spawning caves

[aspen]

i have a pair of a cacatuoides, and i'm going to fully plant the 15 gal tank they live in. i need an idea for spawning caves. i want something that is not going to look stupid, like the 'clay igloo', or whatever. right now i have a china bowl with a lid with a hole in the top they like. but it won't do, i want something nicer, any ideas anybody?

rick

 

[Cichlids1]

A couple things I have done for caves: 1, the split coconut shell covered in java moss. As seen in a Frode Roe tank once. After about 2 months, they looked like green mounds. If you didn't see them prior, you would never know there was a coconut in there. 2, bore out a hole in a piece of driftwood. I took a couple 6 inch by 3 inch "logs" and drilled out a 2 inch hole through the center them. Attached some Java Ferns and anubias. Looked rather natural, wish I knew where I stashed them...

 

[Neil]

aspen,
I use overturned saucers with a hole punched out. I am more concerned with breeding than looks, but when I want to have it look more natural I bury the cave with a small entrance showing and none of the clay pot. It actually looks pretty cool like that and you can put it under some overhand to give it a real secluded look.
I have also used Oak or Birch leaves that look more natural. Apistos seem to really like those and they help to keep the pH and hardness down a little. I think I recall you saying that you were using tap. So that might be a benefit.
The other suggestion would be the same as Cichlids1. But I have cut 1/3 of a coconut and then made the hole. I think that most apistos like a tighter fit in their breeding caves. It gives them more security. Anyway it has worked well for me. Neil

 

[aspen]

thanks guys. neil,you say that they like a tighter fit. they prefer the spawning site to be a very small place, where they can just barely turn around? this seems to make sense, anything too big and a larger fish could get in, and they will likely be able to deal with a fish their own size or smaller. normally i am not concerned about appearance in my basement tanks. but i have decided to plant this tank and keep it in my bedroom, these are the only fish i've had that the wife really likes and will put up with in the bedroom. so... maybe i will try and make or find a little something i can completely cover over with the substrate or grow over. i want to do the entire tank in a thick, tight ground cover only, and leave the fish lots of places to hide under the grass or cover, yet leave the entire tank for them to swim in. (dwarf saggitaria or glossostigma??) this should be very pretty and functional. maybe just one or two brown crypts in the corner. if they lay and raise fry, there should be lots of little stuff growing in amongst the plants for them to find and eat.

i am under the impression that these particular fish will actually breed fairly successfully in my tapwater. i am averse to using anything in the tank which will raise or lower ph (peat, oak leaves or shells). i will gladly alter it before i add it but would prefer not to be actually hardening or softening it while in the tank. i age my water, but prefer it to maintain stability. my parms are: gh 8, kh 4, ph 7.8. i am going to get things started like this, but will probably soften the water later if needed. i'm in no rush. thanks for the tips.

rick

 

[BTBarney]

Okay... so this might be a royally silly question, but exactly how should I obtain a coconut shell? Buy one at the store, scoop out (and eat) the meat (yum!) and then dry it out? I don't think I've ever seen them at the LFS - only the clay pot caves.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

[Cichlids1]

Barney...I bought whole coconuts at the grocery store, sawed them in half, scooped out the meat, then let them dry out for a couple days. After they had set, I took some fine sandpaper and went over the insides of the shell to clean up any remnants, made the entrances via a Dremel, and dropped in the tank. The fish immediately started investigating.

Just have a sharp saw blade and be well rested. Coconut shells are a tough nut to crack

 

[BTBarney]

Ate a bunch of coconuts when I lived in Hawaii I'm a Navy Brat!

Thanks for the tip... my work tank is going to get a new housing development as soon as I can get those husks dried.

 

[Neil]

BTBarney,


WELCOME TO THE FORUM

 

[BTBarney]

Thanks Neil!

Met you at the Sacramento mini-convention things last fall, you're a good guy! Robert Shields is my cousin if that helps :lol: Anyways, thanks for the welcome, I hope to post a bit more as I learn about dwarfs.

Ah... name is Bryan Barney too... I forget that my username isn't so descriptive... maybe I should try to get "Bryan"

 

[macarius]

spawning cave ideas

Rick,

When i set up my planted tanks for apisto's, i was lazy and didn't drill any holes in the clay flower pots or saucers. i set the pots on their side and partially buried them in the gravel/peat substrate instead of breaking them in half. In hindsight, not a good idea if you plan on removing the caves to save a spawn, but the pots were nicely camouflaged. i also planted a few things in front of the opening to provide some extra cover for the apisto's. i would recommend that you should consider attaching some moss, fern or anubias to the top of the caves. i didn't do that with all of my caves and those exposed surfaces quickly became home to different algae. With the saucers, i wedged them into the substrate and propped them up with smooth river rocks on the sides. i think just about anything that is inert will work, and will fit into your plant decor if you attach plants to the exposed surfaces. When the tank grows out, you probably won't be able to see the cave at all, which can be another problem. i have found that some apisto's (and cory's) aren't very picky about the setup - i had an agassizii spawn in a crevice of driftwood instead of all the other caves that were available to her in the tank. Good luck.

r