# tank safe sculpting clay? Paint?



## scotty b (Oct 23, 2012)

i have used Mexican red clay from hobby lobby wiyh no ill effect to fish/shrimp


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## kman (Dec 11, 2013)

I think I read somewhere that Sculpy is safe, but I'd double check that before committing to it as I can't recall the source and they may not have been reliable.


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## Elli (Sep 7, 2013)

Sculpy is safe if you're careful to bake it fully. It comes in dozens of colors so no need to paint.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Scotty, do you have to bake that?

kman and Elli, thanks. It just seems like so much money for such a small package. heh


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Earth clay is cheaper and is safe but you'll have to kiln bake it. There are glazes you can use to give it color etc… Without kiln fire it'll just turn back to clay in water.

Sculpy when oven baked should be safe. It's made of PVC. The chemical in it keeps it malleable until it is baked off.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

What do the Tanked guys use for their sculptures?


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Soothing Shrimp said:


> What do the Tanked guys use for their sculptures?


Not sure about the tanked guys but people have used foam epoxy. When it cures, they carve it (with saw, x-acto etc). Then paint it. I'm sure there are vids of it on youtube or a thread here somewhere.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

Great Stuff. Used it myself.  I'm looking more for clay though.


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## Elli (Sep 7, 2013)

Soothing Shrimp said:


> kman and Elli, thanks. It just seems like so much money for such a small package. heh


Sculpy isn't something I buy without a coupon, but Michael's, JoAnn's and Hobby Lobby all have 40% off coupons pretty regularly. Blick's online often has great discounts, too.


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## twentypoundtabby (Dec 7, 2013)

I would think that if Sculpy is safe then Fimo, Premo and Kato clay would be also since they're pretty much all the same thing. But all of these absorb water somewhat when submerged and turn sort of cloudy. 

i have pounds of the above oven baked clays, but prefer earth clay for making things for the aquarium. Unfortunately it needs a kiln.


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## scotty b (Oct 23, 2012)

yes you would have to bake it, I just toss in a small balll of uncooked now and then to get some iron in the tank for my plants , but baked it should stay stable


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## scotty b (Oct 23, 2012)

$5 for a 8 pound box at hobby lobby with there coupon


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

I have much experience with the Sculpey line of clays (and other clays) outside of the aquarium. I was told that it is safe, but I am hesitant because it says on the box:

"Pottery or dishes made with Super Sculpey/Sculpey should be used for decorative purposes only, not with food, beverages or smoking materials."

If I wouldn't eat off it, I wouldn't trust my fish/shrimp to, though I heard many people had success with it. I feel the critters might not drop right away, but it could be a slow leach kind of thing, and you may not see the effects right away.

Sucks because there are so many possibilities with it 

-Stef*


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## scotty b (Oct 23, 2012)

look into natural clays like http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/mexican-pottery-clay-153437/

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/moist-pottery-clay-153320/

you can always get a 40-50% off cupon also which is nice


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

Read the box well-the red Mexican clay is NOT waterproof.

Natural clays that need to be fired are best.
Problem is, access to a kiln is not always easy, people don't usually have them lying around the house.
Also, you must pound the clay to remove air bubbles so it does not blow up in the kiln and destroy other people's art.
You may find ceramic classes/hobby shops in your area that will be willing to fire your item(s) separately (for a fee), and provide you with more information on clays.

Or, search for clays that can be safely home fired in your oven made from natural materials. 

It's been many moons since I won an award in high school in free form ceramics, but there may be new products out there that are safe that you can "fire" yourself.

-Stef*


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

Do you happen to know what episode of Tanked where they use the clay?


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

My mind keeps saying that they mentioned sculpting with collagen? Don't know if that's accurate though.

It's not just one show, but they do it in different episodes. Ugh!


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

You might be able to email them and ask

http://www.acrylicaquariums.com/company_team.html


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## thebuddha (Jul 16, 2012)

not trying to hijack, buuut

Im in a ceramics class this year and have been contemplating building a tree stump to go into my tank. After it is fired/glazed what would I have to do to make it safe for my tank? I am worried mostly about the glazes since they are made up of different amounts of minerals and stuff.
Can I just get some type of clear paint that will make it aquarium safe?


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## Art by Stef* (Jan 27, 2013)

thebuddha said:


> not trying to hijack, buuut
> 
> Im in a ceramics class this year and have been contemplating building a tree stump to go into my tank. After it is fired/glazed what would I have to do to make it safe for my tank? I am worried mostly about the glazes since they are made up of different amounts of minerals and stuff.
> Can I just get some type of clear paint that will make it aquarium safe?


