environment in my 55 for big cichlids...

[sunsplash76]

Hello~ Well, some of you may already know that I plan on putting big african cichlids in the new 55 gallon I am cycling. I was browsing through the garden center this afternoon and stumbled upon what I think will be a good peice of deco for the tank. It is a big terra cotta pot for growing strawberries or something, but it is basically a big pot with a series of holes all over it. I figured the fish would love to swim in and out and be able to hide when necessary. I'm including a pic of course. It's the cleaning of it that I'm worried about. I don't have a pot big enough for it to boil in, so I'm thinking of soaking it in a chlorine bleach hot water solution. My question is this: What is a 1:10 ratio? I feel stupid for asking, but is that 1 tablespoon of bleach per 10 gallons of water? Then I planned on soaking it fresh over dechlorinated water for awhile as well, rinse and repaeat. If anyone with cichlid experience could tell me if this is a stupid idea, let me know. I just thought it would be neat looking. maybe even stick a plant in the middle of it. I also plan to buy a few long windrock slabs, and form a small pyramid; another place for them to claim ownership. I also bought a plant mat. It is a big, flat square of fake plant, that looks like flooring. I just need something to anchor it down? Maybe I'll use suction cups. I'm excited that It's getting put together finally, and the fish will be added in about a week. I already have a peacock picked out, as well as some of his pretty friends. Can't wait!
~Melissa~

 

[CRaZeeeBiTcHisH]

as long as your pot doesn't have any kind of finish on it, it will be just fine...rinse in hot water and put it in! lots of ppl use overturned tera cotta (sp?) pots for their cichlids--my convicts just love them! and as for the 1:10 bleach thing--some sources say 1 part bleach to 10 parts water and some say 1 part bleach to 9 parts bleach --i have said it before, i am paranoid, i like to make sure it's strong! lol ...i do believe it is saying 1 part bleach and 10 parts water-iam sure either would be fine and that will kill just about anything! if you use bleach, just make sure you can't still smell it before you put it in the tank, sometimes it takes a bit to get the smell out....and since those are porous, i would think they would hold on to some bleach