# Spongebob decoration warning



## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I believe the brand is Penn Plax. This isn't a question but I would like to warn people on this decoration (the specific decoration is the pineapple house from Spongebob).

I recently found exposed metal on this decoration that went undetected because it was covered by the paint, that chipped off. I also noticed places rusting on the inside of the decoration... More exposed metal. Just a warning that although these are advertised as safe for aquariums, it seems that they use metal in the internal structure (or maybe I just got a defective product).

Rust causes toxins in the water so please check your decor closely! I have removed this decoration and WILL NOT get another. My poor fishy is obviously feeling better after removing the decor and a large water change


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Penn Plax? Oh great I just bought a castle by them.. off to the manufacturer..


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## Rosso1011 (Nov 13, 2011)

I haven't had that problem yet but the Spongebob house does seem to chip paint rather easily. I haven't had the same problem with Squidward's house yet.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Nope, I've had the Squidward house for over a year. I think the paint is also different... My other penn Plax spongebob decor also seems to chip easily but it looks like the spongebob house has metal framing. It was sticking out of the green leaves part at the top. For some reason, penn plax seems to use different types of materials depending on the decoration... But if you see any brown on it, try scrubbing it off and see if you see metal underneath. I found it in a few places on the pineapple house. I am definitely not happy and will be contacting them.


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## Mal72 (Jan 7, 2013)

Rosso1011 said:


> I haven't had that problem yet but the Spongebob house does seem to chip paint rather easily. I haven't had the same problem with Squidward's house yet.


I have a tiki man from Penn Plax and the paint chipped off rather easily. I saw where that is a problem with some of their products. I guess I should've read more closely. It's a shame because they have some really cute decorations....


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## prettykitty123 (Jan 8, 2013)

Thanks for letting me know. My neice wanted to get a Spongebob decoration for the fish tank, but I think we will pass on these.


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## BettaPirate (Nov 20, 2012)

I almost got that for Splashcasso's tank, glad I decided against that!


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## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

I've had a time with their products! Anything that's not that ruff paint (like on Squidward's house) ends up chipping, changing pH, or having metal in it. Nasty products they have THAT'S for sure! Not wasting any more of my money of them!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I'm pretty disappointed, because DaBaDee's tank is spongebob themed... I don't really like spongebob but when I get a new decoration to put in there, it's not going to go along with my theme. *Sigh*

But there's been some other decoration ideas including a few homemade ones that I've seen that I thought were neat, so now I have an excuse to try them out  Plus, I have some aquarium safe silicone that needs to be put to use.


Edit: and yes, I wrote them a nice e-mail saying what happened and that my betta and I are NOT pleased, and I will no longer be a customer and am passing it along to as many people as I can. I don't understand how you can make a decoration with metal in it and advertise it as aquarium safe and not get in trouble (like those stupid betta hammocks).


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

This one?








Intersting. I have had it for over 2 years and the paint is not chipping..

however whatever decor petsmart sells - the paint is all bubbled and cracking off of the beehive decoration:evil:


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Yeah, that one. The paint didn't chip until after I tried scrubbing it, but the Gary ornament I have is half bald. -_- I've not had problems with the squidward tiki house thankfully, because its DaBaDees favorite.


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## babystarz (Aug 3, 2012)

Crap, I have like 6 of those. None in use at the moment but I was planning to reuse them :/


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

I took a piece of sand paper to the Sponge-bob house and I found rusted metal underneath I took it to my Squidward house and nothing but i'm still a bit skeptic. Here goes water change number two of the day -_- ... can someone send me a link to the website so I can complain.


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

If you have one of these things too there's metal on the inside, because on the bottom of mine there's nothing but rust.


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

I've run a magnet across both the squidward and sponge bob house. Both of which made my magnet attract, so I have come to the conclusion they both contain metal.


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

Upon further inspection all of my ornaments are magnetic and contain metal -_-... I'v been toying with the idea of going natural and this decides it. Anyone know if the paint comes off the "natural" tank gravel, because at this point i'm not sure about anything anymore.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I'm glad the only decor I decided to put in my sorority tank was silk plants. I'm planning on putting a terracotta pot or a ceramic something or other in to replace the spongebob house.

