# hiding places for big cats



## yukalaeli87 (Jan 24, 2006)

I have a 120 gal and a 180 gal and most of the inhabitants are pretty large catfish (8" to about a foot long). I was wondering what makes good hiding places for these guys. I love driftwood, but I haven't been able to find pieces that are big enough and if they are, they aren't "shady"/"cavey" enough (they're just open branches). I hate stacking rocks since they have a tendency of knocking them over when they swim around, and I would hate for one of the rocks to crack the glass. I have never seen an ornamental cave at my LFS that have been suitable or that I have liked (most are too small or too ugly). I know I may sound picky, but I'd appreciate any suggestions. Thanks!


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## Guest (Aug 3, 2006)

Look online for the biggest and longest piece of driftwood that you can find then order it and then they should be able to at least get their head in, or get two of them and put them together so they can get their whole body in.

Do you have any pics of these huge cats just so we can see?


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## yukalaeli87 (Jan 24, 2006)

I don't have any pictures on hand, but I'll try to get them up when I get a chance.


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Definitely not my arena here... but what about like an upside down planter with a short side cut out. If its not big enough for them to turn around to get out, you could cut out the opposite side also. I'm thinking one of those planters like you would hang on a porch rail or under a window. You could kinda decorate it with plants or moss or something to help hide it. Just a thought.


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## Christine (Nov 4, 2005)

Oh, for that matter.. you could probably do the same with one of those sterilite (plastic) type shoe boxes or maybe a hair bigger if needed. You'd have to figure a way to get it to stay down tho - substrate on top, a small piece of slate epoxied to the top.. something. You could even make it like a ledge in the tank I suppose. You get the idea! Its doable, but neither idea might provide the look you're going for... You might try emailing the rosenthal pottery person on aquabid too. I think she makes all her pieces there so she might could do something custom for you.


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## craftyflalady (Jan 25, 2006)

*I just had this same problem!! I have a 15 inch common pleco and I could not find anything big enough for him to hide in. What I finally came up with is PVC....so I asked Hubby and his neighborfriend if they had a piece of PVC big enough. What the neighbor brought me was 2 pieces from a broken shop vac. They had never been used as he got it broken. He gave me the add-on extentions to the vacuum wand. PERFECT!!! 

When I put it in the tank...I just made sure I got some gravel on the bottom of it so it would hold it down. My Pleco loves it. And when he is not in it...the cats are in and out of it. And the Blue Acara's have spawned on top of it! It's a busy piece in my 125 gal! 

Just gotta look outside the box to find some solutions! Hope that this helped some. 

Kathy 

*


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