Plastic Substrate

Zhewitt04

Exodon
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Oct 22, 2015
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I work at a plastic injection molding facility. I can get my hands on some plastic pellets and I was curious if this would be ok for rays. I would cut down on debris in the filter and also I could run a powerhead over it without disturbing it too much. I could keep the substrate clean but yet light enough I believe a ray could burrow in it. The link below will show you what it looks like. I am going to use a natural color like a black or white or tan. All i have to do is make sure the specific gravity is over 1.0. Please let me know if you see any issues with this. I am planning on keeping a ray. I doubt anybody has used this but if you have please chime in. Thanks

https://www.google.com/search?q=raw...KEwjm967evLjJAhUBXh4KHUEsBfoQ_AUIBygC#imgrc=_
 

xraycer

Arapaima
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Sep 5, 2013
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If the plastic is inert, I do see an issue health wise, but just make sure the plastic doesn't have sharp edgings that could cause cuts
 

viejafish

Plecostomus
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Jan 31, 2013
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I will not do it. All plastic releases plasterizer into the water, some faster, others slower. If you can smell plastic, it is plasterizer. Some fish are sensitive to plasterizer and can get sick and die. Once I had mysterious died off of my Tanganyikan Julies and Lamprologus species, while my large Malawian Haps and CAs were unaffected. I traced it back to plastic ornaments I added to the tank. After I removed them, the died off stopped. These ornaments are made and supposed to be safe for aquarium, still my Tangs couldn't tolerate it.

Now I only put natural into my tank, with the exception of equipment made of plastic such as filters that I can't avoid. I believe exposure to plasterizer can have health effect on fish, and how acute it is depending on the species and the concentrations of exposure.
 
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xraycer

Arapaima
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I will not do it. All plastic releases plasterizer into the water, some faster, others slower. If you can smell plastic, it is plasterizer. Some fish are sensitive to plasterizer and can get sick and die.
Well, if this is the case, then pretty much every fish keeper would be jeopardizing their fish. Filter systems, filtration tubings, parts of heater, electronic probes, bio-balls, plastic plants, ornaments are all plastic based
 

viejafish

Plecostomus
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Yes, I am aware of most fish equipment are made with plastic. But there are different types of the plastic, some are more inert than the others, and fresh plastic leach out more plasterizer than aged ones. If you are adding plasterizer to the water at slow pace, there may not be any effect. But if you are loading plasterizer heavily, some fish can't tolerate. I've read hobbyists lost Tanganyikans to the use of a new garden hose. My Tangs slowly died off from "aquarium safe" plastic ornaments i bought from Petsmart. The OP is asking about safety of untested plastic substrate. I will not do it without testing it thoroughly with cheap dispensable fish.
 

Zhewitt04

Exodon
MFK Member
Oct 22, 2015
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Ok I work as a plastics engineer and you are right to an extent. The do have small about of toxins but the garden hoses you speak of are from the rubber impregnated in the plastic. Thermoplastics are all food grade and safe for human use in a microwave or with liquid storage. They won't harm fish. I was more speaking on the terms of hurting a rays bottom. The thermoplastic in question doesn't have any additives like talc or uv stabilizer. It doesn't have any filler. I highly doubt your ornaments caused your die off.
 
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xraycer

Arapaima
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Yes, I am aware of most fish equipment are made with plastic
I'm certain you do, but I just wanted to point this little discrepancy to other readers
 

koltsixx

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Viejafish do you mean plasticizers? If you do plasticizers are used in some plastics not all and the leaching of the chemical doesn't just occur it needs to be triggered by certain conditions. If plasticizers leached naturally and was used in all plastics imagine what the concentration in a acrylic tank would be. It is true there are different kinds of plastics, 7 general categories. 1-PETE-Polyethylene Terephthalate Ethylene, 2-HDPE-High Density Polyethylene, 3-PVC or V-Polyvinyl Chloride, 4-LDPE-Low Density Polyethylene, 5PP-Polypropylene, PS-Polystrene. 1-5 are generally considered aquarium safe.

There haven't as afar as I know been any studies about plastics and their effects on aquariums inhabitants but there have been studies on what plastics do leach but the ramifications are for the most part unknown. Bisphenol A(BPA) is one where we do know some of it's effect. BPA leaches out of plastics and in people mimics estrogen and can cause numerous health problems. It is present in almost all plastics, the effects on fish though are unknown. Polypropylene another commonly used plastic has been shown to leach quaternary biocides and ondoleamides. Whether the leaching is harmful or not is unknown but it has been shown to be biologically active.
 

viejafish

Plecostomus
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Jan 31, 2013
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The link from the plastic ornaments is almost certain. I was searching for cause of my Tangs mysterious died off, while other fish were fine . The fish were lethargic and died slowly over a few weeks. After I removed the ornaments, the died off stopped. Some one posted that he experienced the same death from new plastic, including one who used a new garden hose. Some fish are just more sensitive to chemicals than others.

Viejafish do you mean plasticizers?
Yes, spelling error. I think it is the same stuff to give a new car smell.
 
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