UnderwaterRetreats

°•🐠 Happy fishy, Happy lifey 🦐•° Aquarium clay art

Rosemount, Minnesota 248 Sales On Etsy since 2014

5 out of 5 stars (86)

UnderwaterRetreats

°•🐠 Happy fishy, Happy lifey 🦐•° Aquarium clay art

Rosemount, Minnesota | 248 Sales

5 out of 5 stars (86)

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248 Sales
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Brian

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Brian

Announcement    Free shipping on orders over $35, and many deals on and off throughout the month like 10% off when you order 2 or more items.

Clay caves, veggie MagWeights and skewer weights, discus breeding slate, rock ornaments, and many more items. Great for Pleco, Shrimp, Cichlid, Crayfish, Plants, and much more! Clay & glazes are inert and completely safe for freshwater & saltwater aquariums, along with being dishwasher safe as well!

Announcement

Last updated on Dec 27, 2019

Free shipping on orders over $35, and many deals on and off throughout the month like 10% off when you order 2 or more items.

Clay caves, veggie MagWeights and skewer weights, discus breeding slate, rock ornaments, and many more items. Great for Pleco, Shrimp, Cichlid, Crayfish, Plants, and much more! Clay & glazes are inert and completely safe for freshwater & saltwater aquariums, along with being dishwasher safe as well!

Reviews

Average item review
5 out of 5 stars
(86)
See reviews that mention:
quality 13 shipping 21 customer service 19

About UnderwaterRetreats

Sales 248
On Etsy since 2014
  • A bunch of different caves and ideas. Caves under the aquarium are avoiding air circulation so they stay workable.
  • Reddish orange caves that were freshly made for my friends pleco back in 2009.
  • Bulk caves waiting to be fired...
  • My own kiln! Orders went from taking a few weeks to only a few days! Was nice to get this and install it ourselves.
  • 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 just 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.

Shop members

  • Brian Sawyer

    Owner, Creator, Designer

    I've been making clay items since 2008. At first everything I made was only 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

More information

Last updated on Feb 23, 2020
Frequently asked questions
[MADE TO ORDER] items Why 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 12 to 18 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 😁