I have yet to find a clear coat that I would trust, only epoxies/plastic based dips, for a fish tank.
I am still researching it, as I am in the process of a new scape and would like to paint a rock.
I would not trust anything that you cannot safely eat off of or scrub.
I had clear glazed, fired red clay and natural terra cotta that I would feel confident placing in a fish tank-if you have access to it.

A red fox sculpture I did survived decades displayed on the front porch in various elements-extreme sun and snow-and nothing changed, chipped, cracked, or faded. Along with a full clear glaze, it had white and black glaze also. Fired 2x.

-Stef*


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

thebuddha said:


> not trying to hijack, buuut
> 
> Im in a ceramics class this year and have been contemplating building a tree stump to go into my tank. After it is fired/glazed what would I have to do to make it safe for my tank? I am worried mostly about the glazes since they are made up of different amounts of minerals and stuff.
> Can I just get some type of clear paint that will make it aquarium safe?


find out what your glazes are. As long as they're not heavy metals, you're fine.


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## twentypoundtabby (Dec 7, 2013)

thebuddha said:


> not trying to hijack, buuut
> 
> Im in a ceramics class this year and have been contemplating building a tree stump to go into my tank. After it is fired/glazed what would I have to do to make it safe for my tank? I am worried mostly about the glazes since they are made up of different amounts of minerals and stuff.
> Can I just get some type of clear paint that will make it aquarium safe?


I would trust the ceramic glaze over any paint or varnish you could put on it. Unless you are using a glaze that is not safe to eat off of, it'll be safe. Glaze is basically glass with pigments embedded in it for color. 

I've done a LOT of pottery and clay sculpture in the past and made some items for my aquariums that have been in the tanks for decades. I love the earthiness of many of the high fire glazes.


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

thebuddha said:


> not trying to hijack, buuut
> 
> Im in a ceramics class this year and have been contemplating building a tree stump to go into my tank. After it is fired/glazed what would I have to do to make it safe for my tank? I am worried mostly about the glazes since they are made up of different amounts of minerals and stuff.
> Can I just get some type of clear paint that will make it aquarium safe?



Just fire it without glazing. The firing bonds all the clay particles together, and it's solid and inert. Plus the rough surface is more natural, and will hold algae and moss and stuff much easier then a glazed surface.

I don't know specifically what they use in the glazes, but I think a lot of artists mix up their own, so if you don't know what's in the glazes in class, you could probably find some simple recipes containing only safe ingredients that you could mix up on your own. Aside from the colors/pigments, I think the main thing about a glaze is just that it has a lower melting temp then the ceramic, and that's why you get the glassy coating. I could be wrong on that, I'm vaguely remembering something casually mentioned in a mineralogy class a couple decades ago...


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## Beer (Feb 1, 2012)

Art by Stef* said:


> "Pottery or dishes made with Super Sculpey/Sculpey should be used for decorative purposes only, not with food, beverages or smoking materials."
> 
> If I wouldn't eat off it, I wouldn't trust my fish/shrimp to.....
> 
> -Stef*


The smoking materials part should be obvious, but the concern with eating off of or drinking out of things made with those products is due to the porosity of the material. You can not properly clean them, so they can harbor bacteria and potentially make you sick.

I had a house that I made out of it that I put in a cube vase with some shrimp and a few Endler's. It was in there for over a year with no ill effects. Both the shrimp and Endler's bred in there (the female Endler was relocated before she gave birth)

Anecdotal, but there have been a lot of people that have used Sculpey and Fimo on here with no ill effects (after baking). The house I made may have used both products actually.


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## thebuddha (Jul 16, 2012)

thanks for all of the help guys, i will talk to my professor and get her opinions on it and have her help me out with clay choice/ glaze choice. she has roughly 20 different types of high temp glazes and about 15 low temp glazes. not to mention the 20+ mixes that the advances students made - i think ill need to stay away from them


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## Pika (Jan 13, 2014)

Soothing Shrimp said:


> My mind keeps saying that they mentioned sculpting with collagen? Don't know if that's accurate though


I think maybe Polygem? link? (I always heard it "polligen" but this makes more sense)

As for Sculpey, I'm only starting out, but I have my Otos in with a couple of baked Sculpey thingies, and they haven't minded. (One thingy is a moss "trellis", and the other a miniature Chthulu -- one oto likes to clean his head and tentacles. :icon_roll) 

I was under the impression, as stated by others in this thread, that Sculpey is essentially PVC once well-baked, and the eating/drinking issue was, as Beer stated, a porosity/ability to be cleaned issue rather than a leaching chemical one. Nevertheless, I accepted when I put them in I was still "experimenting" rather than going with something pre-made and known to be safe.


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## Soothing Shrimp (Nov 9, 2011)

I bet that's it Pika. Thanks!


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## lunatikchik (Aug 31, 2015)

i'm starting a sclupey castle tonight
my first adventure into sculpting!
any advice from you guys


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