are old nz 50,20,10,5,2 and 1 cent coins safe for auqariums?

I think the copper ones are bad.. I remember people telling me they used to stick them in their tank to get rid of snails and things.

They release copper ions.

if they get rid of snails thats good but I don't want them to harm the fish

they look real neat so would coating them with something ,say varnish, stop the copper irons from leeching

They were used as a source of copper and were removed when the snails left the water to escape the copper. Used to treat whitespot and velvet. I wouldn't use them. It is a bit like puting a bottle of poison in there and hoping the cork does not come loose.

are silver or gold coins ok?

would copper ones still be fine if coated in varnish?

Do you want them in there just for ornamental purposes, or do you want to kill snails? I don't know how safe they will be. I think you should just buy some stuff to kill the snails that is aquarium-safe instead of risking your fishes' lives. Also if you just want them as ornaments, why do you want them in the tank? Can't you just store them in an envelope and look at them whenever you want to? Or put them on your shelf? Personally I think it is best to keep an aquarium as natural as possible, because it looks FAR better and the inhabitants will be happier

Send the gold ones to me and I will replace them with safe ones.

Send the gold ones to me and I will replace them with safe ones.

Would they be edible by any chance? :lol:

Only if you have a thing about eating plastic.

they were for ornimental purposes but I wont use the copper ones, the silver shouldnt leech anything

I still think you shouldn't use any oraments. From experience I have found you will get much more pleasure out of your tank if you keep stuff natural

each to their own joe

the gold and silver ones contain a mix of metals

I would think the silver ones would kill the bacterium in the tank/filter. ie bad.

don't think there is much silver in them

I thought they were nickel coated, nickel poisoning can cause blindness in humans.

Australian 1 and 2 dollar coins are made from 92 percent copper, 6 percent aluminium and 2 percent nickel, I expect our coins to be similar.

Sorry to be blunt, but how about just NO, not a good idea. In my "book". metal of any kind (including lead weights that come with bunched plants) in an aquarium is a big no no.

Lead weights are not a problem. Given their half life they are not about to decay in your aquarium even if you do no water changes for the next 100 years and live to tell the tale.

I hold my cucumber down using a lead fishing sinker. Others use them to weigh down driftwood that refuses to sink.

not a problem

now only have 3 decor items

-driftwood

-rock cave (made from river rocks and silicone sealant)

- glass bottle ( not sure what it contained but it was from a long time ago!, washed and safe)

and of course the plants!