Home Made Caves

[mic8310]

I don't really have any caves or hiding places in my tank so I basically got a small container (like a small sandwhich box) lined it with sand, dug a hole in then put sand on top so you can't see it. I've put the plants in a pot back on top so its kinda like a shelf. I'm gonna put large pebbles around the entrances so they can't get filled up by sand.

Anyone else done this kind of thing?

 

[Truck]

i want a cave but i want to make it out of slate or rocks, but i dont know where to start...

 

[malakye]

the easiest caves are terracotta plant pots break them in half or use them whole. For slate caves I know someone who uses bits of slate and aqua safe silicon and makes them into either tubes or 2 sides and a top. He leaves them to cure for a few days before they can be put in the tank. You can also stack them or add more off to the sides.

 

[Truck]

not to keen on the plant pots but i had a brainwave. PVC pipe cut in half with slate chips , glued to it, and some bigger peices of slate on top

 

[mic8310]

Basically that's what I've done but without glue plastic box covered in sand and pebbles so its hidden away

 

[MartinL]

I've just built some slate caves, both free-standing and around a couple of plastic boxes.

I stuck 2 plastic boxes together to make an L shape and cut holes in the sides. (Make sure the plastic is not going to leach chemicals into the water though - mine were microwave safe which means that they do not release toxins).
I stuck them together with aquarium silicone.
As they were going in the corner of the tank, I built up walls of slate along the inside of the L and stuck them together with silicone. Depending on the fish you have, some will like to dig about and better safe than sorry.
The top of the wall rises above the level of the boxes, and the flat tops of the boxes make a gravelled and planted terrace; the gravel is held back by stones on the top of the wall.

For the other cave I built walls of slate and just used large flat pieces of slate to bridge the gap between the two. Again stuck together with silicone.

One tip - I found a bag of slate 'padstones' at B&Q which are lumps of slate a few inches in size rather than chippings. There were also a few large flat stones in here too which are perfect for roofs. Make sure you clean them and boil them just in case.

 

[Crispy]

the clay pots (as caves and spawning areas) are inexpensive and fish love it. I have 10 in my fish tank amongst countless slate shelves and driftwood. A little ingenuity can go a long way in the fish tank! I'd show a picture, but I can't figure out how to upload a pic to my post???

 

[NameUser]

Id like to see pictures of all these home made pieces.

Im doing the same, i actually just went to the dollar store and bought a mug, a glass, a small bowl, and a bag of rocks.. and i tipped the mug and glass on its sides, filled slightly with sand so they stay, and put the rocks on the ground with two bigger ones about an inch and a half apart with the bowl laying on top so my fish will have a cool chill spot when he gets released into this wicked home im building him.. and i definetly plan on making some more home made stuff along the way.

 

[OldMan47]

Slate pieces made into a cave using silicone sealer.