I set up the tank for my African Dwarf Frogs today and when I put the thermometer in I noticed the temperature was just staying at 80 degrees. I tried shaking it down to 70 but it was really difficult. My question is do mercury thermometers go down as the temperature gets colder? Or do you have to keep shaking it?
I am almost 15; born into a digital thermometer world lol so I dont know much about the mercury ones.
2007-06-22 16:11:18 · 8 answers · asked by ? 5 in Pets ➔ Fish
Its a thermometer I bought at Petsmart for an aquarium.
2007-06-22 16:20:12 · update #1
It'll be OK without shaking it down,the only thermometers that need to be shaken are fever thermometers that have a little crook in the tube so the reading doesn't change after the Doctor pulls it out.
2007-06-22 16:16:13 · answer #1 · answered by PeeTee 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'd still use it as long as I'm confident that I could keep it from getting broken. If it's stored so that only adults could get at them, and you're careful when you're handling it, it's hard to argue against continuing to use it. The old mercury thermometers are accurate, and perfectly safe as long as they don't get broken. On the other hand, once they are broken, loose mercury is nasty stuff. If you have small kids visiting, though, it may be best to ditch the thermometers. There's a risk they'll do something to break the thermometer. Unfortunately, free liquid mercury is unthreatening, pretty to look at, fascinating to play with, and seriously poisonous over time, and kids if unsupervised will likely do things like play with it or worse eat it thus drastically increasing their exposure.
2016-05-18 00:12:11 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Actually, I think you should get rid of your mercury thermometer. If it breaks, you have a hazardous waste situation with potential cleanup!
Anyway, my brother tells me that there are two types of mercury thermometers. A maximum thermometer or fever thermometer is the shake down type. Then there is a regular thermometer which does not need shaking. Hard to know for sure what you have, but I would suspect that it is not a shake down one due to the effort you needed to get it down. He thinks the bulb got chilled from shaking it which is why it went down.
2007-06-22 16:19:55 · answer #3 · answered by CarbonDated 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Yes, they do go down as the temperature gets colder. If you shake it, it'll just be inaccurate. Wait for the thermometer to rise/lower on its own.
~ZTM
2007-06-22 17:26:02 · answer #4 · answered by ZooTycoonMaster 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It would depend on the thermometer. Where did you get it? Is it the kind you get in the medicine cabinet, or one for weather or did it come from the pet store? If it came from the pet store or is a weather thermometer, it will not need to be shaken.
2007-06-22 16:16:46 · answer #5 · answered by mysticallangelle 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sorry 22, i never knew that myself about the shaking, my mom ahd one when i was little but thats all i remeber. oh and "mercury" thermometers are actaully alcohol filled, i know tomato tomatao
2007-06-22 16:32:10 · answer #6 · answered by michael_j_p_42503 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
if im correct mercury and digital are the best ones and the most acurate than the mercury substitute ones so its telling the correct temperature
2007-06-22 16:18:59 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
u can buy a aquariam thermometer
2007-06-22 17:05:52 · answer #8 · answered by xavier 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