Nice Apisto caves?

[mikewang]

the only thing ive seen suggested is coconut shells and flower pots. but what about these?

reptile caves.

i think these are very nice. most are made out of plastic and some out of ceramic . will they cause any problems in the tank? covered with some java fern will be awesome. burying them half way in the tank is good idea too.

 

[canon8838]

i like them, i might have to try some

thanks

 

[farm41]

Does the plastic one float?

 

[mikewang]

my buddy has a plastic one and he says it doesnt float. but is pretty light in the water. i think if i get one or 2 of these, ill silicone on some aquarium gravel to weight it down. i plan on having plants over it since i am not a fan of artifical decor in the tank.

 

[Nain]

Apisto caves

I have had problems with some male apistos that bullied females so much that they would not breed and sometimes in extreme cases, they were harrassed to death. So, I decided to design a cave that allowed for an escape route. I use regular terra cotta flower pots as the basic cave structure. I drill a hole in the side of the pot with a carbide bit. Then I use a pair of needle nose pliers to carefully flake off bits of the hole perimiter and gradually flake off emough to create a 3/4 inch to 1 inch hole. Then I smooth of the edges of the hole with a rattail file and smooth off the edges with sandpaper. In addition, I sand the drain hole at the bottom (top) of the pot.

The pot is set vertically in the gravel with the drain hole facing up. The female can come in the side hole to spawn and so can the male to fertilize the eggs. If he gets too rough, she can escapes out the top, and the male can't usually: the top hole is too small. Since using this method, my death rate from abusive males has gone way down. If you have the pot long enough, you can convince java moss to grow on the sides to hide the fact that you are really using flower pot.

 

[Rolo]

Hi,

In my opinion, small coconuts with a small hole for entry are better than the caves on your pics.

You can also make them by yourself with clay or maybe there is somebody, who sells selfmade caves. (I do, but I guess, it would be too expensive to send them to you *g*)

greetings,
Rolo

 

[mikewang]

rolo those caves are amazing.

 

[farm41]

real nice

 

[Christine-FishGrrl]

Rolo do you bake the clay caves in a furnace or just allow to dry?

 

[Dan724]

orchid terracotta pots have large multiple holes in them, which would make good escape for females. I too think those caves are amazing Rolo!

 

[Rolo]

Rolo do you bake the clay caves in a furnace or just allow to dry?

Hi Christine,

Yes, you have to bake them in a furnace.

greetings,
Rolo

@all others: Thanks for the response ... and have fun at reproducing them ;-)