plastic ornaments in sw setup please advise

[chappas]

what a great site found loads of advise but was just wondering..... i have just bought a new tank 48"w 18"d 20"h and was goung to use it for tropicals but we have changed our minds and want to start a salt water one but befor we had changed our minds i have bought a very large plastic galleon which measures about 30" long and 9" high it is split in 2 halves i was just wondering if you can still use these in sw setups - i was thinking of putting 1 half at each end of the tank and putting living rock in the middle if anyone can offer any advise on this i would be greatfull
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[notmuffy]

Welcome to the Aquarium Advice, especially someone from our side of the pond!

You can put whatever plastic aquarium trinkets in there that you want. I think that a broken galleon would be a nice place for some shy fishes and crabs to hide. Just make sure you like it where you put it because once you get your tank really growing you don't want to disturb in invertabrate inhabitants.

 

[biotoxin]

just my 2cents here so dont be offended. I think those plastic things ppl put in aquariums are fairly cheesy and i wouldnt put one in my tank, ever. They're ok for fresh water but i dont know how corrosive salt water is on that type of plastic. Plus something painted to me is a big no no in a salt tank.

 

[Biggen]

dont know how corrosive salt water is on that type of plastic.

Actually, I would think that plastic would last longer than just about any other material in saltwater.

Plus something painted to me is a big no no in a salt tank.

Ditto. I am sure the paint used on those things is non-toxic, but it never hurts to try and stay away from chemicals like that. At the very least, they can be no *good* for the tank.

Overall, you should have no problems putting plastic ornaments in the tank. It's just a matter of personal preference.

 

[RodneyCK]

I agree with biotoxin, there is a cheese factor associated with plastic toys in a sw aquarium. If you do wish to use plastics or synthetic ornaments, I would suggest the reproduction corals for a more natural look.

My two cents...

 

[biotoxin]

hehe cheese factor. Sounds like some complex algorithim. cheese x velocity divided by tank size and treasure chest division.

 

[notmuffy]

I agree with biotoxin, there is a cheese factor associated with plastic toys in a sw aquarium. If you do wish to use plastics or synthetic ornaments, I would suggest the reproduction corals for a more natural look.

My two cents...

You Guys!!!
This person just spent $40 on a decoration that I'm sure looks nicer than we are picturing. Be a little nicer, please! :x

 

[possum]

I have a big plastic rock thingy in my tank that is plastic. It has already got corraline growing on it and i even have 3 yellow star polyps on it!



(edited for the many spelling errors i found that i had made as a result of sleeping to damn long )

 

[Biggen]

This person just spent $40 on a decoration that I'm sure looks nicer than we are picturing. Be a little nicer, please!

Absolutely. Not only that, but in time, coralline algae will completely cover the ornaments. They will look like rock to some extent.

 

[possum]

i dont know how corrosive salt water is on that type of plastic. Plus something painted to me is a big no no in a salt tank.

Im not 100% sure but wouldnt they probably use the same kind of plastic as they use for making powerheads and other things that are normally found in SW tanks?

 

[biotoxin]

notmuffy, thats why i said dont be offended, read before talking.

 

[RodneyCK]

Notmuffy, I was not being mean. It is purely an aesthetic call and to each his own I say. If a plastic scuba diver with bubbles shooting out his a** is your thing, go for it.

8O

 

[biotoxin]

LOL

 

[notmuffy]

Well personally I don't have anything like that in my tanks, but I didn't want you guys to scare away the newbie!!!

 

[biotoxin]

muffy,

youre on some kind of crack thats for sure. If someone comes to this board and takes the time to post and ask for replies, it would be logical to conclude that they can take the criticism be it beneficial or not. We simply stated our views on that, and to me, id rather be honest than tell someone what they wana hear. If the "newb" is scared away then thats too bad, but for us to be here on this board saying things ppl want to hear goes against what a forum is all about. But thats my 2 cents on this thread.

 

[notmuffy]

LOL this is waaaaay out of hand.

First this person was asking if it was ok to have a plastic toy in saltwater, ("Can we still use this in a saltwater setup?") they weren't asking for a lession in aesthetics, from what I gathered - maybe I am wrong? If I am wrong then I apologize as I would be way out of line.

Second, you told him some crap about saltwater being corrosive to plastic?? I wasn't gonna go there, but since you told me I was on crack...

Third, I realize that you said "don't be offended" and that's not a problem. It was that 3 people went on and on about how ugly this guys' taste is after spending quite a bit of money on something. I didn't mean for YOU to be personally attacked -- funny because maybe this newbie felt that way too. :|

Lastly, I'm not really mad at anyone! All I wanted to say was "Down, Boys!" The newbie didn't come back.

Who knew a cheesy 30" plastic aquarium would be so much fun?

 

[CountZero]

Cant we all just get along?