[melplusanimals]

wow that is insanely awesome, that gives me sooo many ideas love it

 

[ronszak]

Your cave Rocks, ha ha! You mention Silicon, what's the brand for gluing?
Ron

 

[automatic-hydromatic]

thanks

the silicone is just some stuff I picked up from the local hardware store, since the LFS was out of theirs

JUST MAKE 100% SURE IT'S AQUARIUM SAFE!!!

 

[automatic-hydromatic]

oh, by the way, this cave made it into my recently set up 30 gallon

 

[ronszak]

Really cool, thanks so much!

 

[Niki7]

That is an awesome cave!! What kind of stones are the grey shards? Did you notice if they changed your water any? I am always so nervous about using stones in case they up my pH...

This idea has gotten me thinking about doing this myself...could you use any kind of plastic or are there some types you shouldn't use? My household plastic stuff that usually hits the recycle bin could be my next cave if you can use any type of plastic!!

 

[automatic-hydromatic]

The rock is just slate that I picked up from the LFS, and slate wont alter the PH levels. You buy it in large slabs that weigh about 6 or 7 lbs, then bust them up with a hammer. They fracture into those nice little pieces like that.

As far as the plastic, I would stay away from anything colored and anything that had any contact with chemicals of any kind. Color pigments and/or chemicals can leach from the plastics and contaminate the water.


What's nice about fracturing the rock yourself into smaller pieces from the large slate piece is you get a bunch of larger pieces left over that you can use to just stack up into any creation you want to. I used the larger pieces to make a slate cave on the other end of the tank

 

[Niki7]

Travis you inspired me to build a slate cave...see what you think.

I was trying for something natural and yet house-like. I picked up 4 6x6 slate squares at Home Depot for .92 cents each and some aquarium silicone. Smashed up the slate (you're right, it IS fun and easy, slate splits just looking at it lol!), played around with the shapes, got past my obsession with symmetry, smacked the sharp/flat edges to dull them a bit, glued it in stages, let set for awhile, took a nail file and sanding block to soften all the edges, then soaked it, then tested the soaking water for metals/pH changes, then into the aquarium it went. Hardest part was keeping the pieces still while the silicone set up. When I split one of the tiles, the edge revealed a thin layer of tiny garnets. You can see it in one of the pics.

Here's the final product. Tied some java on the right side, and some other plants are eventually going to climb up the left side too. Fishies seem to like it

Thanks for the inspiration!

 

[automatic-hydromatic]

looks really nice! great job!

it's definitely a fun little project

there's also something strangely satisfying about breaking things with hammers too, lol; good stress relief

 

[snail]

That looks nice.

 

[M1ster Stanl3y]

i just picked up a few peices of slate barn roofing. Free of nails and glue. There are the holes where the nails were but it just adds character. If you live in an area like me that is mostly rural and old you can get a lot of this for free. boiled and scrubbed. Looking to make loose stacked caves out of them so that i can re arrange when ever i want.

Your's looks awesome btw.

 

[Big Dog]

You did a great job.

 

[intensejustin]

Awesome Idea, Ive made a few out of glad containers and never had any problems. Does anyone else have any ideas for any other type of rock/slab to use besides slate? Just curious for ideas as I am in the process of building a new tank....

 

[snail]

I just saw this youtube video and it reminded me of this thread:
YouTube - My home made slate cave aquarium decoration
Not my work, but thought it worth sharing the link with you guys.

 

[Niki7]

wow that is a really neat cave! thanks for sharing!!

 

[medlii]

I have been looking for some larger caves for my tank at the LFS and haven't liked the sizes of what they have to offer. I like the idea of the silicone and rocks but am not very patient. So here's an idea and a question...

I've heard that Legos are aquarium-safe. Considering that kids can chew on them and such, that makes sense to me. I don't know if they float, but if you used one of the large, flat pieces as a base and put some gravel or rocks on it, that could also help weigh it down.

Around the idea of the terra-cotta pot in the tank, I was looking at a ceramic vase, similar to this one

But it's from a craft store (Michaels), so I have no idea what's in the coating or paint and if it'll leach out but would make an interesting hiding spot. Any thoughts or ways I could test it? Thanks!

 

[snail]

I know it's not exactly your question but ceramic things safe for food and drink are usually considered safe for use in the aquarium if that helps.

 

[medlii]

That's very helpful, actually. There are some cool things that I'm going to look at- cups and glasses, those things people store flour and sugar in, potentially a small pitcher, or maybe a small bowl tilted the right way. I'll be sure to post pictures in the forum/thread where people show off their tanks! The best part is, kitchenware comes in so many colors that it's sure to match anybody's aquarium...

The problem (and yes, I know it's a growing problem) is that I have a 10 inch sailfin pleco. He loves to hide and the LFS caves aren't big enough for him. So something like this would be great, especially since he likes to put his fin up inside the cave and would give him a lot more room, and potentially could look kinda cool. Maybe. :fish9:

I also like the coconut idea, but I don't think it will match my decor and they may be a bit small. Thanks for the ideas!

 

[Galvatron898]

WOW that is freakin awesome! I can't wait to try my hand at something like that!

 

[WhiteGloveAquatics]

Nice digs man. I like that.

I usually use terra cotta pot saucers and either flip em upside down for kullis and corydoras or glue two together for the plecos and other fish to hide in.
I really like it, start production and sell em, you got something there that people WILL buy.