Making a DIY Breeding Cave for my ancistrus

[migdem]

I want to make something similar to this but I could not find anything on the web except to buy them so I thought someone here knows how are they built.



I was going to make them from tiles and will use silicone.

What size should I use? Is 15cm Lenght, 3.5cm Width and 2.5cm Height good for their breeding cave?

[MatsP]

Bristlenoses appear to be very unsophisticated when it comes to "suitable cave". Mine have bred in caves made from a piece of slate laying on gravel (Warren (the bristlenose male) dug a cave himself), Bamboo pipe, plastic pipe, drilled hole in wood, terracotta saucer and probably a couple of others that I can't think of right now.

But yes, you can build your own caves like the ones in the picture fairly easily. Just cut four sides and a back-piece, stick together with aquarium silicon, leave to cure and put in the tank. Make the rough side on the inside.

--
Mats

[migdem]

OK great thanks.

What about sizes are those good?

15cm length
3.5cm Width
2.5cm Height

[dbosman]

As long as you're making your own, make a few that are larger, just in case your fish don't know what they are suppose to like.

If you make the bottom out of glass you'll be able to peek as needed.
Plastic for the same purpose will probably peal off at exactly the wrong moment.

[migdem]

If I tilt the cave whilst the eggs are with the male it could be that the male will get frustrated and kick them out or not?

[MatsP]

Depends on the size of the fish, but generally smaller than you think. Make some smaller, some larger and some "in the middle", and let the fish choose!

--
Mats

[migdem]

ok thank you

[migdem]

Can I use any floor tiles or they could leach some chemicals in the water?

[apistomaster]

I buy cheap ceramic floor tiles and use which ever stone finished tile happens to be on sale.
I do not know of any reason why they could be toxic. They are created in extremely hot furnaces until the clay and coloring vitrifies.

[twisted_fisher]

i personally have made these nice little caves outta 1/2 of a crystal light container a small piece of glass and some gravel to cover them.

down the road i want to get some "Through the bottom" pics of my male bristle nose while he tends eggs for a day by day account of the entire process

problem is now i need a metal stand so i can get under the tank to place the tripod

[apistomaster]

Twisted,
Interesting design. I have made a few PVC pipe caves coated both inside and outside with a thin layer of epoxy then rolled in play or pool filter sand. Loose sand then falls off after the epoxy has cured and those look nice. Hope they work well so you can take photos from a rather unique perspective.
Some Loricariidae do not mind smooth interiors and some prefer a textured interior but this depends not only on the species involved but also on individual fishes preferences.

I usually use epoxy on plastics as I get a stronger bond than that of silicone sealant but the fit between pieces needs to be very good. I do use silicone sealant on the rectangular ceramic tile caves. Silicone sealant allows for filling in any unevenly cut pieces which can make up for the relative lack of bond strength.

"Barbara Odgers" <Barbara Odgers <2bo@embarqmail.com>>, made my last batch of 16 caves out of fired clay.
She will make them to your specifications and Discus spawning cones, too.
It was still too cold for me to want to cut ceramic floor tiles over at my buddy's work shop. He owns a rock, gem and jewelry shop but his water lubricated rock saws spray ice cold water on me which I did not feel like dealing with in February.