Caves sizes

[rickylbc]

Is there a link or a thread on sizes of caves that people uses, if not, can we make a thread, maybe? Please note the L number or what kind of pleco, what kind of caves, sizes (Length, width and height). I have all type of caves and I wanna build some also.

[husky_jim]

I personally make all my caves judging by each individual fish.

One general rule for a cave's dimensions is to have Size of male + 1/3 for all (length,wide,height)

Additionally i have to add that i prefer to have various caves sizes for my fish as many times males pick up smaller caves for safety.

[bigward]

Sorry if this has been discussed elsewhere but I have a couple of questions.......

what type of clay do you use (manufacturer) ?
does the clay cave (once constructed) require a blast in an oven

I have 4 L200's and they have no specific caves in their tank - loads of bogwood/ coconuts etc

cheers

[Rohan Richardson]

I feel that twice the width of the male(with fins spread) x 1 and a half his height(with dorsal fin spread) and 1 and a generous half of his total length with tapering is perfection. L200 i thought prefer a long tube(wooden or rock). As for firing that depends entirely on the type of clay(only heard of one that doesn't need firing). Rohan R

[MatsP]

I personally make all my caves judging by each individual fish.

One general rule for a cave's dimensions is to have Size of male + 1/3 for all (length,wide,height)

Additionally i have to add that i prefer to have various caves sizes for my fish as many times males pick up smaller caves for safety.

I would say that the simple formula above is about right.

Giving the male a few choices is definitely right way to go - I couldn't count the number of times I've added a new cave thinking "this will be perfect for ...", and it turns out that that fish prefers some completely different cave, and the new cave is taken up by some other fish (or left empty).

I have caves made from:
plastic pipes [ABS or PVC works well, just make sure it sinks, or you may need to stick it to some weight of some kind]
hollowed out wood [logs, willow or appel, with 25, 32 or 40 mm holes drilled down the middle]
terracotta [broken plant pots or saucers - some I've bought as "hole" ones, others I got for free from the garden-centre as they were already broken].

I have also seen some nice caves made from roofing-slate or ceramic tiles, using aquarium safe silicon to "glue" them together.

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Mats

[Richard B]

I have also seen some nice caves made from roofing-slate or ceramic tiles, using aquarium safe silicon to "glue" them together.

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Mats

Any idea what is the best way to cut slate? (roof tiles, some up to 10mm thick)

[bigward]

Thanks for the ideas, I will sort try to get some roofing tiles over the weekend

As for cutting the slate - my mate has a ceramic cutter which he uses on bathroom tiles - it should do slate a doddle

[MatsP]

Like bigward says, using a diamond wheel cutter is probably best method. The cheap ones at B&Q or ScrewFix cost about £30, and will do a fair bit of cutting without needing a new blade.

Or you can use an angle-grinder - a diamond wheel will be best for lasting long, but for a few cuts, the cheaper cutting disks will do fine. A 115mm disk-size is probably easier to handle than the 230mm size ones - the big ones are great for cutting paving slabs and such, but a bit clunky for thin stuff like slate - quite possible that you break the slate if you aren't holding everything steady etc. Screwfix has a little one for under £15. http://www.screwfix.com/prods/63218/Pow ... inder-230V and about the same price at B&Q for their "unbranded" product. Should be OK for a few cuts of slate tho'.


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Mats

[Barbie]

IME that measurement is going to be a bit too large for successful spawning. You need a cave that the male can trap the females in. If it's wider and taller than the fish itself with his fins outstretched he's going to have trouble with that. I shoot for a cave that is basically just a little shorter than he is with his dorsal erect and slightly narrower than he is with his pectorals locked open. A cave that starts larger than this and tapers works, but is harder to make using slate tiles. Hope this helps ;).

Barbie