Diy Decorations

[Jonny3shoes]

Does anyone have any ideas or have made something them selves to go in a tank.
I have herd of glueing together slate with aquarium sealent.

Any other ideas??
Jonny

 

[hollanda88]

Does anyone have any ideas or have made something them selves to go in a tank.
I have herd of glueing together slate with aquarium sealent.

Any other ideas??
Jonny

Coconut halves with java moss grown on them. or glue sand to them to make it easy to make depperssions in the substrate

 

[tom_os]

flower pots

rocks

 

[Jonny3shoes]

Rocks? Can i just collect rocks from outside?? I take it i would have to steralise them? Luckily i could have them autoclaved or i supose i could boil them in a pan of water.. Using silcone to glue them together might look good.

Has anyone done anything creative in their tank?

 

[hollanda88]

Rocks? Can i just collect rocks from outside?? I take it i would have to steralise them? Luckily i could have them autoclaved or i supose i could boil them in a pan of water.. Using silcone to glue them together might look good.

Has anyone done anything creative in their tank?

do the vinegar test on them to make sure there not calcerous

 

[Jonny3shoes]

Good point. Is it likely they would leach salts and stuff into the water and kill the fish??

 

[Truck]

Good point. Is it likely they would leach salts and stuff into the water and kill the fish??

nah, it will increase your GH/KH/PH

 

[tom_os]

depends where you get them from.

just rocks from the garden, boil them for a bit and they should be fine

 

[Jonny3shoes]

Cool should look good. Do you have to be carefull putting wood into your tank. Can it just rot or colour the water??

cheers

 

[tom_os]

depends what wood, normal wood from trees in your backyard shouldnt be used for a number of reasons

you can get bogwood or similar from your lfs, this is perfect in an aquarium although when new is can realse tannis which turns the water brown colour. this is no harm for the fish and will go after several waterchanges. you can soak it first

 

[3ndl3r]

Doresy had soe great caves going at one point.

Other ides are slate glued together, PVC pipes etc..

 

[Jonny3shoes]

How about something like a bone or would that be riskey with what it might posibly contain?

 

[snowflake311]

Yes you can totally go out and collect your own rocks. Just make sure to scrub and boil them at 170F for 4 minuets or longer. You don't even have to boil them just a good washing is fine.

" Most rocks are safe. The ones to stay away from are calcium and magnesium-bearing rocks, for example. Limestone (which is basically calcium carbonate) and dolomite (which adds some magnesium carbonate) often have a soft and chalky look. They are easily scratched with a knife (less than 4 on the Mohrs hardness scale). Sometimes your thumbnail will even leave a mark. " http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aqua...ing/rocks.shtml

A way to test that is better then the vinegar test is to use Ph Down it is a much stronger acid then just vinegar. Just put a few drops on your rock AFTER you clean them and if it fizzes no good. Some times stuff can get on the rock in nature and cause the rock to fizz but it has nothing to do with the rock.

"Another way to test is if you have a nitrate test kit, you may also already have a better test than vinegar for lime content in rocks. My Aquarium Pharmaceuticals Nitrate Test contains two bottles of prepared solutions. Solution #1, labelled "Caution: contains hydrochloric acid," comes in a handy squeeze dropper bottle. If a drop or two on a candidate rock fizzes, or even bubbles, that rock would raise the pH in the aquarium." Http/www.skepticalaquarist.com/docs/aqua...ing/rocks.shtml

I don't waste my money buying rocks that I can find outside. Just know what ones to stay away from and make sure you clean them and your good. You can use silicone to stick them together or just stack them works unless you have big rowdy fish.

Go out take your dog for a walk and look for rocks. That's what I did.

Safe rocks
Granit
slate
quarts
lava rock
shale
river rock
Ice Rock
Black River Pebbles
Pagoda Rock
Zebra Rock
Honey Onyx
Rainbow Rock
Red Desert Rock.
jade
just to name a few

Unsafe (Only unsafe if you don't want your ph to go up. )
Coal
Dolomite
Fools gold
fossils
Limestone
Marble
Sandstone

http/www.uniquaria.com/index.php/article...rium-safe-rocks

As for wood that can be a little ticky. Not as safe as rocks. drift wood can be fine or wood you find at a lake or river can be ok. Make sure to boil it. http/www.tropical-aquarium-fish.com/topi...ur-aquarium.htm
I buy my own wood.

 

[Jonny3shoes]

WOW!

Great advice thanx. Might go out after work tommorow rock hunting!

 

[t4ppo]

I Have made a cave out of slate it looks amazing!!! My sailfins just love it, just need plant some java moss to it or thinking of hair grass