Styrofoam Cave?

[pumh]

i just got an idea. could you make a cave like for cichlids or whatever out of styrofoam, like a big piece that you carved a cave out of it? If i did make one what would i put on the outside so that if they nip at it, it wont come apart? like is there a type of paint that is aquarium safe? would cichlid eggs still stick to styrofoam?

 

[gearhead65]

i just got an idea. could you make a cave like for cichlids or whatever out of styrofoam, like a big piece that you carved a cave out of it? If i did make one what would i put on the outside so that if they nip at it, it wont come apart? like is there a type of paint that is aquarium safe? would cichlid eggs still stick to styrofoam?

I would think that it would be hard to get it to sink without some significant weight holding it down...

 

[pumh]

Oh, new idea what if I put like rocks al over the top? But that still leaves me with the inside...

 

[AstonN24vantage]

i'm just worried that it might have some chemicals harmful to your tank... and it would probably float

 

[Eclipse5161]

you could make the cave out of styro foam and cement it. if you cement the outside of the styrofoam let it cure for a while you should be able to scrape the styrofoam out of the cave and have just a cement cave.

 

[sampster5000]

I would definitely NOT use styrofoam in water. I don't agree with it being used by humans as cups or anything like that. It does so many things to pollute the human body, the food that touches it, and the air. I would go with Eclipse5161's idea for sure. Here is a good info page I found on why NOT to use styrofoam. With them saying that it leeches into food I can only imagine how bad it leeches into the water and what damage and defects it can cause.

http/www.earthresource.org/campaigns/capp/capp-styrofoam.html

 

[chrisbassist]

Styrofoam has been used for a long time for making backgrounds. And no one seems to be reporting a shorter lifespan of their fish or anything because of it. It's normally sealed using an aquarium cement on the side the fish will get to.

As previously stated, the main issue is getting it to sink.

If you're thinking about adding stones over the top, why not just make it from those stones? Use silicone as a glue.

 

[Curiosity101]

If you're thinking about adding stones over the top, why not just make it from those stones? Use silicone as a glue.

^^ That's what I was about to suggest. Or similarly if you want a 'base' to your cave find something a bit more natural such as a large coconut to stick stones to.