Is It Safe?

[Josiah]

I bought a pot awhile back to put in my CA cichlid tank, but I need to know if it's safe, is there a way to tell?

 

[Castellop123]

You can place it in the freazer overnight ( to rid any unwanted bacteria, but only if you really need to ) and then it should be safe for use in your aquarium the next morning...
I presume your Pot is made from clay, I don't think it alters your water chemistry...

 

[Josiah]

Yes, it's made from clay.

 

[Torrean]

it'll be fine. Has it been used before? If so I would rinse it with HOT water and scrub it with a brush. Actually I'd do that anyways. lot's of people use terra cot flower pots in tanks.

 

[Josiah]

Great! thanks! My BP will be much happier with this bigger cave.

 

[Torrean]

having said that you might look into something a bit less conspicuous. I never really liked the look of a terra cotta pot unless it was covered with silicone and substrate. Another thing you can try is tie a wad of java moss over the surface of your terra cotta. In a few months the java moss will attach itself to the piece, it looks really neat. I've done it to a few pieces to great effect. If you are interested in the look of this then I can load some pictures for you to get an idea of the look it will create. Consider a large piece of pvc pipe painted with aquarium silicone and whatever substrate you are using...sand works well. This will look more "natural" and will not stand out as much as a terra cotta pot. There are lot's of options for homemade hiding holes. You could silicone lots of slate (or other aqua safe stone) together to form a cave. I've heard of people using coconut too.

 

[Josiah]

I would love to try the coconut, but unfortunately I'm very allergic to it . I would like to see some pictures of java moss attached to it, my substrate is a very small fine gravel, so that limits me with what I can do with it. I'm also trying to deal with budget constraints, so that limits me as well.

 

[InaneCathode]

You dont eat the coconut, you put the shell in your tank

 

[Jozlyn]

I have two half terra cotta pots in my tank for "caves". I gave them a good wash and boiled them in rapidly, rolling boiling water for 10 minutes to "steralise" them.

My husband is also very alergic to coconut, and it's not the contents he's alergic to, it's the fibres on the outside!

 

[Josiah]

Same with me, if I breathe in coconut my throat swells and turns red and is VERY sore.