Just wondering what some of you guys are doing for some creative DIY caves?

I've seen the PVC pipe + aquarium silicone + gravel technique, and of coarse the build it yourself by stacking thin cut pieces of rock up into structures.

Basically what I'm looking for are some unique and creative caves that you guys have made, as apposed to buying one right from the LFS.


I need some ideas to get this horrible looking fake stump out of my setup...

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

LOL, I've had that same horrible piece in my tanks for years until very recently.

Look up on Google for DIY tips for aquariums.

__________________
Help those in our hobby to exceed beyond their expectations.
Aquatic Engineer

if you want caves use terra cotta pots, again cover in silicone ge1 then roll them in gravel, let them air dry 24-48 hours then soak in a bucket of tank water for 24 hours then toss in tank if all is well.

Go to the photography section....recent pics posted on someone using the pots.

I think you can still use the stump you have if you grow plants like moss, java ferns and anubais on it you'll hardly see the stump.

I've used terracotta pots and a plastic root thing. The plastic ornaments don't look to bad when things start growing on them, and weigh less than rocks or wood.

I have seen caves made out of coconut shells that don't look bad. Heres a picture of my cave condo with a connecting arch I made out of nebulizer masks and ventilator tubing.
(I work at a hospital)

Attached Images

mycaves001.JPG (1.53 MB, 155 views)

__________________
Do fish get thirsty?
How to fishless cycle your aquarium http://www.aquariumforum.com/f66/fis...cle-15036.html

Information on API FW test kit http://www.aquariumforum.com/f2/api-...ion-15347.html

coconut shells seems like a neat idea

I found another rather neat one, similar to the PVC pipe method, but using old CD cases (the ones that hold blank CDs and DVDs in sleeves of 50 or 100), and covering them in gravel and rocks

I've got a few of them lying around in three different sizes, and I'm considering putting two of them together, a shorter one and a medium height one, so they're interconnected

Might try it out this week and see what I come up with

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

actually started on this little project today

was out today, and I stopped by the LFS, picked up some silicone, gravel, and an 8lb slab of rock to bust up


got home and grabbed the two CD cases, and went to work




























And that's as far as I've gotten today. I'm going to let the silicone that's on there now dry out over night, and I'll continue on with it tomorrow.

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

finished piecing the larger rocks on it today, and got to filling in the gaps with gravel

this is the tedious part

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

that cave is Rockin your fish should enjoy it.

lol


thanks

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

Awesome job!!

thanks guys

I'm still moving on with this... meticulously placing all the gravel pieces it pretty time consuming, and the smell from the silicone is getting to my head, lol

I would say about about 75% done covering the gaps with the gravel

once done, I'll let the entire thing sit for a few days to fully cure, I'll rinse it down good, then put it in a 5 gallon bucket of water for a few hours and change the water in the bucket every few hours, and I'll probably let it set like that in water for about a day before I put it in the tank... there's a lot of silicone on it, and I want to make sure I rinse off any residues, even though it is aquarium safe silicone. I've already used up an entire 3oz tube on the thing...

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

got it all done


just going to let it cure for a few days now

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

the cave found its way into the tank today


I stacked a few more rocks up and made an extended ledge too











my ADF seems to like it; it took him all of 2 minutes to dart inside and hide, lol. you can see in there through the side hole

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING

that looks better then 100% of the caves at a chain store!!!
its a great idea! and it looks good to^_^

Nice condo.

thanks

all the other fish seem to enjoy it too; my Dojo Loach has already taken up residence in it as well

__________________


My 30 gallon planted freshwater - CONSTANTLY CHANGING