Cave building???

[POLARBEAR0871]

I have a very nice catfish in a 55G tank I have caves for it that I bought online but its simply out gown the biggest one which is about 6 inches deep. So now I kind of want to build my own own cave for it. Is there any kind of rocks that would look natural for a cave???

 

[azmodan]

I have a very nice catfish in a 55G tank I have caves for it that I bought online but its simply out gown the biggest one which is about 6 inches deep. So now I kind of want to build my own own cave for it. Is there any kind of rocks that would look natural for a cave???

Slate would work.

 

[Abiduwhabi]

Slate is a good choice. I actually use some Texas Holley rock in my 55 gallon that I like pretty good.

 

[POLARBEAR0871]

I looked up Texas holey rock and it wouldn't fit an 8 inch catfish in it haha slate is actually good because I have slate outside in my yard around a pond I actually think there's some in the pond

 

[Mcgolg76]

Interested in cave building too. Would slade from like Home Depot work. Do u have to clean a certain way. Is there a certain type of glue to use?

 

[FallenRedeemer]

The slate pieces from Home Depot and lowes work. And to hold it together you can just use silicone. Just break the big piece of slate up with a hammer and silicone them together. Let it sit and dry for 24-48 hours and it's ready to go. I have built 2 caves this way.

 

[Mcgolg76]

So any old silicone will be ok? Any additives that some brands use that i should avoid?

 

[T1KARMANN]

All depending how big you want it but the plastic egg create is great

You make a cave out of it then stick rocks to it

The salt water guys use it all the time to stop reefs falling down

http://bit.ly/10RFKhW

 

[FallenRedeemer]

You have to use 100% silicone. Make sure there are no mold inhibitors or anything like that. I believe that the kind you looking for is GE type 2 or 3. Someone should be able to confirm which one. I personally just buy the little tube from petsmart.

 

[POLARBEAR0871]

So you can buy silicone from anywhere?? I'm 16 and don't know anything about building caves

 

[FallenRedeemer]

Lowes and Home Depot. But it you want to make sure you get the right stuff they carry some at petsmart and petco. I would suggest getting it there to make sure it's the right stuff

 

[POLARBEAR0871]

I made a cave but I didn't use silicone because the slate is super heavy and I have a bunch of big pieces since its an 8inch catfish here's the finished product

 

[Tieberion]

Slate works really well. double check on the silicone if you use that, I thought it was type one. I used super glue to build some rock formations for my Cichlids w/o an issue also.

 

[POLARBEAR0871]

I was thinking about super glue but then I was like nooo i don't know if it would kill my fish so now that I know it won't ill probably make some more caves because I want to get a clown knife again i know they get too big for the tank but they grow really slow from my experience with them and plus I buy them small so they fit comfortably in the tank

 

[johnny leftist]

Silicone is your best but but oddly enough superglue is a lot safer than most liquid adhesives out there provided it's fully dried. I've used it to attach LEDs to tank walls for complicated lighting setups

 

[POLARBEAR0871]

Hm I just learned something new again haha well I'll remember that if I build a small cave

 

[Tieberion]

Just remember Superglue adheres to skin better than any tank substrate when your working with it -

 

[POLARBEAR0871]

Haha I'll make sure I wear latex hahaha

 

[johnny leftist]

Use either powder free latex or plastic gloves...pretty sure if glove powder got stuck in the glue on your finished product it wouldn't be good for the tank

 

[Sillyfishies]

Silicone is your best but but oddly enough superglue is a lot safer than most liquid adhesives out there provided it's fully dried. I've used it to attach LEDs to tank walls for complicated lighting setups

It doesn't need to be dried at all. Water will help it cure faster.