I would like to make my own little fishie hide awys for my tank. The ones I have seen are of the most atrocious colors. I've heard that I should use the silicone stuff to make it, but what about using a hotglue gun? Will that work or will it have negative affects on my tank and fish?
2007-03-10 06:56:26 · 7 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Fish
Dodge the hot glue gun... it's not really a good safe option. You can buy aquarium safe silicone at any major department store or home improvement store in the paint / sealant sections. It comes in large caulking tubes for less than the little tubes sold at pet stores and is the same material. Just be sure the one you get from the paint department says aquarium safe. GE is the most common brand in my area.
MM
2007-03-10 09:48:26 · answer #1 · answered by magicman116 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you want glue something together I would suggest buying aquarium safe silicone. The other you could do is to just stack rocks and make caves. This has the benfit of allowing you rearrange the tank if you get tired of the set up. You could also buy wood to create hide aways and provide structure for your fish. If you go that route bear in mid that some wood, mopani for example, relaese tannins into the water. Tannins don't hurt the fish and actually help to soften and buffer the water to an acidic level. The only draw back is that it will turnh the water a tea color. The coloring also helps with algae growth by altering the spectrum of light going through the water. (like peat in ponds). Other than that the wood helps to make a beautiful tank.
2007-03-10 07:36:33 · answer #2 · answered by A P 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hmm... Im not too sure about the hot glue gun part, it might have chemicals that are bad for your fishies and might not withstand the water for very long. But there is good news!! You can buy special silicone from pet stores that is fish safe OR (what I did) is went to Home Depot and bought door/window silicone. Make sure it DOES NOT have a MILDEW RESISTANT chemical in it. THAT will kill your fish. Most bathroom silicones do so avoid them and read the labels. Once you glue them together leave them for a night or two to cure before putting them in. I bought the door/window silicone, glued two flat rocks together into a cave and my fish loved it, epescially my pleco. Good luck and have fun!! =)
2007-03-10 07:06:56 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
I would also say to stay away from hot glue.
You could use the silicon, like you and others have suggested, but in my opinion, it LOOKS like silicon - like the stuff in the inside corners of glass tanks.
Depending on what media you are working with, there's an aquarium epoxy that can also be used to "glue" things together: http://www.marinedepot.com/md_viewItem.asp?idproduct=AS4711
You should be able to find this in any fish/pet store that sells saltwater aquarium supplies. That's how I first got started working with it. I like to make a series of caves and ledges in my saltwater tanks and use this to "glue" the pieces of base rock together into stable places for the fish & inverts to hide and "shelves" to display corals. It dries to a rock/cement/mortar type finish, and will cure underwater. If it's not the color of what you're working with (like a certain color of stone), you could crush up some of the stone to mix into the epoxy or work it into the surface so it blends. Even though it's used mostly for saltwater, it can be used for freshwater as well.
Just wanted to offer an alternative!
2007-03-10 11:58:08 · answer #4 · answered by copperhead 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋
If you want to do something like this, you really need to make sure to do it right to prevent any chance of toxic chemicals leeching into the water as well as it not disintegrating in the water. Do not chance any glue that is not specifically made for aquariums. Also, (aquarium) silicone is the best gluing option for aquariums. There are many sites online about making aquarium backgrounds with caves, ledges, rock outcroppings, etc. to make a fun environment for your fish. Do a search for DIY aquarium backgrounds. There are actually a lot of people doing this. They're very cool to look at and I'm sure the fish must love it!
2007-03-10 08:27:58 · answer #5 · answered by Venice Girl 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Try to go to the Pet store such as Pet CO. or Petsmart or Whities Pets and ask about how would u make a you know...
Or you could ask them about where to buy some stuff to make a tank theme.
Your Welcome..
2007-03-10 07:04:37 · answer #6 · answered by babak434 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
hot gule gun will work and no negitive responsis to your fish most product are hot glued together!!!
lol
2007-03-10 07:29:48 · answer #7 · answered by Rukia 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