Clay Pots

[cabinetman]

Last weekend LOML had a brainstorm to add some decoration to our aquariums. She has in the past purchased from the fish store broken urns that are supposed to look like recovered pirate treasure. I can't get over buying broken urns.

Anyway she wants me to cut a clay pot in half which I did (vertically), so it makes two shrouded (like tunnels) hiding places for the little fish. These pots are about 4" tall and are the clay terra cotta type with the hole in the bottom. They aren't fired like a ceramic pot.

I'm wondering if these pots are safe to go into a fresh water aquarium without contaminating the water?
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[Mr__Bill]

I thought that you should bake things like that in the oven to kill any germs or whatever.

Not sure if anything will leach out of the pot but I think that they are fired at least once.



Bill
if the fish do die, I wouldn't eat them....

[pelligrini]

They should be fine. I've used them before for my catfishes. A lot of the aquarium magazines I used to read reccomended them too.

Coconut shells work and look pretty good as well.

[cabinetman]

Thanks for the replies. She said she read something about boiling them first. Would that be sufficient, or totally unnecessary?
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[pelligrini]

It's not a bad idea, but I never really did bother with it most of the time. I did it a couple times on some old ones I had around. I just rinsed the new pots I bought.

[phi1l]

They aren't fired like a ceramic pot.

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Assuming they are standard clay pots, they must have been fired or they will disintegrate.

Clay can have lead in it though but concentrations should be low.

[Ed62]

We had over 20 aquariums at 1 time, years ago. We used all kinds of stuff like that, and never had a problem.

Ed