# Terracotta pot warnings and fixes! :D



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Alright, I keep seeing people's precious little friends get hurt from the small (but just big enough!) holes in the bottom of terracotta pots. I recently got my two boys these kinds of pots and was concerned myself!
Even though a pot's little hole may not look it, I can _guarentee_ that it is big enough to spark curiosity in your betta that could result in it getting stuck. (This post is more for newer members and new-to-terracotta people like me )








So, before you put it in, I have a few suggestions:

~*First*: WASH IT! D8 It has more debris than you think, and could be dusty. Give it a good, hot wash for a while. No soap, though! Check it, too, for any large, sharp spots where pieces may have broken off. If you find them, carefully file it away and wash again.

~Once its been washed, now you need to decide how you're gonna keep little fishie out of the hole. There's lots of ways to do it, and Im sure even more than I've posted here...
(If you have other suggestions, let me know )

With Sealant (AQUARIUM Only! D :​ 
-*Take the sealant and simply cover the hole's opening*. It wont be the prettiest way, but it gets the job done! Let it dry for as long as the packaging says, then wash the pot in hot water when it's done. Unless otherwise packaged, try letting it sit for two days or so.








-*Take a marble (flat bottom works well..) and seal it *(flat part to the hole)to the back of the pot. This makes it a bit prettier, and you can all but hide the sealant under the marble.

Without Sealant: 
(Please note, some of these are temporary fixes. Sealed works best IMO!)​ 
-When you're in a pinch and cant get sealant or another method to fix the hole but really want it in your tank, *try taking a wad (big enough for the hole) of plastic wrap and shoving it in the hole*. I've done this without adverse effects for a few days while waiting for sealant with a scaredy cat fish  Make sure no loose pieces of plastic wrap are floating about.

-*Take a soft(!!!) fake or silk plant and fill the hole with it*. Many fake plants come on bases with stems that can be rearranged and removed, so take one off and shove it in. *Make sure there aren't any sharp edges on the plants, especially on the usually unexposed bottom stem!
- ^ You can also leave the whole plant on the base and just put however many you need!

- *Bury the back with substrate*. I did this for a quick fix, but I must say, doing with marbles is NOT what I recommend! Marbles can fall and hurt your little friend. Back the pot up into a corner (or wherever, if the hole is still exposed while flush) and use your gravel/sand/etc to fill in the space behind it. Make sure *under the sides are also filled, too. Your betta will try and swim under it  -Dont pile it too high, though, that's risky.







(<- Similar!)
-*Sponge that sucker*! Take a CLEAN, UNUSED, UNSCENTED, SOFT small portion of sponge and fill the hole with it. Make sure the sponge has never, not even once been used and *has been rinsed thuroughly!!

Maybe this will help, Im hoping it does. It seems like such a duh! thing, but I didnt think of it at first and maybe you didnt either! Im sure there are lots of horror stories out there, so here's hoping that doesnt continue to happen!  Remember, when in doubt or too nervous... Just use a clean mug! 

(Images courtesy of google )


----------



## fleetfish (Jun 29, 2010)

VERY GOOD POST! I've had my share of sad deaths due to not sealing up holes in not just pots but other decorations as well.


----------



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

fleetfish said:


> VERY GOOD POST! I've had my share of sad deaths due to not sealing up holes in not just pots but other decorations as well.


I'm so sorry to hear that :,c but thank you! I've been hearing sad stories latley and wanted to help out!


----------



## Sweeda88 (Dec 6, 2010)

This should definitely be stickied! Great info!


----------



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Sweeda88 said:


> This should definitely be stickied! Great info!


thank you!! DD


----------



## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

Great post! I've heard of one terrible incident regarding the hole in the terracotta pot.
I don't have pots in my tanks, but I can second that Betta's are quite curious and weird at times..(I did a water change and didn't dig a decoration in the gravel so there was a tiny hole between the hide and the gravel, a very tight squeeze, I didn't think anything of it until I saw Jasper wiggle himself through the hole. He looked so proud of himself after he made it out. I was astounded!!)


----------



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

JaspersANGEL said:


> Great post! I've heard of one terrible incident regarding the hole in the terracotta pot.
> I don't have pots in my tanks, but I can second that Betta's are quite curious and weird at times..(I did a water change and didn't dig a decoration in the gravel so there was a tiny hole between the hide and the gravel, a very tight squeeze, I didn't think anything of it until I saw Jasper wiggle himself through the hole. He looked so proud of himself after he made it out. I was astounded!!)


 Ohh, I hear you on that one! While trying to figure out how to keep Macceroni out of the hole, he wriggled in under the substrate on the sides of the pot and then wriggled out the other side! He looked proud too. I cant say I was all that happy about it, but he seemed pleased :shake:
Theyre smarter than we sometimes give them credit for ;D
Best of luck with your silly and crafty little guy!


----------



## JaspersANGEL (Oct 12, 2009)

*hehe* I wouldn't call it smart


----------



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

JaspersANGEL said:


> *hehe* I wouldn't call it smart


True ...:lol:


----------



## PewPewPew (Nov 26, 2010)

Another Tip : From HayrideHaunter!

~ Instead of fretting about the little guy getting stuck in your pot, transform it into a *tunnel-type decoration*! 
This will require a *larger pot*, as it will be cut in half. They sell larger, longer (narrower) pots that are great for this! Try Michael's.

-To do this, break, cut, whatever the pot and make it so it's _halved_. You can go two ways from here:

*Using only one half*: Carefully sand down the rough edges created by breaking your pot (This is _VERY IMPORTANT!)._ Check and recheck for sharp edges. If youre unsure, take a pair of pantyhose and run it over the pot. If it snags, it'd snag a fin! Next, rinse rinse rinse in hot water and get all the nasties from sanding off. You can then seal the edges you broke for extra protection or leave them simply sanded. Bury the pot a bit, but make sure the* back opening is big enough for the betta's WHOLE BODY (An inch or more!!!)* Also, make sure the back hole has been sanded down and checked as well!

~ *You can also use BOTH sides of the pot!* It creates a charming tunnel and is very cute. This will require you to carefully break (better yet, cut!) your larger than usual pot in half. Sand it down carefully and check like above. Now you need to Seal the two pots together, _wide top to wide top_. The bottoms need, again, to be *bigger than an inch and sanded*!
Seal the two pots together like in the photo below. Allow the sealant to dry as directed, or for around two days. You can also, again, seal the bottoms and sides to assure smooth edges  Once dry, clean clean clean in very hot water. Put it into your tank with it slightly buried into the substrate for asthetic effect.
Here's an example I found on google:







This one has been placed on glass. Try that too! :B

~If you _dont_ want to break your put but worry about your little one going through a small hole, try getting a* BIG* pot! Bigger pots usually have bigger holes on the bottom, some like 3/4 the diameter of the bottom! These are great and require only some sanding on the hole and a good cleaning. You can also bury a bigger pot if you have enough substrate and create the tunnel effect sans any breaking! 

Thanks HayrideHaunter for the great idea!  <3


----------

