Modifying Items to be Tank Safe?

[DPirateRoberts]

Is it possible to coat an item (a knickknack or something) with a special paint or resin that will make it safe to put into a freshwater aquarium?

Example: Last summer, I went to the Petrified Forest in Arizona and bought (I emphasize bought because tons of people steal from that poor National Park) a piece of petrified wood. Is there something I can coat it with to insure that my fish won't be harmed?

 

[Lonewolfblue]

Let's wait til we get more responses, but I do believe petrified wood is perfectly safe. All it is is wood that has been turned into rock. So I think if cleaned in the normal fashion, it should be ok. But let's wait and see what others say before you add it to the tank.

 

[DPirateRoberts]

Thanks lwb.
I was also wondering about other items, too. Like figurines and items like that which aren't made specifically for tanks.
The piece of petrified wood I got is cool looking, I wished I had gotten a couple more...
I won't put it in the tank until we get more responses. Thanks.

 

[QTOFFER]

I've got plenty of petrified wood in my tanks (bought from the lfs, of course). It's perfectly safe and it looks great underwater.

As far as other items, I believe that you can spray them with clear epoxy to prevent them from leaching chemicals into the tank. I would still test the item by placing in a bucket for a few days just to be sure the epoxy finish holds up.

 

[DPirateRoberts]

Thanks QTOFFER.

 

[justrelax]

maybe some sort of dip would be even a little better. spraying is a great idea, but you run a greater risk of missing areas that may not be in the line of spray. i would certainly think there's something out there you could dip stuff into, therefore ensuring a complete coating.

 

[hulkamaniac]

I too am going to go along with the petrified wood is ok thing.

As a side question, my Wal-mart has a polyresin statue that's designed for a garden. It's unpainted. Will it be aquarium safe if I pick it up?

 

[newfound77951]

It should be OK.....but to be safe I'd stick it in a bucket for a while and test the pH.... Does it have lots of little nooks and crannies? That won't make it unsafe but it might end up looking lousy when it gets covered in algae.

Most ceramic items should be OK, ceramic is pretty inert stuff. Plastics can be good or bad depending on what type. I would avoid anything made of cement or concrete, these will leach all sorts of nasty things into your water.

 

[Guest]

The petrified wood is a rock now. So yes it's safe for a tank just clean it up alittle and add. But the ceramic stuff. I just never felt safe with anything like that in my tanks.

 

[tropicfishman]

it should be perfectly fine, just rinse it off real well before you stick it in the tnak

 

[joannde]

You have to be a little careful with ceramics. Glazes are actually made of minerals, and some of those minerals are metals; some glazes also contain lead. To be safe I'd use only items that are intended to be used with food. I've made my own ceramic items and I've used only food safe glazes, so I'm counting on them being fish safe - if not I'm in BIG trouble !

 

[Lonewolfblue]

I might even start looking for some petrified wood now.