# Making caves...



## kamanut (Jul 26, 2007)

Besides the little flower pots (I have some that I broke in 1/2 and some that I left whole...), what else could I use to make caves for my cichlids (Blue Rams and Flag Cichlids) and bottom feeders (Cories) in my 3 foot, 58 gallon? 

Also, how big should they be? I have the 4" flower pots in there now...will they work or do I need something bigger? My pet store suggested I have at least 15 caves, so I'm working on that...but I don't want to run out of room...lol.

Any other ideas for decorations? My other fish will be Pearl Gouramis, Cherry Barbs, and Flame Tetras.


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2007)

i use flower pots, lace rock, regular rocks, aquarium caves bought from the lfs, ec. i pretty much use anything i can find that is fish safe


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## MaelStrom (Jun 24, 2007)

15 caves?! How many fish are in there?


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## kamanut (Jul 26, 2007)

Well it'll be 3 Pearl Gouramis, 8 Cherry Barbs, 6 Corys, 8 Flame Tetras, 2 Blue Rams, and 2 Flag Cichlids. The pet store guy was mainly concerned about the cories getting beat up or the cichlids quarreling amongst themselves. I might just stick to what I have and buy a bigger (like 6") pot in case they need bigger caves. Do you think my caves are too small?


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2007)

I use slate/shale for my caves. My cories seem to enjoy them. You may be able to find some in a stream. Be sure to sterilize them first, if that's what you choose to do.


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## kamanut (Jul 26, 2007)

I'm thinking of getting some PVC pipe to help out the cave situation and possibly decorating it with rocks and silicon sealant(aquarium safe, of course...)...will that work? Is it safe for the fish? Are there any other ways to decorate? 

Also, would a minimal amount of sand look cool in my tank or is it just a big bother? I've heard it's hard to clean.


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## redpaulhus (Jan 18, 2005)

my favorite caves are half-coconut shells.
I usually use the ones sold as lizard caves in the reptile dept - they have a perfect sized opening ("door") for dwarf cichlids or busynose plecos.
And at about $4 each they are relatively cheap.
I've also made my own, a local store sells the half coconut shells for twenty cents each, but I had to boil the shells and then drill them by hand - it took forever...

Lastly - I also use pre-made cichlid caves (sold at www.kensfish.com ) - I breed cichlids and ancistris plecos in them.


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## kamanut (Jul 26, 2007)

Thanks--I love those caves on kensfish!!


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

i use slate and my cories and cichlids love them.

i had a PVC pipe in it for a while, then realized how out of place it looked so i took it out. decorating it seems like it would be a good idea, but really i think if you can find some decent sized rocks around your area and wash them really well, you can use those to make caves.


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## Cefari (Jun 18, 2007)

i just get a plastic cup and surround it with .5-2" rocks. Make sure you rinse the gravel before hand though.

Picture:


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

I have a PVC cave in each of my tanks. Well one is a cave and the other is more like a bridge. The fish seem to like them. I decorated via silicone and aquarium gravel.


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## kamanut (Jul 26, 2007)

So can you give me a pretty detailed idea of how to decorate the pvc pipe with the silicon and gravel? Thanks!


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## Chaos553 (Apr 2, 2007)

hmm cefari, thats a pretty sweet idea!


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## Obsidian (May 20, 2007)

Use 100% pure silicone with no additives or anti anything agents. 

Take that and your choice of decoration outside with the pipe. 

Cover PVC generously if using regular gravel substrate, a full even coat if using something the size of sand grains. I would recommend the sand sized grains if possible, the gravel sized was hard to work with. 

Roll cave in substrate until covered. You can also pour it over it, the pebbles will stick to the silicone. Make sure you clean the PVC and dry it thoroughly before adding the silicone. Its really easy. 

http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z316/ObsidianD/?action=view&current=Friday061507105.jpg
http://s194.photobucket.com/albums/z316/ObsidianD/?action=view&current=100_0693.jpg


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## kamanut (Jul 26, 2007)

Awesome--thanks! It sounds like a fun project!


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2007)

jaust stack slate in the bottom and covr the whole bottom with it and there will be alot of places to hide but i think thats bad for the corries maybe
and gravel vacing


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## cbfishman (Aug 10, 2007)

I have 1 cave in my 10 gal, i just made it out of 3medium sized rocks that i bought at the localfish store. one way to save spacein the caves, is to dig out the gravel from the bottom of your tank and then put the cave over the top of the shallow gravel.I hope this works for you... good luck


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