Hello friends,
While going through the excellent methods mentioned on this site and elsewhere on the Internet for making caves, I got inspired to try and make one from a restaurant carton.
Yes…those circular boxes that restaurants parcel food in to take home, which normally go on collecting in your kitchen drawers till someone gets the bright idea of disposing them…
So here goes…
1. Select a plastic restaurant carton from that kitchen drawer.
You can also use any other round plastic carton, but make sure it is food grade plastic. According to the various articles on the Internet, food grade plastic does not leach dangerous chemicals into the water.
It should be preferably transparent, because you don’t know if the colour of the carton is fish-safe.
Make sure it is of adequate thickness to withstand the weight of the gravel stuck on its walls and top.
Also use one that has been through numerous washes. You may have relished that chicken curry that you brought in it, your fish won’t…
2. Rinse and soak it in hot water (to remove any detergent, soap) for a day. Hot, but not boiling hot water that may melt the plastic.
3. Dry it completely. Otherwise the silicone sealant won’t stick.
4. With a scissors, blade, axe, sword, teeth
: etc. cut a ‘door’ in the carton. Make it large enough for your fish to go through. If you feel the edge is too sharp, you may blunt it with a nail file or sandpaper.
5. Use an old blade to cover the entire outer surface with as many scratches as possible, especially near the edges. This will roughen the surface and the sealant will stick better.
6. Now comes the slow process of sticking the gravel on it. If you have fine gravel, it’ll go faster. Just ‘paint’ the sealant on the outer surface of the ‘cave’ and sprinkle the gravel on it.
I used small pebbles as I thought it looks better. For this, take each small pebble, dab a drop of silicone on the pebble and stick it on the wall.
I would suggest starting with the doorway and working your way around the vertical walls and doing the roof last. Overlap the edges of the doorway with pebbles so that the cut edges of the carton are not seen and also to prevent the fishes from getting injured by the edges.
I would also suggest checking to see which size and colour of pebble would look and fit best in the chosen place on the wall. This extra effort will give you a better end result and not leave any unsightly gaps where the wall of the carton would show through. If any gaps remain at the end, you can always stick another small pebble in the gap.
It takes some time to judge how much silicone to dab the pebble with, without it being too much or too less. But don’t worry, being a member of Aquaria Central already certifies you as having above-average intelligence, you’ll figure it out soon enough!
7. After the job is completed, dry the cave for a good 48 hours for the silicone sealant to completely cure (time taken for silicone to polymerise into rubber).
For the academic minded, I found out on the Internet that it takes 24 hours for a 1/8 inch diameter bead of silicone to cure at 77° F and 50% relative humidity. As if knowing that was going to help in anyway…
8. With a blade, carve away the unsightly extra bits of silicone on the surface of the pebbles. Do not carve out the silicone in the gaps between the pebbles as that may loosen and dislodge the pebbles.
9. Soak and rinse the cave in de-chlorinated water for few hours and you’re ready!
10. Now keep it on your table and force all your family members, neighbours, friends and enemies to come and admire it and compliment you on your great effort. :woot:
Finally, keep it in your aquarium and let your fish discover their new home/ shelter
Hint. You can also create two openings opposite each other to create a tunnel. Only, you must remember to tie a strong string, rubber band or a plastic tie around its rim and across the diameter of the rim as shown below. The weight of the gravel/ pebbles on the top and sides of the cave can be considerable and can cause the walls of the cave to sag and collapse. On your poor fish…
All feedback welcome…
Cheers! :cheers:
aquamate
While going through the excellent methods mentioned on this site and elsewhere on the Internet for making caves, I got inspired to try and make one from a restaurant carton.
Yes…those circular boxes that restaurants parcel food in to take home, which normally go on collecting in your kitchen drawers till someone gets the bright idea of disposing them…
So here goes…
1. Select a plastic restaurant carton from that kitchen drawer.
You can also use any other round plastic carton, but make sure it is food grade plastic. According to the various articles on the Internet, food grade plastic does not leach dangerous chemicals into the water.
It should be preferably transparent, because you don’t know if the colour of the carton is fish-safe.
Make sure it is of adequate thickness to withstand the weight of the gravel stuck on its walls and top.
Also use one that has been through numerous washes. You may have relished that chicken curry that you brought in it, your fish won’t…
2. Rinse and soak it in hot water (to remove any detergent, soap) for a day. Hot, but not boiling hot water that may melt the plastic.
3. Dry it completely. Otherwise the silicone sealant won’t stick.
4. With a scissors, blade, axe, sword, teeth
: etc. cut a ‘door’ in the carton. Make it large enough for your fish to go through. If you feel the edge is too sharp, you may blunt it with a nail file or sandpaper.
5. Use an old blade to cover the entire outer surface with as many scratches as possible, especially near the edges. This will roughen the surface and the sealant will stick better.
6. Now comes the slow process of sticking the gravel on it. If you have fine gravel, it’ll go faster. Just ‘paint’ the sealant on the outer surface of the ‘cave’ and sprinkle the gravel on it.
I used small pebbles as I thought it looks better. For this, take each small pebble, dab a drop of silicone on the pebble and stick it on the wall.
I would suggest starting with the doorway and working your way around the vertical walls and doing the roof last. Overlap the edges of the doorway with pebbles so that the cut edges of the carton are not seen and also to prevent the fishes from getting injured by the edges.
I would also suggest checking to see which size and colour of pebble would look and fit best in the chosen place on the wall. This extra effort will give you a better end result and not leave any unsightly gaps where the wall of the carton would show through. If any gaps remain at the end, you can always stick another small pebble in the gap.
It takes some time to judge how much silicone to dab the pebble with, without it being too much or too less. But don’t worry, being a member of Aquaria Central already certifies you as having above-average intelligence, you’ll figure it out soon enough!
7. After the job is completed, dry the cave for a good 48 hours for the silicone sealant to completely cure (time taken for silicone to polymerise into rubber).
For the academic minded, I found out on the Internet that it takes 24 hours for a 1/8 inch diameter bead of silicone to cure at 77° F and 50% relative humidity. As if knowing that was going to help in anyway…
8. With a blade, carve away the unsightly extra bits of silicone on the surface of the pebbles. Do not carve out the silicone in the gaps between the pebbles as that may loosen and dislodge the pebbles.
9. Soak and rinse the cave in de-chlorinated water for few hours and you’re ready!
10. Now keep it on your table and force all your family members, neighbours, friends and enemies to come and admire it and compliment you on your great effort. :woot:
Finally, keep it in your aquarium and let your fish discover their new home/ shelter
Hint. You can also create two openings opposite each other to create a tunnel. Only, you must remember to tie a strong string, rubber band or a plastic tie around its rim and across the diameter of the rim as shown below. The weight of the gravel/ pebbles on the top and sides of the cave can be considerable and can cause the walls of the cave to sag and collapse. On your poor fish…
All feedback welcome…
Cheers! :cheers:
aquamate
