Uh oh... led push light fell in skimmer...

[R6REEFER]

So my tank has been up and running for about 3 days now with salt and sand. Tank finally cleared up last night and i wake up to a stupid little adhesive led light floating in my sump. I've never dropped anything corossive in a tank before so I don't necessarily know what to do in this type of situation. Should I just disregard it beings as the tank still has to go through a cycle? Doesn't seem to be a big deal to me I just want to verify it will be alright. I don't really have the resources to do something like a 50% waterchange so that's not really an option.

 

[steelheader.262]

I don't think its a big deal if it was only in there for a few hours.

 

[R6REEFER]

I would say it was there for at least 6 hours, the batteries were already corroding with an awful smell.

 

[AlexG]

I would consider dumping some carbon into the system. There might not be much in the system for it to absorb but if there is anything floating around it might help out. How big is this system? If needed what % water change are you able to do?

 

[steelheader.262]

Wow, that bad!!!

 

[R6REEFER]

Total of about 160 gallons. I can do a 20% and I don't have any carbon right now. I really don't want to waste the salt beings as I just mixed it. I would think by the time the tank is ready for livestock (1 1/2 months) whatever was in the water would be long gone, especially after a cycle. Wouldn't you think?

 

[Lab_Adam]

Bad stuff won't leave your tank unless exported.

 

[Justiful]

Those are alkaline batteries. You are fine. If they had been lithium you would need to do a 100% water change, and ditch the sand, Scrub the tank and everything in it and start over.

Alkaline batteries are neither corrosive or toxic waste. Is it good to drop them in water? No. But it should have no significant effects on your water. The batteries hit the water and started electrolysis. There is no mercury in Alkaline batteries anymore, so that is not a worry. In the volume of water you have there will be no discernible change in chemistry from what was released.

So what was the red stuff? Oxidized copper probably. It was not the dreaded and non-existent battery acid in alkaline batteries.

 

[R6REEFER]

Thanks man, huge relief. Yeah, super glad they weren't lithium haha, I just bought that sand and salt plus the water bill for 160 gallons of RODI!