new decorations

doughnut

hey all, i just wanted to make sure on this subject because ive been told a few different things, but i recently bought a new porcelain (i believe anyhow) decoration. to make sure its clean i need to boil it....right? but rocks to be on the safe side i dont want to boil due to possible trapped water that would expand when converted to steam then cause the rock to explode. if i do need to boil it.....how long would i need to do it for?

thanks
doughnut

jeaninel

I don't know about boiling porcelain. You might risk cracking it. I usually just rinse new decorations in hot water. Is this a decoration made specifically for aquarium use?

Tyyrlym

If this is a decoration intended for aquarium use that you bought off a store shelf the only sanitizing you really need to do is run it under some tap water and wipe it down with a paper towel. No need for any boiling.

okijapan

If it is porcelain then I'll guess that it was not intended for aquarium use. It may be OK to use but if there is lead in the glaze then it will slowly poison the tank inhabitants.

Most aquarium decorations are ceramic so they would be safe after a rinse in hot water. If it's ceramic but not made for aquariums then it still may have harmful chemicals in the glaze.

Depending on where you bought it you may be able to ask the store how or where it was made to see if it's safe.

doughnut

hmm porcelain ceramic...not positive...i get a dull "ting" when i tap it with my nail. i know its not a real rock, i bought it from the fish decor isle in petsmart. so as stated above i should be fine just rinsing it under hot water...at least thats what im thinking.

just a thought though..if i did get some driftwood off the coast. how long would you boil that to make sure its safe?

thanks for all the input!
doughnut

Tyyrlym

If you bought it at petsmart off the fish decor aisle you should be fine. Porcelin has a glaze to it. No glaze and it's just ceramic.

The driftwood, coming out of the wild with zero control I'd let it dry out completely, boil it for maybe 15 minutes, then let it soak in a bucket of tank water for a week or two. Should be good to go then.