure I double check here

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Here. Figure I double check here

I see no reason for concern about reefing foods and lead.

Regardless of anything feed to a reef tank, it is almost unheard of for folks to see problematic lead levels in a reef tank by ICP. I do not recall seeing any such report.