WARNING: Zoo Med Betta Bed Leaf Hammock

**CherrySparkles** · 01-21-2010, 05:23 PM

If anyone finds these little things in your local pet store, I so strongly recommend you NOT use them.

I've had three of them, all bought from different pet stores over the course of a month and have had the same problem with all three.

I first noticed it when looking at the hammock that had been in a tank for nearly a month. The product is a plastic, stiffly reinforced leaf that pops into a suction cup and then is mounted on the side of the tank for the betta to sit on, theoretically. So looking at the hammock in the tank, it seemed to be developing a bunch of black gunk where the suction cup and leaf join. I immediately took it out of the tank, and when I pulled the leaf out of the suction cup, black rusty water squirted everywhere. The leaf is reinforced with metal that isn't at all covered on that end, and the suction cup had filled with rust, while the entire plastic end of the leaf was blackened by the buildup. I could see that there were also rusty deposits making their way outside the suction cup and into the aquarium.

I removed the other two hammocks from my other tanks (they'd been in for 10 and 5 days respectively) and rust was beginning on their ends as well.

Having had this happen three times, I'm assuming this is the norm for the product and STRONGLY recommend avoiding them. The metal inside is not sealed properly for use under water.

**VoidParadigm** · 01-21-2010, 05:29 PM

Good to know.

Great for the petstores at least, once the metal kills your betta you go back to the store for a new betta AND a new leaf.

**Wild Turkey** · 01-21-2010, 05:46 PM

Thanks for the heads up on a bad product. It also sounds like it would become a danger as it decayed because of the wire frame

Personally the only bettas I have seen "lay" like that are the ones that are in terrible shape in the petstores. Im just speculating of course, they may rest this way naturally but none of mine ever have.

Dont worry too must about the rust, rust = iron oxide (iron, oxygen) so the rust itself shouldnt do/have done any harm to your tank.

**CherrySparkles** · 01-21-2010, 05:59 PM

Originally Posted by Wild Turkey

Dont worry too must about the rust, rust = iron oxide (iron, oxygen) so the rust itself shouldnt do/have done any harm to your tank.

That's reassuring, thanks Wild Turkey! I was horrified when I took the leaf out and found rust, but, though obvs not ideal, I wasn't sure how dangerous rust was to fishies.

It sucks that these turned out to be such crappy products, because they made fabulous filter baffles! I was attaching them to the side of the tank just under the filter output, and they diffused the water flow really nicely.

Never ceases to amaze what pet stores/companies will pass off as safe, especially fish stuff.

**Scrup** · 01-21-2010, 06:29 PM

Thanks for the heads up!

One of my bettas is always laying on my lilypads, rocks, pleco, driftwood, and likes to rest against the filter intake. depends on the fish I suppose. We always joke that hes just lazy. Great idea on the product, just poor QC..

**rich311k** · 01-21-2010, 06:45 PM

Wow I cant beleive a company specializing in aquatics would make a product that rusts. I wonder if they know, maybe a spec on the product got changed by the manufacturing facility.

**CherrySparkles** · 01-21-2010, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by rich311k

I wonder if they know, maybe a spec on the product got changed by the manufacturing facility.

I really hope it's some kind of mistake and not that the company is cheap/irresponsible/all the other nasty stuff I'm thinking right now! They have a customer service email that I sent a message to about the rust, but I haven't gotten a response yet.

I'm getting a little more wary of aquarium products, since I've had one other plant rust on me before this, and I had a bit of a fit when I found MSG listed in the ingredients for Hikari Betta Bio-Gold pellets I was feeding.

Needless to say, my betta gets nothing but frozen food now and I'm a lot more aware of what I'm buying for him. :)

**Pele** · 01-21-2010, 09:44 PM

Thank you so much cherry sparkles!
I was just about to order one of these from an aquarium magazine!
Thanks for saving me a nasty tank and 10 bucks!

**ILuvMyGoldBarb** · 01-21-2010, 10:44 PM

As Turkey pointed out, the Iron Oxide isn't really a problem, that's what certain phosphate removal media is made of. Definitely a waste of money though for something that is going to rust off in a short time.