Question about hiding spots

[sws22]

Hey everyone

I want to add a couple more hiding spots to my axie's tank. I have this Sculpey brand clay that you can bake at home. It is a polymer clay and it says non-toxic on the labeling but does not list the ingrediants. I am wondering if anyone knows if this clay would be safe to put in my tank?

Thanks!

 

[tran]

Hey I wanted to do this too at one point, haha. The idea was to get the sculpey, mold it into a hiding spot like a tunnel, bake it, paint it with water-based non-toxic acrylic and then seal it with a water-safe sealant. This idea did not materialize but I probably can say a few things about it.

In my non-professional opinion, it is safe.

There's a link from their website to a sort of test done by (supposedly) Duke University and concluded that :

"[FONT=Times New Roman, Times, serif]he Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has extensively tested samples of polymer clay for safety concerns. They found that the polymer clay tested did not contain any volatile organic compounds and that no acid gases were released if the clay was baked to 163o C (325o F). They found that hydrogen gas was released only if the clay was heated to the point of turning black, 180o C (356o F). Thus, you would need to destroy the clay product in the oven-heating process to release hydrogen gas, and <0.1% of the phthalate esters would be released with no breakdown of the polyvinyl chloride."
Link here: http://www.sculpey.com/Products/PR_ACMI.htm

So from that you can assume that there is polyvinylchloride (a common polymer, or PVC as you know it) and that's fine. There is a small amount of phthalate esters, which they say is non-toxic.

A quick google search also yielded 3 very vague (!) materials safety data sheets (MSDS). You can take a look at one here: http://www.topmark.co.nz/reference/...ulpting Supplies - Modelling Clays - MSDS.pdf

The thing of interest in the MSDS is "REACTIVITY IN WATER: NON-REACTIVE" ... good to hear.

Although to be honest I dont know how much I trust all these reports as they are 1) from the company's website 2) from obscure sites on the internet and 3) stated as "non-toxic" to humans, which may not be safe for fish or axolotls, who knows...

Anyway if I were you, I would sculpt it, let it dry REALLY well (otherwise it might crack) bake it the recommended way per instructions, and then use water-based non-toxic paints and sealants. This will ensure the Sculpey part doesn't touch the water at all

Again, only an opinion based on some questionable web-based reports and not from experience or experiments.
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[Darkmaverick]

Hi all,

I must admit im really bad at anything remotely art related and that includes clay modelling. However, i have always thought that clay disintegrates in water?? Even if there is a coat of water proof sealant over it, wouldnt the shelf life be rather limited, considering just a scratch/crack will expose the clay to water. The clay itself is non waterproof when baked right?

Maybe im rather old school but i still prefer the security of the common logs, rock caves, bricks, pipes, aquatic plant coverage and pots.

Cheers

 

[tran]

The polymer clay turns into a hard type of material when baked, and the protective coat also helps make it last longer. Like when people use terra cotta pots (also baked clay) in their aquariums; it's not going to disintegrate any time soon :happy:.

It's a neat art project and I think it could turn out really cool to have personalized axolotl hiding spots! I was going to go with like a fruit theme or something like that, but to buy everything at my local arts and crafts store costs more than just buying like 4 small vases for them to hide in lol.

Oh and I found a discussion on another forum about Sculpey used as caves, and there are people who have tried it with success. http://www.plantedtank.net/forums/diy/82228-trying-out-sculpey-caves.html

Ok now I'm getting all excited about it, I think I'll go back and try this after all. Haha. Darned the cost!

 

[b00f]

clay + terracotta are both rather pourus

would be a great medium to stick moss to, as it will attach rather easily

good luck, let us know how it goes