BellaOnline Forums Home and Garden Fish Betta Toys Website?

Are their any websites that sell "toys" "activities" for bettas? I can't find anything.

There is an article somewhere on the site with suggestions...let me see if I can pull it up for you and link it here...

Ah, here it is:

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art29057.asp

In the article, you mentioned putting a terra cotta pot in the tank. I had actually bought one for my betta, but was nervous about putting it in, because I was afraid it might have something in it harmful to the fish. Are these generally safe to add to their tanks?

I used to have some in my frog tank, and they loved them. The pots seem to be completely safe as long as they have never had fertilizer or anything in it. I bought mine at a craft store. The only thing I would suggest is to put it in a container of treated water before putting it in the tank because it fizzes a little when you first put it in. That goes away after a while and probably would not hurt the fish, but it might bug them.
HTH!
ETA: Missed a word and it changed the whole meaning...
Amber

I've heard from several sources the terra cotta pots will be just fine for your aquarium as long as they are new, as panini said. Someone else said if you are ever unsure if something is toxic for your tank, put a few drops of vinegar on it and if it fizzes you shouldn't use it in your tank. I've never tried it and I don't know if it works or not, but that's what I heard anyway...

fizzing with vinegar is different than bubbling in the water BTW. Most things will release some O2 when placed in water at first - natural and expected. So if you put a pot in the water, or a toy, don't worry about it bubbling for a day or so. Terra cotta pots are perfectly safe if you know they have not been used with chemicals like fertilizer.

Thanks for the reply! I was mostly nervous about the pot because it had a smell to it, as these planters usually do, of course.

Also, there was a sticker on the side of the pot and I have tried and tried to get all the residue off, but there's still a little left. Will that present a problem?

I had the same problem. It didn't adversely affect anything. But if I were you, I would make sure that it is positioned so they can't nip at it and eat it.