[Merri H]

Hi, I'm new to this site and to tropical fish keeping.
I have a 10 gallon aquarium with live plants, 2 flame gouramis and 3 cories.
I purchased a resin arch ornament that I thought would look nice from an online aquarium supply site. It has a distinctive odor and I'm wondering if it's safe to put in the aquarium. Thanks.

 

[TitanTDH]

Hi merri and welcome. In the first instance and as a general rule I follow. If it smells bad then it probably is. But exceptions to the rule. May I recommend sticking
It in the sun outside for a week to see if the smell dissipates( being new) or soak it in a bucket of water with some activated carbon as well to see if it removes the smell and any toxins. Just my advice. Hope it helps
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[JDM]

Yah, new manmade stuff tends to off gas for a while. It might clear just sitting around but Titan's ideas can speed it up.

Jeff.

 

[fish monger]

My son recently added two very small resin decorations to his Glofish tank. They were rated for aquariums and he rinsed them thoroughly. Within 8 hours he lost 4 fish. We removed them and did a 60% water change. No additional losses. The advice regarding "curing" is good. I have a very large resin driftwood feature that has caused no problems and looks very natural. I guess you just have to check your sources carefully. If at all possible, I only purchase products made by companies with trusted names in the business.

 

[Merri H]

Thanks, everyone, for the information. It didn't occur to me that these ornaments could be toxic, but I'm still learning. The ornament is a little bit larger than I envisioned, so I think I'm going to hold off using it until I set up a larger aquarium. And now I know to use caution when adding decor.