What's okay to use for hiding spots in a tank?

dakota21

Medium Fish
Apr 29, 2004
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#1
Just wondering what's okay to use in a tank for hiding spots for my laoches and catfish? I had a problem with my bogwood, so I'm looking for some other ideas.

Clay pot?
Rocks? what kind?
Is there any type of wood that's okay?

Thanks!
 

kikuchiyo

Large Fish
Apr 28, 2004
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Atlanta, GA
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#2
New clay pots are good.

I can't see rocks being good unless they were kind of catty cornered to make a place that doesn't get much light, unless you were to make a cave out of them.

Plants help, especially in clumps. Floating plants are really good for fish near the top (not your catfish and loaches, though even they might like some of light blocking).

I think the easiest ones would be the clay pots and the clumps of plants (real or plastic).
 

Purple

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Oct 31, 2003
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#3
You could try plastic pipe - cover it with plants to hide the material. There are also quite a few plastic "hollow logs" about of varying shapes and sizes. Large bits of slate propped up against the side etc....
 

TaffyFish

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Jan 30, 2003
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#5
You might be able to find resin caves made to look like driftwood or rockwork at your lfs or online stores. I use one or more pieces of Simlawood / Simlastone in all 4 of my tanks - loaches, catfish, cichlids all love them.

Terracotta pots are fine but they look like plant pots to me, strangely enough. Functional but not very convincing or aesthetically pleasing. Like Purple says above of plastic pipe, you can hide them with plants or by siliconing other rocks and slate to them. Rocks will help to keep plastic pipes down, nothing worse for spooking catfish than finding their cave floating off!
 

Mussa888

Medium Fish
May 7, 2004
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#6
I am using a Terra Cata pot in my 20L tank. I took aquarium sealent and glued small natural gravel all over a 4"pot and burried it half - 3/4 way into my eco-complete. That was a pain, but it looks better. My fish all love it. I then put a few plantes around it and a few infront of it to kind of hide the entrance. Some Jave Moss attached to the top might help get rid if that ugly pot color. Make sure to wash it, I rinsed it over 20 times to make sure there was nothing on it. Hope this helps!!
 

kikuchiyo

Large Fish
Apr 28, 2004
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#9
If I ever get around to doing a natural scape, I should throw the clay pot out, but I don't find the clay pot as jarring as a ceramic mermaid. The pot works in a snap for very useful purposes and the brown color looks okay with my natural colored gravel.
 

dbacksrat

Superstar Fish
Jun 3, 2003
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#11
i use many flat rocks and create caves--they have to be pretty secure--an avalanche would be devastating...what i did was got a whole bunch of rocks from my backyard, piled them up on one side of the tank (with tunnels big enough for my cories and otto to swim through), then placed a big plastic amazon sword at the very top--u know how the base of plastic plants has that big ugly scoop looking thing for the gravel to weigh it down? i just covered that up with a bunch of flat rocks--it looks like a plant is growing straight out of the rock pile
 

Feb 22, 2003
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#13
I have a mermaid and only for one reason.....my sister bought it for me and I didn't want to offend her but it is currently laying on it's side cause one of my plecos knocked it over so the smaller fish and snails are now using it as a cave so it kinda worked out in the end...I do have 2 white plastic plant pots that I use as a hiding spot for my fish...the plecos love hiding in them..I was looking at the pics of the planted tanks and I think I'm gonna do some home renovations for my fish and I think the clay pots go perfectly with the natural look cause honestly if you look in lakes and stuff you will see rocks that are along the same colour....