I also have one of those rainbow cave things in my other males tank  he's blind so I really didn't want to move the decor around.


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## Stone (Jan 6, 2013)

Great I have one of these will just have to keep an eye on it, I checked itand did not see exposed metal anywhere


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I didn't either, because it was under the paint. I looked at one at Walmart last night and didn't see exposed metal, so I think mine may have been defective. I also don't know if metal is a problem inside the structure of the decoration, but it does seem that metal is used as an internal frame.


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## Firefly85 (Jul 11, 2012)

oh no that really sucks, my new tank build is all sponge bob, but it is the crusty crab not the house.
I am no it worries me about what i put in my tanks, and especially my shrimp tank. 

I don't recall any of the older tank decor containing metal, but i guess they are getting cheaper as in material and more expensive as in price for poor merchandise.. ie crap :-(

maybe there should be a warning thread for problem fish products.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

It sounds like they are pretty much all problem products.  I really don't want to break the decoration but I guess I could to see if it rusted inside the decoration.... If the paint chips you would be able to see the metal if it were exposed. It also chips off metal easier than it does the rest of the decoration, but the easiest way to tell if its rusting is to look for any brown spots on the decoration. That is what made me notice it... And there were brown spots in a few places but most of them were very small.


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## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

Artist with a betta said:


> If you have one of these things too there's metal on the inside, because on the bottom of mine there's nothing but rust.


That one messed with my pH too! Gave me a nasty spike -_- Now, it isa very colorful pencile holder 
;-)
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Artist with a betta said:


> Upon further inspection all of my ornaments are magnetic and contain metal -_-... I'v been toying with the idea of going natural and this decides it. Anyone know if the paint comes off the "natural" tank gravel, because at this point i'm not sure about anything anymore.


That's a good idea.. to use a magnet.. but GEEZ all of them? That's scary.. now I'm worried about that castle  I e-mailed the company.

Btw brown spots can also be brown algae.. it's common in certain places.. I have it here because it's in our drinking water in large quantities.


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## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

Hey, if anyone is a member of the main forum (bettafish.com is actually a subforum of tropicalfishkeeping.com ) I would love a hand from someone who had a bad experence with one of these products. I started up a thread in "Aquarium Products Reviews" titled "Dangerous or Amazing Tank Decor Reviews" and I need reviews and testimonials. I want to have data on good and bad decor all in one place.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Technically we are all members of the main forum. The log in works on both sites, but I've only posted on TFK once asking about my brothers loaches since I only keep bettas.


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

callistra said:


> That's a good idea.. to use a magnet.. but GEEZ all of them? That's scary.. now I'm worried about that castle  I e-mailed the company.
> 
> Btw brown spots can also be brown algae.. it's common in certain places.. I have it here because it's in our drinking water in large quantities.


I went out to town today and got two little terra cotta pots one big one fir my little guy and a even littler one for my (new) snail who is now enjoying munching on an algae wafer in it. Now once my plant's grow I will take out the plastic plant's and have a natural tank for them. This finally gave me a reason to go natural.


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## celine18 (Sep 25, 2010)

Artist with a betta said:


> I went out to town today and got two little terra cotta pots one big one fir my little guy and a even littler one for my (new) snail who is now enjoying munching on an algae wafer in it. Now once my plant's grow I will take out the plastic plant's and have a natural tank for them. This finally gave me a reason to go natural.


i'm sure you did this, but terra cotta pot warning: there can be catchy spots around the hole in the bottom of the pot that need to be sanded, and also, on the smaller pots, the hole might be the perfect size to trap a curious betta head in, so, for good measure, i always shoved rocks into mine.


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## mstenorsaxplayer (Apr 27, 2012)

I almost bought one too for Lil Sano's Christmas present. I got him a log instead  I hope your fishies didn't get sick from it.


