metal in fish tanks?

**karbomb** · 02-06-2008, 12:24 AM

i am an art student, and my focus is metal casting.
i was wondering if anyone knows if bronze can be safely put in an aquarium.
i am also wondering if anyone knows of any fish that can do ok in an aquarium with iron in it. the iron will rust in water. so i am wondering if anyone knows of a fish that will live or thrive in these conditions
also if anyone knows if plants would live in either of these environments.

**Algenco** · 02-06-2008, 12:27 AM

bronze might be a problem because of the copper. Iron is good for plants in small amounts

**karbomb** · 02-06-2008, 12:28 AM

what about large amounts of iron?
the bronze we use is 96% copper.
are there any fish that can handle large amounts of copper?

**Pr0eve** · 02-06-2008, 12:31 AM

copper NO

Rust is a poison. so I would have to say no...

**karbomb** · 02-06-2008, 12:34 AM

i guess if it is a huge no then does anyone know of any species, however rare that maybe thrive in either of these conditions?
like the nano fish that lives in a ph of 3, which would kill almost any other fish.

**cocoa_pleco** · 02-06-2008, 01:00 AM

some cheap fish like feeder guppies could maybe handle it but i just wouldnt try it

**Levi** · 02-06-2008, 01:13 AM

usually metal is a bad idea

maybe if you dipped it in aquarium sealant first

**jbeining75** · 02-06-2008, 01:13 AM

the toxins are gonna be to high, anything like copper, zinc, and iron in large quantities will severly hurt the fish....

**muffin** · 02-06-2008, 02:03 AM

The copper in the bronze is definitely not going to be good for both fish and plants..

Rust is a reaction between iron and oxygen. For that reason alone I think it will be a bad idea of putting something in the tank that will be competing for oxygen with the fish that are supposed to live there...

That's just my two cents

**jb300m01** · 02-06-2008, 02:11 AM

Carp can survive, but I don't think you'd want a carp in your fish tank. I live in an area full of acid mine drainage and the water has a high iron loading and I only see carp. The water is a nice shade of orange too!