Is Styrofoam Safe?

[Zerologist]

Hello guys. I am planning to divide my 7.5 gallon for my future 2 bettas.

I just got some styrofoam and planning to use it as a divider. I already measured the height and the width that it should be, so that it would not float.

So is it safe for my bettas or any other fish?

Any other divider suggestions are gladly accepted. Thanks in advance!

 

[KinsKicks]

Hello!

I don't think styrofoam is the safest way to go. Eventually it can rot underwater and unless you know what is in the styrofoam, it could release chemicals such as anti-molding agents or formaldehyde. Don't want to risk it. As an alternative, I'll attach a link that a friend of mine used to divide his tank, and it is working well (and probably much safer too!). He barely spent $10 and is good for water flow and heat distribution as well (if your planning to use one filter and one heater for he whole tank
Fish Tank Dividers - All

Hope this helps and all the best.

 

[Bizarro252]

Syrofoam can leach when its heated, but I think your tank will not be warm enough - however I bought some light diffuser (also called egg crate) from home depot and it works pretty well, diffucult to cut and make it nice since the plastic is brittle, but I also took some plastic canvas (from the craft store) cut some slits in it, and zip tired it to the egg create. This worked well however my suggestions if you go with something like that, from my learning haha:

Use lots of zip ties, if you leave gaps fish can swim between the layers and get stuck
Leave about a quarter inch overhang on the two edges that will touch the sides of the tank, you can trim the eggcrate slightly shorter and use these to actually touch the glass, lets you wedge it in place, and worked well
It attracts algae and such very quickly, I dont even have an algae issue in the tank and it was brown in a few days

Good luck!

 

[Zerologist]

Thanks for your advices guys!

But can I still use styrofoam? Sorry for asking...

 

[KinsKicks]

But can I still use styrofoam? Sorry for asking...

In short, you can but probably shouldn't (lest there by unintended consequences!). There are much better options in the long run for your tank.

 

[Zerologist]

In short, you can but probably shouldn't (lest there by unintended consequences!). There are much better options in the long run for your tank.

Okay. Thanks a lot!