Building Caves

[AtomBat]

Wondering if anyone had any recommendations on how to build caves. I thought it sounded simple but I am unsatisfied with my "cave building". I Decided to take a concrete block, break it into pieces and try to add on to a store bought cave I already had. I didn't quite go as planned. I like the look of the concrete block but I "think" i need to go with smaller pieces of block. Im not 100% concerned with how it looks because I do plan on putting plants in the tank ( after lighting) but I do want something that will be sufficent for my two cichlids that won't cave in on then and crush them and will be enough for them to run to cover. Please tell me what you think, should I go with smaller blocks, get rid of the cave,get new material ect...

 

[Griff1327]

i use pvc pipe. cover it in silicone and then gravel. dooesnot lok bad and i can blend it in. check the DIY forum, there is some caves on there.

 

[chesterthehero]

you do realize that you are stacking cement inside a big glass box full of water... and that this glass box is located inside your home...

flower pots work great and are easy to cut/break into shape.. then just paint on some silicone (search theres about a million threads about what is safe) and then add gravel/sand/rock/plastic plants/whatever to decorate

you can also silicone pieces of slate (floor tile works great) into cave shapes

for small caves you can also do the silicone thing with pvc

 

[FavCatfish]

You can build you own cave, look up diy bakcground and its the same concept. I am currently building a cave this way. I bought a piece of stryofoam for walmart shaped it the way i wanted it and painted it with concrete. I did the finally coat today. Its super simple and you get to make the exact shape you want.

 

[mikcamjon]

I used some rock pieces from Home Depot. All the fish seemed to like this more than rock piles that I tried earlier.

Tank shot showing the placement of the stepping stones and bricks

Texas and Jaguar in the caves

Jag guarding the entry

Because within 2 weeks of setting this up my pair of jaguars laid eggs.

 

[Dan F]

For a natural look you can't beat slate and other rocks.

I left my PVC caves "as-is". Covering them with sand or gravel won't make them look like a real cave, so I don't bother

 

[importracer]

To make caves(to date),I have cracked planting pots in half.........

 

[Onion01]

is that concrete? i'm worried that as is, those might fall and crack your tank. And if it is concrete, it will leach and kill your fish

 

[FavCatfish]

Here is the cave i mentioned earlier that i made:

Basically just styrofoam and cement.

Its still drying and needs one more coat but you get the idea.

 

[Onion01]

Here is the cave i mentioned earlier that i made:

Basically just styrofoam and cement.



Its still drying and needs one more coat but you get the idea.

NOOOO! Don't use cement!!!