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

celine18 said:


> i'm sure you did this, but terra cotta pot warning: there can be catchy spots around the hole in the bottom of the pot that need to be sanded, and also, on the smaller pots, the hole might be the perfect size to trap a curious betta head in, so, for good measure, i always shoved rocks into mine.


I did I worried about him getting stuck since I couldn't get my thumb through it. So I crammed two pieces of gravel in the little hole back there. I also got a little 2 inch one for my snail, he spends most of the day hiding in there.


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## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

Plus, you never know what kind of chemicals could have absorbed into the pots in transit :shock:
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## BulletToothBoris (Jan 8, 2013)

My crusty crab seems to be holding up.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Penn Plax has been notified and customer service is sending the information on to corporate.

Is it just the pineapple at this point? Has anyone been able to check other ornaments using a magnet?

ETA: So the squidward also has metal? What magnet was used? 

This user had no attraction, so wonder if the problem is not with all or the magnet used was not as strong? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=126921


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## Hershey (Sep 28, 2012)

I took squiddy out way before this because it floats too much. Does metal really float?


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## LeoTheLakerBetta (Oct 12, 2012)

It shouldn't be floating especiallu if its metal. Maybe there are bubbles trapped underneath the cave part. If there is just turn it upside down underwater and it should evacuate all the bubbles. A lot of the time cave-like decorations trap bubbles inside so I just turn the upside down and they all float out.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Yeah, the squidward house you have to tip under the water to get the air bubbles out.


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## Hershey (Sep 28, 2012)

Even baring it down is hard though.


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

callistra said:


> Penn Plax has been notified and customer service is sending the information on to corporate.
> 
> Is it just the pineapple at this point? Has anyone been able to check other ornaments using a magnet?
> 
> ...


I just used a button magnet bought form a big pack from the Walmart craft isle.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

Artist with a betta said:


> Upon further inspection all of my ornaments are magnetic and contain metal -_-... I'v been toying with the idea of going natural and this decides it. Anyone know if the paint comes off the "natural" tank gravel, because at this point i'm not sure about anything anymore.


edited: I mis-read that. sorry! I don't think that the pain comes off of the gravel. I haven't been having any issues with my gravel, and it's far from natural looking.


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## shawnee (Jan 23, 2013)

well most of there stuff is crapy....


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Hershey said:


> Even baring it down is hard though.


Lol, I'm confused as to what you mean by this. I always have to push mine underwater and tilt it backwards so the air bubbles come out of the eyes, and then it doesn't float for me..


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## NorthernLights (Mar 2, 2012)

*metal in decor*

I discovered rust in my Zoo Med betta hammock and removed the wire yesterday. I also pulled the wires from my two Zoo Med bamboos yesterday (one had been taken out a couple weeks ago when I found a rust spot, the other did not seem to have rusted yet. I am wondering if the persistent fin issues Odysseus has been having are being caused or exacerbated by rust in the water. Does anyone know if the leaf hammock can be put back into use after removing the wire after it rusted?

In light of all these Penn Plax metal discoveries, has anyone found their small Buddha head to have rust issues? I spoke to a Penn Plax associate who happened to be at my LFS for a 30 year celebration and he said the buddha head is completely non-toxic, even if the paint chips. I also have PetsMart's dark brown elephant (not sure who makes it, but Penn Plax seems likely, since they make a lot of cool decorations), which has a few small chips on it where I had to cut off sharp edges. Anyone know if that is safe?


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Yeah all the Zoo med stuff has wires. 

After you remove the metal and clean off all the rust you can put it back in


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## Hershey (Sep 28, 2012)

AyalaCookiejar said:


> Lol, I'm confused as to what you mean by this. I always have to push mine underwater and tilt it backwards so the air bubbles come out of the eyes, and then it doesn't float for me..


I didn't know it had to do with air. I always have to bury it in gravel.


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## itsuki (Jan 10, 2013)

this saddens me, i was planning to buy the spongebob pinehouse house, or even the easter island head  not any more i guess. thanks for posting.


