Cleaning orange clay bits & pieces for safe use in aquariums

[Papa Red]

Some one threw out a whole bunch of pieces of a very large orange
clay pot,...or two,...How do I prepare the pieces for safe use in my
aquariums?
By the way folks, I want to take a moment to thank you all for all of
the very valuable information that has not only helped me keep my
aquatic critters alive and healthy,...but also in doing so, has given
me, a person on Social Security Disability, something Grand in my life.
Thanks again. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

[Mister Gardener]

On Sun, 7 May 2006 17:32:29 -0400, (Papa Red) wrote:

> Some one threw out a whole bunch of pieces of a very large orange
>clay pot,...or two,...How do I prepare the pieces for safe use in my
>aquariums?

With a hammer. (picture of dumb grin goes here). I would drop the
pieces in a bucket of water and let the sit for a couple of days to
see if any orange leaches out, change water until it remains clear,
then give them a bleach bath, rinse very well, and add them to your
tank, or wherever you plan to add them.

> By the way folks, I want to take a moment to thank you all for all of
>the very valuable information that has not only helped me keep my
>aquatic critters alive and healthy,...but also in doing so, has given
>me, a person on Social Security Disability, something Grand in my life.
>Thanks again. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

I've watched so many people reach retirement age and turn into couch
potatoes because they have developed no outside interests or hobbies
during their younger years.And for those of us who find ourselves
retired and disabled a dozen years before we were expecting to retire,
the boredom and feelings of uselessness can be darn near devastating.
Fishkeeping can be an expensive hobby to start up, I was lucky in that
i had accumulated many tanks and boxes of filters, parts and all that
stuff and kept them stored in the eaves of the garage for the past 20
years. But however we get past that initial expensive startup, the
hobby is immensely gratifying, we meet some great people, and we've
added a little more purpose to our lives. I'm glad it's working for
you.

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[netDenizen]

Mister Gardener wrote:
> On Sun, 7 May 2006 17:32:29 -0400, (Papa Red) wrote:
>
>
>> Some one threw out a whole bunch of pieces of a very large orange
>>clay pot,...or two,...How do I prepare the pieces for safe use in my
>>aquariums?
>
>
> With a hammer. (picture of dumb grin goes here). I would drop the
> pieces in a bucket of water and let the sit for a couple of days to
> see if any orange leaches out, change water until it remains clear,
> then give them a bleach bath, rinse very well, and add them to your
> tank, or wherever you plan to add them.
>
>
>> By the way folks, I want to take a moment to thank you all for all of
>>the very valuable information that has not only helped me keep my
>>aquatic critters alive and healthy,...but also in doing so, has given
>>me, a person on Social Security Disability, something Grand in my life.
>>Thanks again. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.
>
>
> I've watched so many people reach retirement age and turn into couch
> potatoes because they have developed no outside interests or hobbies
> during their younger years.And for those of us who find ourselves
> retired and disabled a dozen years before we were expecting to retire,
> the boredom and feelings of uselessness can be darn near devastating.
> Fishkeeping can be an expensive hobby to start up, I was lucky in that
> i had accumulated many tanks and boxes of filters, parts and all that
> stuff and kept them stored in the eaves of the garage for the past 20
> years. But however we get past that initial expensive startup, the
> hobby is immensely gratifying, we meet some great people, and we've
> added a little more purpose to our lives. I'm glad it's working for
> you.
>
> -- Mister Gardener
> -- Pull the WEED to email me

With sharp rocks, sawn abs pipe, decorative glass etc I find that the
edges may be sharp and could injure the fish. The same would apply to
broken pottery.

My solution: for anything with sharp edges that's going in the aquarium,
I sand the edges first using that black, fine (silicon carbide =
"wet-dry"?) sandpaper. After sanding, things get at least a good rinse
before going into the tank.

To Dean: The coloured pottery may be quite attractive and supply hiding
places for fish. Good idea! Also very glad you're enjoying the hobby.
I'm semi-retired now too, and the aquariums and newsgroups are getting
more attention than before.

[Frank]

Papa Red wrote,
>How do I prepare the pieces for safe use in my
>aquariums? ........

Wash them with a little tap water and drop them in. Unless the pots
were glazed eather on the inside or outside, they shouldn't have any
sharp edges. If they were glazed, sharp edges would need to be sanded,
and if the glaze wasn't 'food safe' they may be toxic
(leach).................. Frank

[Altum]

Frank wrote:
> Papa Red wrote,
>> How do I prepare the pieces for safe use in my
>> aquariums? ........
>
> Wash them with a little tap water and drop them in. Unless the pots
> were glazed eather on the inside or outside, they shouldn't have any
> sharp edges. If they were glazed, sharp edges would need to be sanded,
> and if the glaze wasn't 'food safe' they may be toxic
> (leach).................. Frank

Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine tanks
and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

[Eric]

On Sun, 7 May 2006 16:32:29 -0500, Papa Red wrote
(in article >):

> Some one threw out a whole bunch of pieces of a very large orange
> clay pot,...or two,...How do I prepare the pieces for safe use in my
> aquariums?

