Absurdly Naive And Stupid Question...

[sonardish]

My girlfriend and I were talking about putting together a new tank involving rasporas, gold tetras, ottocats, and pygmy cories. Maybe a betta too.

Now here's the thing. I'm not just a geek, but a GEEK. One of my other hobbies is putting together low scale plastic Gundam kits. I was wondering what the rules were on putting non-intended ornaments in the tank, whether the materials would leech out and poison the fish or if the fish would attack/eat the models, etc. What are people's experiences in this regard, and how much trouble am I getting myself into?

 

[shelaghfishface]

hello

well depending on the material i think you could well find yourself in a lot of trouble.. even some terrocottas can cause harm, plastics certainly can ( tho which i dont know) i wouldnt use garden pots that are glazed- unless aquatic safe.. even some natural rocks n stones with play havoc with PH ..so yeah you should be carefull what you put in... there are tests for rocks and stones ( vinegar test- if it fizzes dont use) etc but as for plastics i guess you would have to look at the "ingredients" or research the material.. tho there are some pretty clever people on here and im sure they could help you decide on whats safe and whats not.. tho there is no general reply
sorry short and sweet, but i`m in the middle of cooking

someone will help explain shortly i bet.. oh and welcome to TFF
shelagh xxx

ps whats a low scale plastic Gundam kit?

 

[sonardish]

ps whats a low scale plastic Gundam kit?

1/144 to 1/100 scale plastic/rubber kits. No glue, stickers, paints, or metal pieces. I checked the type of plastic on wikipedia, but it didn't say anything about toxicity or solubility in water.

 

[drobbyb]

No paint? If it's pure plastic, I would say that it's probably safe.

On 2nd read I see that they are part rubber?

 

[sonardish]

No paint? If it's pure plastic, I would say that it's probably safe.

On 2nd read I see that they are part rubber?

Some of the joints have rubber seals, so that the piece can move. For a stable pose the rubber isn't necessary.

 

[fatheadminnow]

Plastic and rubber should be just fine in the tank. Rubber is what suction cups are made out of, like on out heaters. Plus, rubber does not break down in water unless it is heated up, a lot, past the Glass Transaction level where the atoms start to separate. Same with plastic, it will not start to break down unless it is heated to extreme temperatures past the Glass Transaction, where the atoms begin to separate.

-FHM

 

[sonardish]

Plastic and rubber should be just fine in the tank. Rubber is what suction cups are made out of, like on out heaters. Plus, rubber does not break down in water unless it is heated up, a lot, past the Glass Transaction level where the atoms start to separate. Same with plastic, it will not start to break down unless it is heated to extreme temperatures past the Glass Transaction, where the atoms begin to separate.

-FHM

So in other words, if the materials in the model are breaking down, then the fish probably has much bigger problems to worry about. Thanks. Might actually try this over the next couple of weeks, once I get a new schedule settled in.