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## JulieK (Jan 26, 2013)

callistra said:


> This user had no attraction, so wonder if the problem is not with all or the magnet used was not as strong? http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?t=126921


Nope, I take that back. I tried the magnet again and it DID attach (just barely) to 
the very tips of the green spikes on the top. Makes me sad. He loved swimming through all those windows.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

The green spikes on top have the metal wire structure, not sure about the rest of the decoration. I'm now wanting to phase out all decor except for terra cotta pots and silk plants... Too bad, since my CT is blind and is becoming familiar with his surroundings. (At least I have an abundance of silk plants - I went a little overboard on Petco.com lol.)


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Any updates?


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

No. I need to start a change.org petition against ornaments that contain metal >:/ I'm sure you would all help get plenty of signatures!


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## Saphira101 (Nov 14, 2012)

I'd sign it!!!!!!!!


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## Bluewind (Oct 24, 2012)

Metal and ANY harmful chemicals or products! It's shocking some of the stuff they put in orniments! Toxic paint even!
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

My signature will definitely be on said petition.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

I would focus on penn plax as they are the one who are a HUGE name doing it.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

Yeah, I already made the petition (against Penn Plax) BUT I have to figure out how to edit it first. I made it on my phone and need to add their e-mail so that their customer service receives an e-mail every time somebody signs it. I should probably see if I can do that right now  its harder to do it on my phone, though.

I'll try to get it up and posted soon.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

http://www.change.org/petitions/penn-plax-stop-making-aquarium-decorations-that-contain-metal

Please tell me if this link works. I'm on my phone and sometimes the URLs get all messed up.


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## Nicci Lu (Jan 7, 2013)

It works. Just 98 more signatures to go.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

I signed.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

97 to go, lol. WooHoo! I'm sure we could probably get all 100 just from this site, but I shared it on facebook, anyways. Too bad I don't have many FB friends, ha.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

I did too. I'm about to make a lot of people believe that I am the crazy fish lady.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I'm pretty sure that learning that some aquarium decorations can be harmful to fish would even be concerning to the owners of unheated 1/2 gallon tanks. Back when I had no idea how to care for a Betta, I know I would still be freaked out if I found out some decorations on the shelves of Walmart can actually hurt my fish.

You assume that the things marketed as aquarium safe would be aquarium safe, and its alarming to find out otherwise... Even if you aren't a crazy fish lady, lol.


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## Hadoken Kitty (Jan 24, 2013)

I don't have a lot of fish owner friends, but I made sure to send it to the ones that I do own fish. I also sent it to people who don't, in hopes that they would join the cause simply for the reason behind it!


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## Artist with a betta (Nov 26, 2012)

I signed.


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

Signed and updated sig.. now on Pinterest, Twitter and FB


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## babybetta (May 15, 2009)

signed and shared


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## kyle89 (Mar 1, 2013)

Great i just bought squishy squidwards house. Gonna keep an eye on it. Signed petition


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## Lotte (Mar 3, 2013)

Signed


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## AkaRyu (Feb 23, 2013)

So is squidwards house safe for use? I'm thinking when I go in for new tank decorations I'll be bringing a magnet with me :|

Edit: Also signed ^^


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I have a squidward house that I never removed because its my oldest fish's oldest decoration and he'd freak if I took it out of his tank. I think there's metal in the internal frame, but I'm not sure how detrimental it is. If there is little pieces of exposed metal (I've seen this a lot on the inside of caves) it will definitely rust.


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## JayPe3 (Feb 21, 2013)

The paint on my Spongebob Pineapple or my Krusty Krab isn't chipping.
I'll leave it until I see chipping.


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## Kuunsilta (Mar 9, 2013)

Thanks for the heads up! I will definitely be checking the decorations before buying them now


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## callistra (Jun 29, 2010)

The thing is the ornament is porous. Water goes in and out of the ceramic.. so when it rusts on the inside the chemicals come out.. chipping may make it leach faster, but it's leaching regardless if there is metal inside.


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## AyalaCookiejar (Nov 20, 2012)

I know this is an old thread but I have some exciting and relevant news regarding this decoration.

I started a new thread here:
http://www.bettafish.com/showthread.php?p=2148457#post2148457


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