UnderwaterRetreats
Announcement
°•🐠 Looking for LifeModels in Minnesota!
°•🐡 Interested? Message me¡~!!~
March 23rd 2021: WE NOW HAVE BLACK CLAY AFTER WAITING 1YR SINCE WE ORDERED IT! Very excited to start playing with it and seeing what it is like!!!!
Clay & glazes are inert and completely safe for freshwater & saltwater aquariums, along with being dishwasher safe as well!
Free shipping on orders over $35, and many deals on and off throughout each month like 10% off when you order 2 or more items. "DISCOUNT" labeled items will remain discounted until sold, reason for the discount can be found in each item's description.
Announcement
°•🐠 Looking for LifeModels in Minnesota!
°•🐡 Interested? Message me¡~!!~
March 23rd 2021: WE NOW HAVE BLACK CLAY AFTER WAITING 1YR SINCE WE ORDERED IT! Very excited to start playing with it and seeing what it is like!!!!
Clay & glazes are inert and completely safe for freshwater & saltwater aquariums, along with being dishwasher safe as well!
Free shipping on orders over $35, and many deals on and off throughout each month like 10% off when you order 2 or more items. "DISCOUNT" labeled items will remain discounted until sold, reason for the discount can be found in each item's description.
Items
Featured items
All Items
Reviews
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Breanna on Sep 16, 2021
5 out of 5 starsMy fish love this hide. Very well made and the design + colors are beautiful!
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Becky on Jul 13, 2021
5 out of 5 starsI can’t wait to put this in my tank for my dwarf crayfish! Thank you so much!!!
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Yanna on May 26, 2021
5 out of 5 starsThis is just what I needed for my blue cray and it’s gorgeous and well made!
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Jennifer on May 12, 2021
5 out of 5 starsBrian went out of his way to make these for us in this super huge size. We are so happy with his efforts and our gulper catfish are going to love them! Highly recommend his work.
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jayemi2014 on Apr 14, 2021
5 out of 5 starsThis food weight is unique and I love that it's handmade. It's just what I've been needing. Love the colors and the quality.
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jayemi2014 on Apr 14, 2021
5 out of 5 starsThis is the most unique hide that I've found and it's the perfect size and shape for my pleco. Love the colors! Very nicely made. Everything was carefully packaged. Great experience.
About UnderwaterRetreats
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A bunch of different caves and ideas. Caves under the aquarium are avoiding air circulation so they stay workable.
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Reddish orange caves that were freshly made for my friends pleco back in 2009.
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Bulk caves waiting to be fired...
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My own kiln! Orders went from taking a few weeks to only a few days! Was nice to get this and install it ourselves.
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Caves I tossed in the kiln. This is the very first firing of an order after I installed it. Was a very exciting time!
In the beginning, I solely wanted caves for my own aquarium...
Making clay items for myself turned into what it is today... I am not a big operation at all, I used to make things here and there, mostly when people got word or saw what others have bought from me. I would make a bunch of items for locals, then be done for months.
My main focus was to make caves for breeding all types of fish, fresh and saltwater, and also provide them with great hiding shelters at the same time.
People from all over the US have bought my clay items for many different purposes though; snakes, salamanders, turtles, growing plants, feeding veggies, etc, etc.
I love working with customers and tossing around ideas with people in the fish hobby. Coming up with something new is always an adventure, hehe.
°•🐠 Looking for clay models in Minnesota!
°•🐡 Interested? Visit: MNmodel.art
Shop members
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Brian
Owner, Creator, Designer
I've been making clay items since 2008. In the beginning, everything I made was for me and my close friends' aquariums, but once word got out... most of my free time was spent designing and making new pieces for people all around the world :)
Shop policies
Shipping
Payment options
Returns & exchanges
I gladly accept returns, exchanges, and cancellations
The following items can't be returned or exchanged
- Custom or personalized orders
- Perishable products (like food or flowers)
- Items on sale
I accept returns I do not accept returns
I accept exchanges I do not accept exchanges
I accept cancellations I do not accept cancellations
Because of the nature of these items, unless they arrive damaged or defective, I can't accept returns for:
Privacy policy
More information
Frequently asked questions
[MADE TO ORDER] itemsWhy does my custom order take so long?
When you want MADE TO ORDER piece/s, each are made from scratch by hand and painted, if glaze is requested...
The process includes:
°• Design development
°• Creating the initial item from wet clay
°• Allowing it to dry completely! (must be bone dry)
°• Firing it to 1800°F in a Kiln (clay turns into bisque)
°• Allowing the kiln, and it's contents, a substantial amount of time to cool down to room temperature (usually 18 to 24 hours)
°• Painting each piece with 3 layers of glaze
°• Letting each layer of glaze dry entirely
°• Firing it again to over 2200°F
°• Finally, allowing cool down again (18 to 24hrs)
This process CAN'T be rushed!
Rushing means huge risks of undesirable effects such as crazing, cracking, or exploding in the kiln!
What should I do when I receive my package?
°• Cutting your package open with a knife will always be okay. Your items will be securely packaged towards the middle of the styrofoam / cardboard box, completely surrounded by packing peanuts, bubble wrap, or other recycled shipping supplies.
°• Please take care unwrapping each and every item you receive. 98% of incidents happen during carelessness of unpacking.
°• Aquarium / Terrarium decor will have some dust particles from sitting around on my studio shelves. I always suggest giving each piece a nice long rinse before adding them to your tank.
Care instructions
Have had your items in the tank for awhile and they are now covered in Algae?
°• My items are dishwasher safe
°• First try a Vinegar bath, then scrub at the algae to get it off.
•• Didn't work?...
°• Second try a diluted Bleach bath & scrub
•• Caution: unglazed clay may turn different colors.
Why do you only ship plants to the USA?
°• Unfortunately, we cannot ship plants outside of the United States at this time.
°• We do not know the restrictions on live plants that other countries have, and because our packages would likely be delayed for awhile going through customs, this would negatively affect and possibly kill all plants in the box.
Do you have any other hobbies?
Yes I do, I love to paint!
Check out StarPours.Etsy.com to see what I have listed there 😁
Why don't you carry Round Skewer food weights anymore?
°• We have found that skewers made with rolled clay tend to be weaker and thus break easier.
°• Round skewers were okay for snails, shrimp, other small pleco & such, but would be snapped by bigger pets.
°•°•° If you like the round style & understand the limitations they have but want them anyways, feel free to send us a message. WE CAN STILL MAKE THEM 😁 °•°•°