I am wanting to buy some clay pots for my cichlid tank to use as caves. I have seen some at Walmart that are very cheap and I am wondering what I should do before I put them in my tank. I'm not sure what they're made of; does anyone know if Walmart's pots are safe and if so how to prepare them for the aquarium? Thanks.
Clay Pots For Caves?
- Thread starter GT3050
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If you are talking about terra cotta pots (the orange kind) they are to the best of my knowledge, just clay and water (like cement, add water and wait for it to harden - no strange bonding agents, adhesives or glazes).
Well, they don't quite work like cement does in that they need to be fired in a kiln. This prevents them from being water soluble anymore. However, they are just clay and are fine to put in your tank. Just avoid buying any that look like fertilizer may have spilled on them. I saw some once with chalky residue all over them positioned underneath a shelf of fertilizer and decided not to buy them.
Yea, there isn't much you have to do for clay pots. Thoroughly rinsing them should be fine. I boiled mine when I got it, but I like to boil everything before I put it in my tank, it's just a person preference.
a kiln fires clay at about 1700 farenheit, so boiling is kinda worthless, but if it makes you feel safer then go for it. i just rinse mine and put them in and i havent had any trouble.
I think the boiling is more to clean/kill things that might have come in contact with the pots after manufacture.
Sitting around in gardening warehouses for years gives them a lot of time to come in contact with odd substances.
I agree that they are safe as long as you choose those that don't look too old or look as if anything has been spilt on them.
Grab from the middle of the stack!
Sitting around in gardening warehouses for years gives them a lot of time to come in contact with odd substances.
I agree that they are safe as long as you choose those that don't look too old or look as if anything has been spilt on them.
Grab from the middle of the stack!