Clay in display tank

[D3DPrintedThingz]

So I like to throw pottery, and was wondering if I could create something for my display tank that would be okay to put in there in terms of leaching bad stuff into the water. The type of clay I use:


Has anyone used clay in their DT and have had positive/negative results?

Thank you!

 

[WheatToast]

I have heard of clay flowerpots being used to provide cover for clownfish and freshwater clay substrates may be useful in seagrass tanks, but that’s pretty much all I know about clay in marine tanks.

 

[ScubaFish802]

I have had terracotta flower pots in my tank for a couple years as mentioned with no ill effects. I would assume other clay-terracotta would also be reef safe once baked and everything

 

[Scott Campbell]

So I like to throw pottery, and was wondering if I could create something for my display tank that would be okay to put in there in terms of leaching bad stuff into the water. The type of clay I use:


Has anyone used clay in their DT and have had positive/negative results?

Thank you!

Clay bisque fired without covering glazes should be fine. Won't be much different from MarinePure products and other various ceramic media added to tanks. But pottery with covering glazes can easily be a huge problem in saltwater. I have seen glazed freshwater pottery decorations added to a saltwater tank that caused all the fish to flee to the furthest corners of the tank. Most pottery glazes use heavy metals in the formulation - copper for greens, cobalt for blues, etc.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

Clay bisque fired without covering glazes should be fine. Won't be much different from MarinePure products and other various ceramic media added to tanks. But pottery with covering glazes can easily be a huge problem in saltwater. I have seen glazed freshwater pottery decorations added to a saltwater tank that caused all the fish to flee to the furthest corners of the tank. Most pottery glazes use heavy metals in the formulation - copper for greens, cobalt for blues, etc.

I was going to leave the structures just bisqued, no glaze. Thinking about some type of formation that coral could grow over and encrust, or maybe even some type of tree looking thing.

 

[Scott Campbell]

I was going to leave the structures just bisqued, no glaze. Thinking about some type of formation that coral could grow over and encrust, or maybe even some type of tree looking thing.

That should work well! You might want to underfire a bit so that the fired bisque is more porous. At cone 6 that clay will have a very hard surface.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

That is a good idea. I was also thinking about making little 1" cubes and poking holes with a poker and using those as DIY bacteria media. Saw a video on YouTube where you put air pump into a bottle with small bio filter (would make the cubes) and have the air pump running to stir up the cubes. Much cheaper than buying the ceramic bio balls!!

Thanks for the advice. Will let everyone know if there are bad results

 

[Jekyl]

That is a good idea. I was also thinking about making little 1" cubes and poking holes with a poker and using those as DIY bacteria media. Saw a video on YouTube where you put air pump into a bottle with small bio filter (would make the cubes) and have the air pump running to stir up the cubes. Much cheaper than buying the ceramic bio balls!!

Thanks for the advice. Will let everyone know if there are bad results

May want to consider smashing up some dry rock and mixing it it. Rougher the surface the better for bacteria. Either way it will be completely covered with algae/coraline eventually.

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

May want to consider smashing up some dry rock and mixing it it. Rougher the surface the better for bacteria. Either way it will be completely covered with algae/coraline eventually.

If this is dumb question sorry in advance - will coralline algae kill the bacteria, or keep it from growing on the rock?

 

[nereefpat]

If this is dumb question sorry in advance - will coralline algae kill the bacteria, or keep it from growing on the rock?

Not a dumb question at all. It's probably complicated. I suspect the surface bacteria will still find a place, but anaerobic denitrifiers deep in the rock might be more affected...but I don't know.

Another option beside clay would be portland cement. That's pretty commonly done, or it used to be at least. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cement-rocks.661886/

 

[Montagne]

That is a good idea. I was also thinking about making little 1" cubes and poking holes with a poker and using those as DIY bacteria media. Saw a video on YouTube where you put air pump into a bottle with small bio filter (would make the cubes) and have the air pump running to stir up the cubes. Much cheaper than buying the ceramic bio balls!!

Thanks for the advice. Will let everyone know if there are bad results

Any updates on if your pottery made it into the tank and how things are doing? Super curious to hear how it went!

 

[D3DPrintedThingz]

Any updates on if your pottery made it into the tank and how things are doing? Super curious to hear how it went!

no I'm sorry I kind of switched gears and got super heavy into 3D printing. Much quicker and cheaper to get results, and I am by no means an artistic sculptor by any means so anything I made would have that "kid brought it home from school" vibe to it ...