Clay Plant Pot For Aquarium

[awilson360]

I've found an old clay pot used in the garden which would make a good hiding place for some of my fish. It's one of them orange clay pots, I've cleaned it with bleach and soaked it in 2 buckets of clean tap water. Is there any other pre-cautions I should take before putting it in the tank and is it safe?

Thanks.

 

[walkers101]

soak it in warm tap water i done mine in water from the kettle for a few hours

 

[awilson360]

soak it in warm tap water i done mine in water from the kettle for a few hours

Ok thanks for the quick reply. Is yours a terracotta? Is there no problems with the colouring in the water?

 

[meguro]

i have terracotta pots, both broken pieces and unbroken, there is no visible change in colour of the water.

make sure the pot is completely free of bleach before u add it

 

[mtv8dmarine]

Terracotta pots are perfectly fine and won't affect the Ph levels of an aquarium. They are very neutral and great little hiding spots. I would just make sure to clean it really well since it's been used in the garden because the ground can contain chemicals etc. Just be sure to wash it off really well after using bleach.

 

[awilson360]

Just wondering, maybe microwaving the pot will kill bacteria and evaporate any chemicals dissolved into the clay.
Is this ok to do?

 

[Ashley1991]

also make sure its terracotta pot all the way through it some are terracotta pot only on the outside (if its the same colour all the way through then its all terracotta pot if its orange outside and grey inside then its not)

ash

 

[awilson360]

also make sure its terracotta pot all the way through it some are terracotta pot only on the outside (if its the same colour all the way through then its all terracotta pot if its orange outside and grey inside then its not)

ash

Thanks Ash, yes it is orange inside and outside, it's now in the tank and the fish seem to have taken to it nicely.
Cheers guys.

 

[Ashley1991]

thats great

i love it when fish look like they enjoy something when you put it in a tank

ash

 

[OldMan47]

Forget the microwave with a clay pot. It is likely to cause serious damage if the pot contains any moisture and will not be effective at sterilizing if it is completely dry.