Threw my tank decorations away!

[FishHobby99]

Yesteday I cut my thumb while washing a pirate barrel. Was scrubbing it with a toothbrush & had my thumb inside. This & other decor from the goldfish tank had some algae. Thumb bled & was inflamed this morning. Better me than the fish! I carefully examine the decor & smooth rough edges with a Dremel tool. Sure missed this one. Discarded all except the fake hollowed out stones used as hides.

 

[Ch4rlie]

Oh dear!

Sounds like these decor were not particularly safe for fish if they had sharp edges. A bit worrying really.

Good job you found this before any fish got injured, you’ll heal fine with a stocking plaster, not so easy to stick a plaster on a fish!!

I very rarely use fake decor and have always used natural decor such as rocks, wood and slate etc so never had an issue.

 

[Uberhoust]

I use obsidian in my tanks, natural and sharp, just mentioning that natural decorations can have hazards too. I do blunt the edges on the obsidian.

 

[NannaLou]

@JennySolano - keep that cut out of the aquarium water until it is fully healed, I can’t remember what you can catch but @Colin_T will you be able to tell the risks?

 

[Colin_T]

You can get bacterial infections in open wounds if you shove the wounded area into an aquarium. There are a number of different bacterial infection but fish tuberculosis (Mycobacterium sp) is the worse.

Just make sure you wash any wounds well with soapy water and then stay out of the tank until they have healed. If you need to do work with open cuts on your skin, wear a pair of rubber gloves.

 

[FishHobby99]

Oh dear!

Sounds like these decor were not particularly safe for fish if they had sharp edges. A bit worrying really
Good job you found this before any fish got injured, you’ll heal fine with a stocking plaster, not so easy to stick a plaster on a fish!!

I very rarely use fake decor and have always used natural decor such as rocks, wood and slate etc so never had an issue.

What’s more worrying is I missed it until some interior edge cut me.
I feel I need some safe acrylic hiding places for the anxies, cichlids & catfish. They look like stone, but are hollow. The natural rocks with holes at the SW shop had very small openings. Same for the FW store.

 

[FishHobby99]

You can get bacterial infections in open wounds if you shove the wounded area into an aquarium. There are a number of different bacterial infection but fish tuberculosis (Mycobacterium sp) is the worse.

Just make sure you wash any wounds well with soapy water and then stay out of the tank until they have healed. If you need to do work with open cuts on your skin, wear a pair of rubber gloves.

I get minor bacterial infections from almost any cut. My neglect in not rinsing thoroughly & applying a topical sooner. Fortunately it‘s my left hand. Used bare right to add plants to that goldfish tank today.

 

[Happilyretired]

When I rescued my tank and its fish, there were two large plastic turtles and a sea chest that opened and closed, some arrow heads, and a really gross hollowed out rock that seemed to be dissolving. I cleaned the tank, washed the gravel, and plants, three surviving live ones, plastic plants, and I added new gravel, some small round river rocks, two lava rocks that made a nice cave when placed together, and drift wood. I kept the turtles but not for inside the tank. I like the natural as possible look.

 

[FishHobby99]

So do I. But finding limitations. Will work on it. You would not believe all the “decor” in an axotle setup I found on Craigslist. All gone now. Some really garish stuff that glowed under black lights in the hood. Think the seller’s teen kids may

have been behind it. They lost interest, so the mom sold it.

 

[Colin_T]

What’s more worrying is I missed it until some interior edge cut me.
I feel I need some safe acrylic hiding places for the anxies, cichlids & catfish. They look like stone, but are hollow. The natural rocks with holes at the SW shop had very small openings. Same for the FW store.

pvc pipe. just get some 1, 2 and 3 inch diameter pvc pipe from a hardware store. Cut it into 6-8 inch lengths (maybe more or less depending on how big the fish are). Use some sandpaper to smooth the edges and rinse them off/ then add to the tank.

You can smear silicon on the outside of the pvc pipe and roll it in gravel or sand. Or just let algae grow on the pipe.

 

[FishHobby99]

pvc pipe. just get some 1, 2 and 3 inch diameter pvc pipe from a hardware store. Cut it into 6-8 inch lengths (maybe more or less depending on how big the fish are). Use some sandpaper to smooth the edges and rinse them off/ then add to the tank.

You can smear silicon on the outside of the pvc pipe and roll it in gravel or sand. Or just let algae grow on the pipe.

We’re talking some serious ugly here. I saw all kinds of smooth edged pipe connectors at Lowe’s. Bought one, never used it. They were all white & looked like toilet plumbing.

 

[Ch4rlie]

We’re talking some serious ugly here. I saw all kinds of smooth edged pipe connectors at Lowe’s. Bought one, never used it. They were all white & looked like toilet plumbing.View attachment 145798

You can add aquarium safe sealant and rub to the outside of the tube and then roll it in sand or fine gravel, kind of disguise the ‘ugly’ out of it.

Defintely works as I did this years ago, messy but enjoyable little diy job, lots cheaper too btw.

 

[FishHobby99]

Hey! Thanks that sounds like fun!

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

I wish I could do this. I want my tank to look natural. Unfortunately, these decorations set me back almost 250 bucks

 

[I Like Rare Fish]

Also, how is your lizard? Did he have the surgery?

find his recovery thread in the reptiles section