Was the pot used? Does it have whitish discolorations? If so, there may be
salts and fertilizers in the clay. As long as there are no pesticide
residues, it would likely be ok even in this condition.

> By the way folks, I want to take a moment to thank you all for all of
> the very valuable information that has not only helped me keep my
> aquatic critters alive and healthy,...but also in doing so, has given
> me, a person on Social Security Disability, something Grand in my life.
> Thanks again. Pax Vobiscum,...~Dean.

Hope you don't get more hurricanes. We a close call with Rita and don't want
to see the carnage on the highways that storm caused even without hitting us.
-E

[Koi-Lo]

"Altum" > wrote in message
. com...
> Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine tanks
> and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.
=====================
I used them until my female betta got caught in the drainage hole. I freed
her, but she died in less than a week. :-(
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Aquarium FAQ are at: http://faq.thekrib.com/
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[Nikki]

"Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
...
>
> "Altum" > wrote in message
> . com...
>> Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine tanks
>> and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.
> =====================
> I used them until my female betta got caught in the drainage hole. I
> freed her, but she died in less than a week. :-(
> --
> Koi-Lo....
> Frugal ponding since 1995.
> Aquariums since 1952.
> My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
> http://tinyurl.com/9do58
> Aquarium FAQ are at: http://faq.thekrib.com/
> ~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>
>
>
could you use something to make that hole bigger like scrape it with
something?
Nik

[Altum]

Nikki wrote:
> "Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
> ...
>> "Altum" > wrote in message
>> . com...
>>> Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine tanks
>>> and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.
>> =====================
>> I used them until my female betta got caught in the drainage hole. I
>> freed her, but she died in less than a week. :-(
>>
> could you use something to make that hole bigger like scrape it with
> something?
> Nik

That's what NetMax's hammer is for. ;-) Half pots are just as good, or
you can silicone a pebble or a fragment of another pot into the drainage
hole. The ones I've used whole had holes a different size from the fish.

--
Put the word aquaria in the subject to email me.
Did you read the FAQ? http://faq.thekrib.com

[-ED]

"Altum" > wrote in message
. com...
> Nikki wrote:
> > "Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
> > ...
> >> "Altum" > wrote in message
> >> . com...
> >>> Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine
tanks
> >>> and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.
> >> =====================
> >> I used them until my female betta got caught in the drainage hole. I
> >> freed her, but she died in less than a week. :-(
> >>
> > could you use something to make that hole bigger like scrape it with
> > something?
> > Nik
>
Drill Bits....lol

[Mister Gardener]

On Mon, 08 May 2006 18:30:19 GMT, Altum >
wrote:

>Nikki wrote:
>> "Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
>> ...
>>> "Altum" > wrote in message
>>> . com...
>>>> Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine tanks
>>>> and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.
>>> =====================
>>> I used them until my female betta got caught in the drainage hole. I
>>> freed her, but she died in less than a week. :-(
>>>
>> could you use something to make that hole bigger like scrape it with
>> something?
>> Nik
>
>That's what NetMax's hammer is for. ;-) Half pots are just as good, or
>you can silicone a pebble or a fragment of another pot into the drainage
>hole. The ones I've used whole had holes a different size from the fish.

Hey, that's a Beatles song - Bang Bang NetMax's silver hammer . . .

-- Mister Gardener
-- Pull the WEED to email me

[Koi-Lo]

"Nikki" > wrote in message
. ..
>
> "Koi-Lo" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> "Altum" > wrote in message
>> . com...
>>> Nice find, Papa Red! I've used unglazed clay pots for quarantine tanks
>>> and breeding cichlids. They make great caves.
>> =====================
>> I used them until my female betta got caught in the drainage hole. I
>> freed her, but she died in less than a week. :-(
>> --
>> Koi-Lo....
>> Frugal ponding since 1995.
>> Aquariums since 1952.
>> My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
>> http://tinyurl.com/9do58
>> Aquarium FAQ are at: http://faq.thekrib.com/
>> ~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>
>>
>>
> could you use something to make that hole bigger like scrape it with
> something?
> Nik
==========================
Probably. I never thought she'd try to get through such a small opening
since she was an adult fish and a good size for a betta. I'll use 1/2 pots
from now on, if I use them at all.
--
Koi-Lo....
Frugal ponding since 1995.
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>

[Koi-Lo]

"Mister Gardener" > wrote in message
...
> Hey, that's a Beatles song - Bang Bang NetMax's silver hammer . . .
>
=========================
Bang! Bang! Sonny and Cher. 1960s I think.
--
Koi-Lo....
Aquariums since 1952.
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
http://tinyurl.com/9do58
Aquarium FAQ are at: http://faq.thekrib.com/
~~~~ }<((((*> ~~~ }<{{{{(ö> ~~~~ }<((((({*>