Help with aquarium plant weights!!

[SteffeyJ]

Hello all!!
I am curious, has anyone ever had shrimp die because of a plant weight??
I know some I've gotten from a LFS are not magnetic and I am wondering if they have lead in them.
I have lost the occasional shrimp or few when I had a piece of cholla wood weighted down by these plant weights. Also had other plants weighted down by the same weights...
And I did lose a couple quite inexplicably...
The only thing I can come up with is the weights.
And since I removed them from the small 3.5 gallon shrimp only tank, the shrimp there Have THRIVED!!
with zero losses!! *knock on wood*

So just curious, has anyone ever had any issues with any plant weights and shrimp??
I believe I am going to stop using them.. just because I am so uncertain..

Any input is appreciated!! thank you!!

 

[Autumnsky]

In my tanks I was worried about them previously and was told they are zinc??? Not sure. Old ones were made with lead, and maybe in other countries they have less standards or oversight on things and could be. I decided to stop using them and use a stone to hold a big plant in place.

A helpful hint is to insert a stem plant into the substrate at a 45 degree angle, and separate a bunch with at least a half inch and maybe an inch (or more) depending upon the size of the leaves and branching nature, between stems.

And if you are using fert caps or tabs to insert also at a bit of an angle and also at least 2 inches or 3".

Since metals are often issues for the shrimp especially, I was scared off from them.

Shrimp thrive after a tank gains stability and matures, and it is possible that around the 6 months to a year point, people usually find breeding to kick in. A brand new tank has no biofilm. A staple food of shrimp. And aufwuchs which are microscopic and teeny plants and organisms which build up with a matured tank.

 

[SteffeyJ]

Thanks for the reply!!
I was using the weights in the shrimp tank to hold down a piece of cholla wood! And since removing it, the shrimp are all over it!! So it definitely made a difference!! Bin the community tank, i wrapped java fern onto cholla wood with one of the plant weights.. and have since removed it, thankfully the roots or rhizome or whatever is large enough to hold in place..
I think I will steer clear of them from now on though!!
And glad I am not the only one who is unsure about them and their contents lol..
Better to be safe, rather than sorry....
Right?