Water bottles safe for tank?

[Deadeye]

I was going to get pots so I could keep my foot plants like swords and Val in a different substrate, as I have not seen significant growth in either in the year+ they’ve been in the tank. Then I figured, why spend money if I could diy something for free. I was going to just cut up some water bottles, but wanted to make sure that isn’t a horrible idea first. I doubt they’d release any toxins, but reefing has made me paranoid about that stuff.

 

[Midwater]

If the plastic is good enough for drinking water, it should be safe for fish.

 

[robmcd]

Don't sweat it. Totally safe.

 

[Deadeye]

Good to know - thanks!

 

[fishguy1978]

You could use the bottom half of a 1gal milk jug. It's food grade so it's safe.

 

[Rocksor]

When you remove the labels, make sure to remove the glue from the labels that may remain.

 

[PhishMon84]

i typically "plant" my tanks with small terra cotta pots- flipped upside down and with most of the bottom knocked out. put them right on the glass and backfill around. this was i have natural color- it softens the water and i can protect roots. granted i dont keep many plants but for val and swords it has worked well

 

[duanes]

There's a guy in the Milwaukee Aquarium Society, "one of those green thumb type guys" that supplied hundreds of amazing aquatic and marginal pond plants to our auctions and swap meets. Everything from Anubias to Papyrus, from Valisneria to water lilies.
The plants were always grown in cut off soda bottles, plastic food trays, like strawberry containers, or anything else he could scrounge up..
He told me the advantage was, if he noticed a plant wasn't doing well in one spot in a tank, it was easier to moved to another, when placed in portable containers.

 

[PhishMon84]

Sadly, truth be told having plastic bottles in a tank may actually be biotope correct with how polluted everything is.
I’ve used old Pepsi glass bottlesin Mexican themed tanks- as it’s Mexican Pepsi with the real sugar

 

[Midwater]

Sadly, truth be told having plastic bottles in a tank may actually be biotope correct with how polluted everything is.

Yes, I have considered putting lumps of concrete in a tank, floating broken bit of styrofoam on the top, and draping and old mattress over the side.