Easy caves for small fish!

[FINWIN]

So here are some easy caves for small fish.

Plastic tiki party favor cups. 3 for $14 on amazon. I drilled a 1 1/2 inch hole on the flat side and oversprayed with krylon light moss green and black. The cups are textured to look like coconuts.

Put a rock or gravel in and you're done. Or you could push the bottom into sand and pile it up at the front. The hole is not necessarily for the fish to get swim through but to get them to use the cave. I discovered fish will not use caves completely enclosed. They like seeing an exit space but not being enclosed in dark.

 

[FINWIN]

Spade drill used. It cut the thin cup plastic but couldn't make a dent in the pvc pipes.

You can get fancy and glue java moss on.

 

[FINWIN]

The cups on amazon.

 

[AR1]

can you please tell how to make one for some foot long cichlids. Lifting and placing GINORMOUS rocks has not only given me a sore back but is getting old too.

 

[Fallen_Leaves16]

can you please tell how to make one for some foot long cichlids. Lifting and placing GINORMOUS rocks has not only given me a sore back but is getting old too.

Large terracotta pots have been a classic staple for decades; you could probably do something with those, or a large ceramic pot.

 

[jjohnwm]

Sections of concrete or clay drainage pipe, used in days past for weeping tile beds, work really well for this and are usually free if you can find them. Personally, I take pains to get ones that have been used in drainage networks under house foundations...rather than ones that might have been used in septic beds, but that's just me...

For delicate folk like AR1 , you can make your own lightweight ones using sections of PVC pipe cut to the length you want. Paint it like FINWIN did (and that does look good!), or you can take clear PVC cement, slather it on the outside of the pipe section and then sprinkle it with sand or gravel. The solvent cement dries clear and holds the material in place beautifully. Usually takes a couple applications to get the right "look". These chunks are heavy enough not to roll or float around, but light enough to easily move when you want to. You can also use the solvent cement to attach a few pieces together, either in a neat pile or a jumbled-up mess, which makes it harder for the fish to remodel your setup.

 

[AR1]

For delicate folk like .avatar--xss { width: 21px; height: 21px; line-height: 21px !important; margin-right: 2px; } AR1 @AR1

hey, my delicate feelings are now hurt

 

[FINWIN]

LOL there's a lot of delicacy here!

I might try gluing some rock onto plastic mesh.

Another option is rolling up pebble tile used for backsplashes that has the mesh attached. I've seen people use it for substrate but I would put sand in the crevices though.

 

[FINWIN]

Large terracotta pots have been a classic staple for decades; you could probably do something with those, or a large ceramic pot.

This. I use ceramic food canisters for my large parrots since they won't fit in anything else besides floor vases/pots.

 

[FINWIN]

Update on the caves...they're a hit!

I had to 'close in' the fronts by adding rock and plants making them more cozy. The hrps wouldn't stay inside until I did. So far one cave has been claimed and the other two are up for grabs! There are two additional small logs they use as well.