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Floating cave?

12K views 14 replies 10 participants last post by  john birm 
#1 ·
Earlier today I got the weirdest idea. Make a floating cave/nest/hideaway. I got an image of a sphere woven together from stiff reeds or long, thin branches, with some sort of plant woven among it to give it a more natural look. Something like hornwort or anachris. It would have multiple openings, so no one gets cornered in there if some other fish decides to be a trouble maker. Depending on the material used, it would either be anchored from below or tied to something above, to keep it at a certain level.

I was wondering what I could use to make this? I need something that won't rot, like most branches, and something that won't rust, or give off chemicals in the water. Ideas? Comments? Suggestions?

This is probably going to end up being frustrating, but I want to try it out. Now I'm just spoiling the fish.

Here's a concept picture.

 
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#3 ·
Of course! *slaps forehead* Why didn't I think of that? It's late. I shouldn't even be up, I need to get up earlier tomorrow.

I will FORCE it to float. I was thinking that if it was a floating material, I could tie it to some fishing line attached to an anchor. And if it was heavy enough to sink, I'd do the opposite, so it would hang from the hood area by the string. Although depending on where I put it and how much it shows up, the fishing line could look tacky...
 
#4 ·
I had an idea for your floating cave!!!
What If you got high dense styrofoam and because its so floatable, you might be able to get away with siliconing it with gravel, probably not much but still possible. Not as natural a look but i'm not sure.As for anchors, you could definitely use suction cups for them. I'll certainly have a look around at the hardware store tommorrow for anything like this besides coconuts, as they seem to sink fairly easy... (remember the coconut caves???)

Anyways, hope you find something to share with us, as this is quite an interesting concept...
 
#5 ·
ok so i think i got the right idea about this. had to sleep on it lol. You could get the coconut and cut it in half right... get the styrofoam and make a cave like shape out of it right???... then you just silicone on the coconut shell, and, PRESTO! your floating cave!

I'll go to the hardware shop today and look for the right products, and see if this is do-able...
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the ideas, everyone. This is what I modeled the idea after, and you can see why the project would be such a pain.



And I worded the original idea wrong, I think the word 'suspended' more describes what I pictured. I wanted it to be stationary, like around mid-level of the tank. If the material were too heavy, I would "hang it" from the hood of the tank, like hanging a lamp from the ceiling. If it were a very buoyant material, then I'd have it anchored so it wouldn't be bobbing around the surface of the water.
 
#12 ·
I don't have a suspended cave per se in my tank, but I did make a small fry refuge out of blue foam insulation (not styrofoam) and plastic screen (the kind to fix a hole in a screen). It's not the most attractive thing, put the small fish like to hide in there and are nearer to the light (and warmth). Over time, some of my Java Moss has attached itself to my structure, along with a little algae. I even have a couple small pieces of Hornwort growing in there.

Maybe you could use similar materials and attach some plants to it to hide the plastic screen? My structure is loosely attached to the side of the tank with a twist tie. It floats (mostly in one place) and seems to make the fish very happy.

I can try to post some pictures if people are interested. Also, that plastic canvas some of us used to make crafts as kids works well in tanks too.
 
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