will a terracotta pot affect my ph and/or th?

M

Michael_G

AC Members
Mar 21, 2005
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hi
pretty soon im getting 3 cockatoo dwarf cichlids and have to redecorte accordingly. many sites recomend using terracotta pots for the femles to claim as territories and spawn in . now i suspect that the pots might hike my ph and th to higher levels than my fish appriciate so have any of you guys noticed changes in ur water chemistry whan you stuck in terracotta pots?
maybe i should just use empied out coconuts and then that tanins would lower my ph to a comfortable level for my fish. is there an esthetic alternative?
 
I've had no rising ph problem with pots, and on top of that don't you normally want a slightly higher ph to get cichlids to do their thing?

Just curious, what makes you suspect that it would? 90% of the store bought stuff out there is ceramic, why'd you think pots would have a differant effect?
 
Michael,

From everything I've heard the pot will not affect ph or hardness, but may I make a suggestion? I know all the experienced breeders use pots for breeding caves, but I find them to be ugly, oversized (for apistos), and imposible to completely hide.

Both times my female cac spawned she did it in the smallest little nook in a piece of bogwood and completely shunned the clay pots provided. With my panduros I have started using black film canisters (free from local drug store). I cut a hole just big enough for the female to enter (male does not need to be able to get in to do his thing and its safer for both fish if he can't).

I know they seem too small but they are really just right. I drilled a few very small holes in them for water circulation, but i'm not sure this is even needed. You can push them into a mound of gravel, place a few rocks around the entrance and they completely disappear! If you ever need to remove female and fry because of aggression, you just wait till lights out, cover the opening with your thumb and transfer female and fry to new tank without ever having to net them. I think they are also much safer for the fry in a community setting. Here is a link to my tank. All of the caves on the left side of tank are buried film canisters.

maintank3-05.jpg


ps if you're not using sand as a substrate you might consider a "sandbox" for your apitos to play in. They will love you for it.
 
a sandbox?never heard of that my substrate is white 3mm pea gravel
in answer to portosat the ceramic things that are commonly sold in stores are probably laquered not to desintegrate but what do i know?
 
I did a test with a flowerpot in about 2g of water. I tested for pH before I put the pot in and tested a week later. There was no difference. As a result, this pot has made it into both of my tanks with no problems. If you are worried about the effect your paricular pot will have on your water chemistry just carry out the same test.
 
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