The other day at petco, I seen a "ring" that the fish were swimming through and i thought it was cool, it had java fern attached to it. (didn't have 12.00 for it unfortunately)
I already had a clay pot in my tank (uncut, was using it as a cave) so I decided to cut the top rim part off and use that as the ring (I think it looks kinda neat). I was planning on covering it with java moss or fern. However, after cutting it off and sanding it real well I realized that the center of it is a gray color. Will this harm my fish? My fish isn't in his tank at the moment, but I was wondering if this is common for clay pots to have this gray in the middle?
I have pictures.
front view
The gray in the center after cutting and sanding the pot.
Nope, at least I highly doubt it. Looks to me like it's just a place where there isn't any finish because of the cutting. Clay is actually pretty good for soft water fish tanks.
About the gray in the middle I'm not really sure. The only thing I can tell you is to keep an eye on your fish so you notice any changes that might occur. if he starts getting sick with some kind of unidentifiable sickness then I'd take it out.
That being said though many members here have cut the bottom of their pots so that their fish don't get stuck so I'd say it's fine. =]
Your tank looks amazing! I love your larger shiny jade, red, and black colored gravel! <3 And that porcelain lucky cat in there is too cute! <3 I love the Java fer idea! :D
Your little sprigs of anacharis in the front are so cute! <3
Where did you get your gravel? :3 I'm thinking of doing an infertile substrate with mostly just stem plants in the 2.5 gallon as it'd be easier to work with and I'd love to have that gravel for Firedrake! <3 It reminds me of treasure with it's different natural colors and how shiny it is! :3
You tank is gonna look AMAZING in a month once everything has grown in! >u<
Thank you! My tank is definitely a work in progress! haha
the little anacharis I clipped from a larger anacharis plant I had bought from petco.After I put the anacharis in my tank it turned all brown besides the little pieces so I snipped them off and i'm hoping I can keep those alive.
I went with the larger sized smooth rock gravel because my fish was scraping his face up on my other gravel I had. I believe I picked it up at petco and it was fairly priced. http://www.petco.com/product/107329/...elandSubtrates
I'm a artist and gardener and seen a lot of pots (broken and otherwise), but I've never seen a clay pot like that before. That construction isn't typical, at least not that I've seen in New England.
I'd be wary of using it, unless I could determine exactly what the grey core is composed of.
I will probably be taking it out to be honest. I still like the idea though and will try it with some other pots and see if they have the same thing inside.I don't have my java moss or java ferns yet, so I have a little time to mess around with diffrent things. Originally I was going to stack some rocks into a tunel, so I may just go with that if I can't find a pot that looks right.
I have some clay pot fragments in my 5 gallon fish tank, that have been sanded smooth to protect the betta.
littlebittyfish,
Originally, I had put two small terracotta flower pots in the tank, and my betta Baby Blue, got her head stuck in one of the tiny holes! She was lucky - she healed and survived. I removed the pots immediately.
Later, my BF and I broke one of the pots and sanded the fragments, and like I said, they are back in the tank. The other pot my BF knocked the bottom out of, and after sanding it became a tunnel.
I like the look of the terracotta in the tank... very natural. And the pots were cheap... about 50 cents each. But they have to be made betta safe before they go in. There are a couple of members of this board who very recently lost their bettas after their fish stuck their heads into drainage holes. It was so sad. :(
One more thing: common rocks (not aquarium gravel, but rocks you might collect on your own) and glazed pots can leach chemicals into the water, as well as certain plastics. When in doubt, keep it out.... that's my motto. ;)
What kind of lightbulb do you have? If you tell me the watts and whether it's white, bright white, daylight, or something else I could probably help you.
You either didn't have enough light or you had too much and algae started growing on it. ;]
I thought most glazes today were safe now. :[ That's really disheartening. </3
I hope you find a nice pot that works out for you! =] I'd so love to see the ring or tunnel when you're done!
And thank you so much for the link! <3 If I can get to a petco I'll definitely be picking some up! <3
Last edited by wallywestisthebest333; 02-06-2011 at 10:36 AM.
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My tank is definitely a work in progress! haha
