So I want to do a small retaining wall in corner of my 20 gallon to raise up my ADFs feeding dish for easier reach and as well as I think it will look cool. I was scrounging around trying to find an idea of how I can make one. I found some scraps of vinyl skirting that would work perfectly. Sturdy yet cutable with sharp scissors. I plan on scrubbing it then boiling the pieces to be safe. However WILL it be safe in my aquarium? I can't find anything anywhere to tell me, just on vinyl tubing. I was thinking about maybe using silicon and sand or pebbles to cover it, but its white with a wood grain texture so it might look nice the way it is. Anyone have thoughts to th safety or anyone tried anything like this? Please advise me asap as i am anxious to start this or continue looking for something else to use.
vinyl in aquarium??? need quick advice
- Thread starter candygirl415
- Start date
I'm just speculating, if it is just vinyl it would be the same thing as vinyl tubing. Not sure if it would be treated in some way or not. What do you mean by "skirting"? If its like the stuff used to skirt mobile homes it would probably be ok.
Yeah, mobile home skirting. I'm concerned because its grey on backside and white on the front. If it was all one color, I wouldn't be as concerned. Idk. I don't want to hurt my frogs in any way. I also found a larger terracotta pot that I could break and the silicone pieces for my wall, however it has some kind of shininess to the inside. I don't know what was used on it and how to get it off.
the shiny bit is probably some sort of glaze...
I personally wouldn't trust a glazed pot, and I wouldn't trust your vinyl either, who knows what it might have been treated with to resist mildew, mold, or whatever.
you should be able to get unglazed, untreated terracotta pots from a craft store like michaels or somewhere though, maybe one of the saucers would work for you?
I personally wouldn't trust a glazed pot, and I wouldn't trust your vinyl either, who knows what it might have been treated with to resist mildew, mold, or whatever.
you should be able to get unglazed, untreated terracotta pots from a craft store like michaels or somewhere though, maybe one of the saucers would work for you?
There aren't any craft stores where I live. I'm not going to trust the skirting. I broke the pot to what I need and boiled it. The glaze bubbled and I was able to peel some off until it cooled. I'm going to attempt to sand it off and reboil. If I can get it all off, good. If not, i'l fins something else. I prefer to use what I have or can find rather than buy something else. All about upcycling. Thanks for all the input and steering me clear of the vinyl.
If you'd rather recycle something, what about a plastic water/soda bottle? You mentioned using silicon to "glue" some rocks/pebbles to whatever you use.
Or you can use aquarium silicon to build up a rock wall, but that would take quite a bit of time.
The glaze inside the terra cotta pot was probably to keep the moisture from the soil from quickly evaporating out, or it was to prolong the life of the pot. Some are cheaply made, and tend to break down very fast if they aren't first sealed. Me, I wouldn't use it either.
Or you can use aquarium silicon to build up a rock wall, but that would take quite a bit of time.
The glaze inside the terra cotta pot was probably to keep the moisture from the soil from quickly evaporating out, or it was to prolong the life of the pot. Some are cheaply made, and tend to break down very fast if they aren't first sealed. Me, I wouldn't use it either.
