I just got a new 55 gallon tank for my arowana as he has outgrown his current tank. I would really like to put a clay sculpture I made in college in with him but I am not sure if it is safe. The sculpture is made of pretty common red sculpting clay and has been fired in a kiln. It was only partially, however, covered in glaze. The inside of the sculpture was hard to reach with the glaze and is not sealed. Can anyone tell me if the unsealed clay will release anything that will be bad for my arowana??
Are un-glazed clay decorations ok to use in my tank??
- Thread starter BTB0923
- Start date
I'm almost 100% sure the clay is ok but it's the glaze that you might want to be careful about. If it was rated for human use (glazes that you eat off of and drink out of) then it is ok, but many glazes have lead and other harmful materials.
I would think that after the glaze is kilned it would be effectively "sealed" and not be in a state to release chemicals....is that not the case??
depending on the glaze used I would really be more worried about it than the unglazed clay. the 55G is only a short term home I hope they need alot more space than that.
yes I am aware of that. how can I check as to whether or not the glaze on my sculpture will be safe in my tank or not?? is there a test I can perform on it??
No that is not the case, and that is why there are glazes recomended for human use and glazes that warn against human use. You would really just have to track down the glaze you used and check the container. If you remember the name (they often times have unique names like firecracker, or cherry red or something) you might be able to find out. Also, an art teacher may be ably to identify the glaze. I know that my last art teacher could eyeball any glaze or paint and tell you the name and brand. I would suggest you test it on some fish you don't care about, but a something like a glaze can put off harmful chemicals for a long time and I wouldn't risk an Aro for it. You should probably just not use it.BTB0923;1935204; said:I would think that after the glaze is kilned it would be effectively "sealed" and not be in a state to release chemicals....is that not the case??
Thanks for the input. You are right... I would never want to risk the health of my Aro unless I was absolutely sure the sculpture was safe. Unfortunately, I glazed this sculpture many years ago in college and I don't think there is any way I could be sure of what kind of glaze I used. Do you think there is some kind of clear aquarium safe sealant I could coat the sculpture in?
That's a good idea, but it just gave me a better one. Why don't you just reglaze over it with a clear glaze that's human approved.
That's a really good idea except I don't have access to a kiln. Also, I think the clay might crack if I fired it again. It might be possible though if I could do it in my oven or something...I will have to look in to that.
