Making caves...

[eranu]

How exactly do you 'cut' a small hole in a plant pot to make a cave entrance?

How do you halve the pot to make two caves?

 

[Rey82]

I buy clay pots and just make the hole on the bottom of the pot a little larger, for the specific type of fish I have. I just set them up with the hole to the top and they love hiding in their but the negative side about it is that I will not be able to see if they spawned.

 

[Noddy65]

I nibble away at the edge of the pot with a pair of pliers...if your gentle and dont try and take out too much at each 'nibble' the pots dont crack..

Mike

 

[Christine-FishGrrl]

I get a little terracotta pot, score the lip to size I want (I always put them in upside-down), use this wierd clipper tool to continue to eat away at the score marks, inevitably break the pot, chip some away from where I want the hole to be, superglue it back together, clean up the huge mess, done! I've only done it once where I didn't break the pot but luckily they always seem to break in just a couple pieces. I got some egg-shaped caves from www.cichlidbreeding.com about a year ago that my apistos loooooooove. No more breaking pots for me!

Here's the link: http://www.cichlidbreeding.com/products.php?cat=11

 

[aquaticclarity]

My first choice is to buy 1/2 coconut shells that already have a hole cut in them. But I learned a quick, easy, and cheap way to make caves. Take a PVC endcap (I have 1 1/2"-2" models) and drill a hole (what ever size you need/want) in the side or top. I use these in quarantine tanks because they are easy to sterilize and don't ready absorb medications. More often then not my fish end up spending an extended time in the quarantine tank do to a lack of tank space and in these cases the fish often end up spawning in these caves.

Jeff

 

[mematrix]

re to post

Hi I use a drill bit with one of those cone or ball like ends and also reg drill bit either the size you want or ssmall and drill a circle of holes and knock out center. I also use a hack saw and just cut 2 lines in lip and then use plyers to break out the piece. Drilling hole in side or top works both ways. Of course coconut shell halves are good. I like Jefs idea on the PCV end caps will have to try. Als here is a linkj to a site that has caves. www.cichlidbreeding.com

Sincerely Curtis

 

[eranu]

Cheers for the tips guys, a good variety of methods there

 

[mematrix]

re to post

Your welcome I am expecting 12 of the eggs from the cichlid breeding site see how they work out. lol
Curtis

 

[Graham]

I buy the little 3" terracota pots.
Soak them in water for a few hours (or overnight).
I then use a 3/8" concrete/masonry drill bit and drill the hole where I want it on the pot. Then I often use a rat-tail (round) file to make the opening larger as appropriate for the species of fish. I imagine you could also use a larger bit - I just use the one I have. I like to sand the hole with some 150-ish grit paper to round off the edges as well...

 

[_BaDgUy_]

Similar ti Graham, I use terracota pots, and soak them in water for a few hours.
Then, I use a rotary tool, similar to a Dremel, and use a carbide masonry bit and cut out a hole te size I want in the pot!

 

[eklikewhoa]

I was gonna suggest soaking the pots too beforehand to ease the hole making which I have done for other cichlids.

Right now I am using the rock caves from cichlidbreeding.com which is linked below and have had 4 spawns since introducing them.

 

[brad]

I like cocnut shells. They don't stand out as much as pots and 2 for 1$.....

Just wack it right on the center line with a stone and the shell will split right in half. No fuss, no mess.

 

[MaryJPa]

I just bury half the terra cotta pot in the sand.

 

[RiC]

Coconut shells here too, hidden by a ball of java moss! :wink:

 

[MHEAD]

Just wanted to add that I tried soaking a pot and then chipping away with a pair of pliers and it worked great--was easy and fast. Once the pot dries, I will smooth the edges with a file which I have done in the past with success.

 

[five]

Will a 1cm diameter hole meant for the female suffice?

Just sweated it out sawing and drilling the PVC pipes. Now tying to glue some soil on it to make it look natural.

 

[Graham]

I've also recently had success using a hacksaw to cut small terra cotta pots in half. Soak it, flip it upside down and go to town. I rarely have enough substrate to bury whole pots, so cutting them in half allows creation of very narrow caves. I have yet to see if there's preference for upright pots vs. halves on their side....the halves on their sides look less junky than upside down pots, too.

 

[ProF_FR]

Hi,

i use tiny terracota pots too but in all my apisto tanks i have half cocunuts, they really seem to love it

ProF

 

[MHEAD]

Christine, I checked out the breeding eggs you suggested and in fact just received my order in the mail. I purchased the regular size but in person they look quite small. Did you purchase this size or the Jumbo ones? I was planning to use them for my cacatuoides and/or some aggies.