# Household shelters/decorations?



## KandiiPanda (Oct 1, 2010)

Here's the deal: I'd love to buy some amazing shelters and decorations for my new-ish tank, but to be honest I can't find any good ones (by good I mean nice looking, non-questionable quality, and not waaay too big)

So, are there any common items you could use in place of decorations? I have some ideas (I believe I saw a tank one time with a cool whip container or something as a little hideaway), but I'm worried the plastic/ink may hurt my betta; dixie cups are another idea

And of course, in a perfect world I'd lovee to custom-make decorations out of clay, but to my knowledge there's no aquarium-safe coating or anything

(And yes, I know I could always order stuff online but I'm the type of person who needs to physically hold something before making a decision =P)

Thank you for any help you guys may give me! <3


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## wystearya (Sep 27, 2010)

I know people use coffe mugs. They shouldn't have any sharp edges at least. 

And some people get their silk plants from the craft section, they are cheaper than the ones specially sold for fish tanks. You could hot glue them to a smooth rock.

Speaking of rocks, if you can find smooth rocks in your area those would be free. You might be able to get creative and glue them into a bridge shape or maybe a cave or just some kind of neat looking shape. 

This is all I can think of right now, I hope you get more ideas posted. I'd like to make some fun decor for my new 5 gallon.


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## KandiiPanda (Oct 1, 2010)

Oh, I never thought of looking in the actual craft section for silk plants, haha

And I love the idea of rocks, but what type of glue would be safe? I just know bettas are highly sensitive, so I'd hate for anything to leak out and hurt him =c


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

Actually, most food-safe glazed ceramics are fine for your betta's tanks. Just make sure that they are food-safe and haven't recently been exposed to chemicals like soap. There are quite a few individuals on etsy.com who make custom ceramic aquarium decorations, they are pricy though. I've seen a small ceramic sugar bowl used as a hide once, it was pretty cute. Coconut caves are another, cheaper option. You could also use plastic needlepoint craft mesh to make the basic shape of a cave, and then sew java moss or christmas moss to it to cover the mesh.


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## Pomsizzle (Oct 17, 2010)

Adastra said:


> Actually, most food-safe glazed ceramics are fine for your betta's tanks. Just make sure that they are food-safe and haven't recently been exposed to chemicals like soap. There are quite a few individuals on etsy.com who make custom ceramic aquarium decorations, they are pricy though. I've seen a small ceramic sugar bowl used as a hide once, it was pretty cute. Coconut caves are another, cheaper option. You could also use plastic needlepoint craft mesh to make the basic shape of a cave, and then sew java moss or christmas moss to it to cover the mesh.


Wait. I have a mug I would like to add. But has come incontact with soap. what do I Do


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## bettafish15 (Oct 3, 2010)

Rinse the mug rreeeaaalllyyy well with super hot water for awhile, and repeat.


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## celine18 (Sep 25, 2010)

are glazed mugs ok? like glaze you use when you make it yourself? (using real kiln and stuff, made in art class)

also, you could probably use aquarium sealant for the rocks, i've read about people doing that


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## sunnymui (Sep 24, 2010)

Hamster plastic tubing makes great tunnels for my fish to swim through, which I sometimes alternate on water change days with a glass napkin ring I found at a supermarket. 

Also maybe marbles you might have left over, cleaned with hot water.

I sometimes use a big 3cm pink plastic bead that my fish loves to push it around! I know other people use ping pong balls, but my fish is a bit of a chicken, and gets scared of ping pong balls.


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## KandiiPanda (Oct 1, 2010)

I just went out and gathered a crapton of rocks, they're soaking in just water right now and I'm probably gonna leave them there overnight cuz I'm paranoid XD
Oh, aquarium sealant would probably work c= I remember reading about that for my deco projects, haha

Edit: Oh my gosh, I really need some hamster tubing now, that's soo cute
Also I have a crapton of beads, so yay!
Thank you for the ideas guys c=


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## Adastra (Jun 18, 2010)

celine18 said:


> are glazed mugs ok? like glaze you use when you make it yourself? (using real kiln and stuff, made in art class)
> 
> also, you could probably use aquarium sealant for the rocks, i've read about people doing that



There are a lot of unsafe glazes out there, such as those that contain metals. Anything you use should be high fired to cone ten, and should be fully covered in food-safe glazes, you should check the ingredients in any glaze you use to make sure that it is safe for aquarium use.

Not all rocks you find outside are safe for aquarium use--make sure the varieties of rock you found are among the few that are safe. To list a few, obsidian, jade, quartz, jasper, granite, slate. Unsafe rocks include mica, sandstone, limestone, pyrite, coral, seashells and a lot of other sedimentary rocks.


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## Jupiter (Aug 30, 2009)

KandiiPanda said:


> Oh, I never thought of looking in the actual craft section for silk plants, haha
> 
> And I love the idea of rocks, but what type of glue would be safe? I just know bettas are highly sensitive, so I'd hate for anything to leak out and hurt him =c


Aquarium silicone or hot glue (the clear sticks) are fine.


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## dragonfair (Sep 21, 2010)

Adastra said:


> Coconut caves are another, cheaper option.


Ooh, those reptile coconut caves will work in aquariums? Sweet - I'm gonna go get some! And I love the idea of hamster tubes. I tried coffee mugs but they wouldn't go near them, so these are great ideas!


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