Building A Cave For My Fish

[celaeno]

i am looking to build a 'double cave' for the fish in my 20g tank. so far, this is what it will look like:

here's an example of a 'triple cave':

please give me some suggestions on how to build alternative 'double/triple caves'?

 

[heymickey94]

What I've used in the past for caves for my fish are PVC pipes rolled in gravel and whole terracota pots rolled in gravel. Not really the "double cave" look that you were looking for though, Good luck with this project and please post pictures when your done.

 

[Tommy Gun]

I am not exactly sure how you are planning to do this...nor how you are going to find or break of flat pieces of terracotta, which is not to imply that you can't, only to say that I haven't seen that being offered yet --- however, the first thing that came to my mind as far as how to keep this structure stable was to use some of that "coral putty" stuff that seems to be geared more so for Saltwater tanks to secure rocks, however, I am 99.999999% sure that it can also be used in freshwater tanks as well. IME with the stuff, I have found it to be relatively strong and definitely strong enough to hold my coral and/or live rock in place.

Anyways, just a thought I figured I would pass along.

 

[tetraqueen]

I have seen some done with bog wood where they have got pieces with different shapes carved out of them it looked natural and was a great treat for plec etc. Just a thought. Not for all types of fish.

Another idea would to be to get a glass blower to make you a shape and then cover it up. Many little outlets places are more than happy to show of their skills maybe costly.

 

[wendywc]

I've seen terra cotta tiles for flooring... not really terra cotta actually, but ceramic tiles that look like terra cotta. But they would work and look good. Just get a box of those and tile cutters from a home improvement store and have fun putting it together. It would be a lot of sanding on any sharp edges though.

 

[tophat665]

I did a cave structure with bits of red shale. First thing I did was take a dremel tool (basically a motor spinning a rotating cylinder of emery stone) and grind all the edges smooth. The next thing I did was take a shower as I was completely covered with brick colored dust. Then I laid out the cave the way I wanted it, then piece by piece set it aside, then rebuilt it with aquarium sealant to hold the pieces together.

If I were doing it again, and I wanted multiple stories, I'd seal together one level at a time, let it cure for two days, and move on to the next level. Also, if I were doing something with a cantilever, like that three story cave you have there, I'd use aquarium safe epoxy i I could lay hands on it, and make sure I had it well supported as it dried.

SO the main things to remember: 1) Smooth edges only, 2) Let your adhesive dry fully, 3) Do it in steps so that the adhesive is firm before you put pressure on it. 4) Be careful moving it into the tank!

 

[celaeno]

my lfs doesn't have enough terra cotta chips. they might order some in the near future, though. meanwhile, does anyone know where i can find them for sale? my lfs sells approximately 3 x 3 x 3/4" terra cotta chips for $2/lb.

 

[dane261]

why dont you give russell aka smithrc on here a shout im sure he will make you a slate cave up



cheers dane

 

[xxBarneyxx]

i make all my caves out of PVC pipe and then either bury it under the substrate or cover it with something (slate, rocks, wood, etc). Have a look at the first post in my planted tank journal to see how I do it. you can get a lot of different pvc pipe bits that fit together to make any shape and style of cave you want. There is a lot of slate in the ones in the photos but you can use less if you want to.

[URL="http/www.fishforums.net/content/Planted-...e-to-read-more/"]http/www.fishforums.net/content/Planted-...e-to-read-more/[/URL]

 

[wendywc]

why dont you give russell aka smithrc on here a shout im sure he will make you a slate cave up



cheers dane

Because there's more satisfaction making it yourself in your own style, IMHO.

 

[Lateral Line]

and grind all the edges smooth.

Very good advice. Slate in particular can be murderously sharp.

I used to get my slate from a local builders merchant. They stock slate roofing tiles and always broke some, they probably thought I was mad going collecting the "rubbish", but were glad to get rid of it. For the "terracotta" parts, look for "quarry tiles".

The æsthetics, (the colour contrast), of what you plan don't appeal to me, but then, they are not going in my tanks so if you like them, great!

 

[celaeno]

bad news, guys. the terra cotta chips/tiles were apparently a one-time thing, so the lfs won't likely be getting any more anytime soon.

so i'll have to make a 100% rock cave somehow. what kinds of rock (besides slate) is good for building the triple cave i drew in my first post?

if i use slate only, how can i break a large piece into square-like tiles? what effect would using an ax have on a large piece of slate (would it shatter it into many pieces or divide it at the point of impact)?

i found some green slate, but it's gray (i'm not colorblind lol). is this kind of slate aquarium safe? there were only long triangular pieces. any idea how they can be used (if at all) to build my triple cave?