Question about felt...

[Mr Burns]

Is felt safe to use in the aquarium? i was thinking about using black felt as a background for the inside of my 10gal and attaching java moss to. that way it would provide somewhat of an unlimited scafolding for the moss to grow along. i was also thinking i could silicone some thin magnetic strips along the back edges and that would hold it in place and also keep any fish from getting behind it. does this sound like a feasible idea?

 

[Endgame319]

Wouldn't the dye in the felt leach into the water?

 

[Mr Burns]

i don't know...that's why i'm asking if felt would be ok...plus it would cut down on the reflection when using a flash.

 

[malkore]

no, it's not good to use it. it'll become a nitrate factory relatively quickly and will eventually decompose...all this aside from the dye leeching out.

cork walls are more common, and bio-friendly.

 

[TankGirl]

If you could find a material similar to a poly-floss, like what you use in your filter, it can be used in a tank, but the dye is a major problem.

You could use fish net or plastic screen in a similar way, and once the planting had taken hold your reflection problem would be gone. What was the final decision regarding the planted wall in your big tank when you were talking about this last year?

 

[Mr Burns]

i've got some black plastic mesh/screen in the garage that can be used, but i thought i'd ask about the felt first. are the strip magnets safe to use though? i didn't like the idea of using suction cups b/c a small fish could still find its way behind the mesh. the magnets would at least give me the chance to seal it off completely.

 

[TankGirl]

I can't think of a reason the magnets would be a problem, but there may be something. As long as they are not close to any electronic device (like an electronic heater or something).

 

[malkore]

magnets shouldn't be placed inside the tank, as the metal in them will leech into the water and cause problems. however if you used a mag float, or somehow coated the magnet, that'd be safe

 

[Mr Burns]

what about a metal strip attaching to the mesh and the magnet being on the outside? i don't think magnets will attract stainless steel, so is there something that could work?

 

[TankGirl]

I think many magnets available in strips for craft use are coated in epoxy - at least the ones I have are. I've never used them in a tank but they appear safe for that.

What you could do is somehow attach the mesh to the plastic rim at the top of the tank above the water line.

 

[Mr Burns]

i could attach it at the top only, but i want to make sure no fishies get behind it. if i put magnetic strips along the left and right side of the mesh, nothing can get behind it. i'll check hobby lobby or michael's crafts to see if they have the coated magnets. TG, did you get your's from a local shop or a big chain?

 

[vega]

IMHO, i think the fish or shrimp WILL able to get into the behind of the mesh regardless how you magnet the mesh to the aquarium.

I think having the coated magnet in tank in long run is quite risky too. As the coat might wear off.

Most tank with polyter background we find in lfs is actually glue with sillicon where the side n bottom is totally seal off..

Will siliconing the mesh to tank be possible for you? Probabily the mesh should also be around 1/2 inch higher then the gravel so you can minimise the dirt trapping.

But you will still need to do the head count time to time.

HTH

 

[TankGirl]

The magnetic strips I have are from Michael's. What about siliconing the mesh to the back (good call, vega)?

 

[Mr Burns]

i'd prefer not to silicone it directly to the tank...mainly b/c the tank is already filled and cycling. i'll check michael tomorrow and see what they have. thanks TG.

btw, i'm only going to be keeping four dwarf puffers...maybe five.

 

[TankGirl]

Don't forget that the impeller in HOB filters is a magnet, as is those magnet algae scrapers. They are not always the kiss of death for a tank, LOL!