Im thinking about using a few flower pots a decor. What are somethings to consider before using them? How to clean them etc?

First off...i have never used flower pots...however from what i've heard and seen they can be an excellent addition to your tank. I'm thinking about adding half of one as a cave for my Plec.

This is what I do and it's worked OK for me:

1. Boiling it for 1-2 hours . I've only ever boiled my driftwood, though...so maybe someone else might chime in. I've heard porous items like driftwood can soak up and retain the bleach so I avoid it.

2. Preparing a 10% percent bleach solution. Mix 9 cups water with 1 cup bleach in a clean bucket. Submerge it in the solution and soak it for ten to fifteen minutes. Rinse it THOROUGHLY...THOROUGHLY in TREATED water, NOT tap water. I have no idea if this will affect the pot color-wise but I highly doubt it due to the low concentration of bleach per water. I use it for my rocks and statues and it works just fine. No discoloration. After that I let it sit for awhile, rinse it again in treated/tank water, and put it in. Some would recommend not placing anything in a tank not specifically labeled for aquarium use...however I have seen many pots used that work just fine. Just examine carefully to ensure the object is not finished in a paint that could gradually leech into the water and poison the fish.

3. Some do both but i would suspect either works ok by itself.

ive got terracotta pots in all my tanks, just make sure its not glazed, and you clean it well before you put it in, if you break your pots, split them in half, w/e, be sure you take a file and smooth off the sharp edges or your fishes will hurt themselves on it.


i really think the bleach solution is going a bit far, i mean these pots are baked at 1000's of degrees in a fired kiln lol, nothing will live thru that. they should be fairly clean unless the shop your getting it from is just dirty as hell lol.

if you want to knock the bottom out or split them, a flat screwdriver and a hammer is about the best way to go about it. also, i notice they "break" rather than shatter, a bit easier if you soak them for a day or two in a bucket of water. (just regular tap water is fine, your not going to be adding any of that water to your tank, so i see no point treating it.

definatly no bleach lol. sure it can be neutralized with water conditioner... but... no... not me, im not risking my tank with something possibly contaminated with bleach.