Coconut Caves!

[smiles669]

Hi everyone I would like to make some caves for my syno's and corys, and i would really like to do some coconut caves. Ive done some research and what i know now is to;
1.Drain the coconut
2. Cut it in half
3. Scrape all the inner meat( white stuff lol) out of it
4. Cut a hole for an entrance
5. Sand the inside and outside down
6. Boil it to release any tanins
Is this good or am I missing something? Does anyone have any other tips to share on the subject? Will the coconut half sink after doing this aswell, or does it need to be tied down to something? Thanks everyone for all your help!

 

[mtbdean]

Yup, thats what I did, just don't boil for too long, boil for 20mins, then submerge in clean cold water for a couple days!

 

[smiles669]

Yes thats what i was hoping for! Thanks for the advice!

 

[fluttermoth]

You really don't need to boil them, they release hardly any tannin. A scrub in hot water is all they need. I've heard that plecs will eat the coconut, though I haven't tried it myself.

 

[snazy]

My bristlenose rasps on the coconuts and eventually ate the entire softer outside that looked like bark, but hasn't eaten all of the coconut yet

 He's made them shiny though..

 

[smiles669]

Thats great news! I should be getting some Albino Bristle nose too! Hopefully they love the coconut caves. And the albinos should look great on my black sand and background