# Caves for Apisto tank



## summerboy1958 (Dec 23, 2011)

I've been working my 30 gallon tank towards an Apisto environment. I'm planning on a trio of A. cacatuoides (if I can find a place to buy them). I've got the plants growing, the water stable and my dithers swimming (silver tip tetras). I've got my soaked branches in there as well as some rocks. I'm waiting another couple of weeks to make sure everything is stable.

It seems the only thing I am missing is some caves. I understand that Apistos really like them. I am struggling with what to make them out of. I've seen coconut shells, but they probably would be too big. And clay pots just don't seem right. I guess if I were trying to replicate the Mississippi instead of the Amazon, I could just chuck a couple of empty beer cans in there.... :lol:

Anyone got any ideas?


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

Get some rocks from your LFS and stack them together to make caves, or just use terra cotta pots; they work very well for breeding.


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## regani (Feb 13, 2011)

you can use flatish pieces of driftwood with some nooks and crannies, if the substrate is sand or fine gravel the females will dig out caves to their liking.

if you use small terracotta pots, pipes, cocnut shells or similar and you don't like their looks, you can hide them under pieces of driftwood, some leaves (e.g. dried oak leaves), or you can attach plants like anubias or mosses to them (can use fishing line to tie or superglue)


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

I used pcv. I cut roughly 4" pieces and burrow them in the substrate so only one end is sticking out. Cheap and they are not that noticeable if you aqauscape well.

Also use terra cota and Cichlid stones, but they are more expensive.


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## asherah (Jan 12, 2012)

My apistos love their cichlid stone caves.


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## summerboy1958 (Dec 23, 2011)

ahud said:


> I used pcv. I cut roughly 4" pieces and burrow them in the substrate so only one end is sticking out. Cheap and they are not that noticeable if you aqauscape well.
> 
> Also use terra cota and Cichlid stones, but they are more expensive.


AHUD, what diameter PVC did you use? And "Go Gamecocks!!"


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

LOL, I'll use the famous gamecock saying "wait until next year".

1/2" pvc. As of yesterday I have one female tending free swimmers and five females tending eggs. They chose the pvc over cichlid stones. IME apistos like a tight fit.


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

They really like the 'cichlid stones'. They're fake rocks with a cave cut out on one side. They look realistic and they're very space-economical caves. The fish also prefer them.


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

I just like the pvc caves because you can make a ton of them for very cheap, just buy a section of 1/2" pvc and cut them down.

I have heard of people using silicone to attatch substrate to the pipe to make it blend in, but I never take the time to do it.

That said, I like cichlid stones as well, but they usually run around $3 each and im cheap.


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## asherah (Jan 12, 2012)

I don't think pvc looks very good, but it is your tank so do as you wish =)


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## aquariam (Feb 11, 2010)

Ya no offense but I don't like the look of PVC either. The cichlid stone thing is a better route IMO because you can face them away from you and they just look like a rock and blend in.


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

See I feel the opposite,

The cichlid stones do not look real at all, so they stand out IMO. I do like them because with cave spawning cichlids you can remove the female and fry if needed by just picking up the rock.

I can hide the PVC pretty well, only about 1" is exposed, the rest of the cave is under sand. So I just put them in spots with thick cover, near plants, under driftwood, beside a rock, ect. I'll see if I can get around to posting a pic and we will see if you guys can see them lol.


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## Sparrk (Oct 11, 2010)

mine love cichlids stones, I got some decorations too, as you can see the skull, they like those too!


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## BelieveInBlue (Jul 17, 2011)

I use terra cotta pots and PVC pipes for spawning, since all I care about is the eggs and fry, not how the tanks look. For display though, I use rocks (real ones) and driftwood to create caves and hiding spots.


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## Chromedome52 (Jul 25, 2009)

In the wild most of these species spawn on the underside of leaves, so just put down a layer of leaf litter if you want to match their habitat. I have seen this done using Oak leaves or Almond leaves. I would only do this for those species that absolutely require very soft, very acid conditions. This isn't as many species as most people seem to think.

I always found that my Apistos would choose a coconut shell over a flowerpot. For a larger species such as _cacatuoides_, they are a perfect size. Just bury it down into the gravel a bit, and don't put too big a hole in it, the female will dig out the inside to suit her needs. Many species' females don't want the male inside; believe it or not, he can actually do his "job" from the outside.

PVC is fine for a breeding setup, in a display tank I actually like the look of a coconut shell. If you don't like the coconut, use driftwood piled so that they can dig their own caves underneath it. Rocks really are unnatural for Apistos, they are just adapting and using whatever hole they can find.


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## ahud (Aug 22, 2009)

I have tried leaf litter in the past, I like it, but it's really tough to keep clean and view the fish. With so many places to hide the fish do not have to come into view often. Perfect setup for those harder to breed apistos though, I think they feel a lot more comfortable.

Never used coconut shells.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

I used to use the little clay pots a lot of aquarium plants are sold in. But a lot of the time my females preferred digging out caves under driftwood, usually mopani root wood.

You can see a half buried pot at the back of the tank.









Female in pot.









I also use agricultural piping in my tanks. It floats and provides a distressed or harassed fish some where to hide. I know it doesn't look pretty, but it works, and if you want to take a photo of your tank, just take it out for a short period. You can use anything from half inch to two inch diameter.


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## DeadFishFloating (Oct 9, 2007)

one final point. I'm not a fan of rock piles for dwarf cichlids that dig caves to spawn in. I lost a rather expensive female pelvicachromis taeniatus "dehane" and her clutch of eggs when her dug out cave collapsed on her over night.


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