Coconut shells?

[LostBear]

I am new, and last night was spending my leisure hours looking at all of the tanks entered into the past competitions.

In one tank (I think it had a betta in it) were three, what appeared to be, half coconut shells, which had had little doorways cut into them to provide shelter for shy fish.

I have a half coconut shell, abandoned by the birds after they had devoured the contents.

So - my question is - CAN we use coconut shells in aquaria? And if so, do they need any particular preparation to make them safe? eg boiling them, shaving the bristly fibres off etc.

Thank you in advance for any comments - and also, if anyone has any other suggestions for home-made, natural looking "nooks" for fish, I'd love to hear your ideas. I expect that somewhere on this forum this may have been discussed, but I'm still learning to navigate to threads and I'm not very "tech-savvy", so if they are old discussions I may never find them.

Cheers!

 

[BSM_81]

Hi, i brought this one from a store a while ago. Not sure if you need to boil them, im positive some one will be able to help

 

[Lajos_Detari]

bristly fibres

Yes, the fish stores at my place are selling the coconut shells for aquarium use.
Usually they shaved off the bristly fibres completely.

Take note that whatever things that you are going to put into the aquarium need to be sterilized first.

Since the birds had devoured it, it's better to boil it or pour boiling water on it and let it soak for a while.
Some birds may carry some dangerous bacteria and parasites with them.

 

[xxamyxx85]

Hi, I have literally just ordered one on amazon, came today, it is already smooth but has a small hole in the top, instructions said if fish can fit into hole then put a stone on top to make sure fish doesn’t get stuck! I boiled it for an hour then emptied the water and boiled in fresh water for another hour just to be safe. Its now soaking in some tap water treated with prime/tap safe and am going to leave it in there for a few hours before adding it to my tank! I’m not sure if this is excessive but it removed lots of tannins and the water is now clear. I hope this helps, I’m very new to this so might be wrong!

 

[LostBear]

Thank you, everyone who has taken the time to read and to reply.

I'm sure there will be a Black and Decker attachment which will grind the fibres off - I'll get Mr LostBear onto the job! He can cut a little doorway in, too.

I'll definitely boil it as you have advised - I am paranoid about accidentally introducing something toxic into the tank - probably stick it in the pressure cooker (which is how I cleaned my stones) - I'll "double boil" as xxmyxx85 suggests.

BSM_81 - that golden fish is lovely.

Thanks everyone!