annae Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I just got a terracotta pot from the supermarket, I have broken it and want to put it in the tank to give the fish some hiding places. My question is do I need to do anything with it first? Or is it okay to put terracota straight into the tank? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enzoom1 Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 It's alright straight in the tank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanjury Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Some people will say boil it and all sorts of other things.. But as long as its clean and not painted I just use them and have never had a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
annae Posted December 4, 2008 Author Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Great thanks alot. I'll just go put it in then : ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ira Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 I just got a terracotta pot from the supermarket, I have broken it and want to put it in the tank to give the fish some hiding places. My question is do I need to do anything with it first? Or is it okay to put terracota straight into the tank? There's a huge amount you need to do to put it in the tank. Step 1: Open tank lid. Step 2: Insert pot. Done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 There's a huge amount you need to do to put it in the tank. Step 1: Open tank lid. Step 2: Insert pot. Done. Wow. I was totally gonna do this myself, cos it sounds real cool, but when you informed us of how much work it was.. well.. can't be bothered now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Wow. I was totally gonna do this myself, cos it sounds real cool, but when you informed us of how much work it was.. well.. can't be bothered now. You know, I have terracotta pots in my tank. Heaps and heaps of them. It really isn't as much work as it sounds, and think, you can just do one a day or one a week if it's too much all at once. You could even do step 1 in the morning, and step 2 in the evening, to space it out. Not if you have carpet fish or fishing cats though. The end result is, well..you have pots in your tank. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caryl Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Once you have rested from all that hard work, you might like to tie Java moss or fern to the pot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Someone always has to take it too far :evil: thats crazy talk Caryl Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lmsmith Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Reading back on these, I hope you don't think we're being mean. In our defense, we spend most of out days watching fish swim around, so we're a little bit crazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simian Posted December 4, 2008 Report Share Posted December 4, 2008 Reading back on these, I hope you don't think we're being mean. In our defense, we spend most of out days watching fish swim around, so we're a little bit crazy. Speak for your self, I'm not crazy banana banana. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted December 5, 2008 Report Share Posted December 5, 2008 Reading back on these, I hope you don't think we're being mean. In our defense, we spend most of out days watching fish swim around, so we're a little bit crazy. I was hoping they OP would realise that we were being silly by the lil smileys Ooops I see I must have breached forum rules. my post was edited.. :oops: apologies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 Just reviving this post as I have a question. I've been preparing myself up for the huge task of adding a small terracotta pot or two to my tank. Will the terracotta alter pH or anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twinkles Posted June 8, 2009 Report Share Posted June 8, 2009 i've got a question too i've got piles of old broken terracotta pipes that i dug out of the garden, which have a glaze sort of thing on one side, will they be safe to put in the tank? They've been buried 20-odd years, scrap fill from the old brickworks. With the dirt rinsed off can i put them in without it affecting anything? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Just make sure there's no small holes for fish to get stuck in, and also smooth off any sharp edges on the pots. Recently someone on here had one of their fish cut suspectedly by a teracotta pot. My partner's got some small pots in her Krib tank and they look really good. I'd recommend them :] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 Just make sure there's no small holes for fish to get stuck in, and also smooth off any sharp edges on the pots. Recently someone on here had one of their fish cut suspectedly by a teracotta pot. My partner's got some small pots in her Krib tank and they look really good. I'd recommend them :] Yeah I saw that post so am aware of that. The pots I've got are just unsealed terracotta flower pots from a garden centre. They have a hole in the bottom, I'm planning to break them in half though. I'm thinking that I can just bury the broken sharp edge of the pot into the gravel?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whetu Posted June 9, 2009 Report Share Posted June 9, 2009 As for the old glazed pots from days gone by, I wonder if they used to use things in the glaze like lead? I know a lot of older pottery can't be used in a microwave because it has metallic glazes - but I would assume the metals have been contained within the glaze and would not be able to leach into the water... These are just thoughts and questions... i don't have any answers for you! Anyone better informed who could help out with my musings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stella Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 To my knowledge (which isn't overly extensive), most glaze is made of silica (ie sand) so should be fine. Lead is ok in an aquarium (just not copper, the opposite of what works for people) You are probably right about any metals being sealed within the glaze. Old terracotta pots are unlikely to have much in them by way of metals, arty pottery might have more. Chances are most stuff is safe Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silva Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 after i broke my flower pot in half i submersed it in a bucket till the air bubbles stopped coming out, wasnt sure what might be in those bubbles? (apart from air :p ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Lucky I got 2 just in case I didn't get a good break out of one. First one smashed to bits.. second one my husband weakened with by scoring a line around it and it broke perfectly in half. I've done what you did Silva. I took some tank water and put in a separate container, tested the pH, then put the pot halves in and will test again after 24 hours to see if there has been a change in pH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romeo Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Do your loaches like to dig? If that's the case then it's probably a bad idea to bury sharp edges under the gravel, as they'll probably wriggle their way under and collapse it on themselves. I made a mistake in resting the driftwood in my Koura tank on top of the gravel. Within a week the Koura had excavated under the biggest bit of driftwood and it collapsed down ontop of it, pinning it underneath. Luckily I spotted it when I went to feed her later that day! <Yes, your pots are unlikely to weigh that much, but you get the idea> Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 I was wondering that myself. The Yoyos appear to me more likely to dig than the Zebras. To be on the safe side I think I think I will sand down the edges : Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Interesting results from the pH test. It was water taken from the tank it tested at 7.0 last night before pots were added. Just now after pots have been in there for nearly 24 hours... sky high pH readings! Off the normal range chart and possibly even off the high range chart (water turned pretty shades of blue and purple!) I am wondering though if the volume of water used will have any effect on it? Tank is 150 litres and the container I tested the pots in was only a 2 litre icecream container with less than 2 litres of water in it. Guess all I can do is add one of the pots and keep an eye on the pH. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phoenix44 Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 yes. the volume of water will have an effect on it. change the water in the bucket that you are soaking them in and slowly the pH will stop changing that drastically HTH Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southerrrngirrl Posted June 10, 2009 Report Share Posted June 10, 2009 Ahhh see thats what I thought. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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