Finally got my coconut shells done, most of the tannis out after boiling them a couple of times.
Who knew coconut shells were THAT hard. Elbow grease, a saw and lots of patience and you end up with this.
Next step is to moss'em and put in other tanks (I just dunked them in my cycling tank for now).
Neat! That will look pretty cool.
It reminds me of that type of octopus that carries aorund coconut shells as protection.
They look great. You did a very neat job!
They look good but drill holes into the top so air won't get trapped (https://www.ovas.ca/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg.tapatalk.com%2F461aa00a-18eb-c140.jpg&hash=a9b2654b8992dc428ac4d749b2616bb8c9277f7c)
I wondered about that but decided not to. There's no air now since I put them in the tank and I'm using a canister filter so there's no real "bubbles" coming into the tank... unless one of my fish has "gas" (dutch over LOL)
I do wonder about water movement though, the entrance hole is not too big so I don't know if the water would become still in there or not...
The reason why I wouldn't drill a hole on top would be because of the light entering the cave, maybe the fish wouldn't like the cave since it wouldn't be completely dark.
This calls for experimentation I think :)
Fair enough! It will definitely be cool to see them rush in and out of their homes. My convicts love the shells I provided for them :P
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Moss'em and Toss'em
Here's what two of the huts now look like with Java Moss attached to it. I used super glue and it worked good. Problem is glue turns white in some spots when it cures and the LEDs on the tank just make the white pop... It'll only be an issue until the moss grows up a bit and hides the glue.
I think they turned out well, what do you guys thing?
Wow, they look great. I think your fish won't be able to resist them :)
Really well done IMO
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Quote from: bizfromqc on February 16, 2012, 11:02:17 PM
Moss'em and Toss'em
Here's what two of the huts now look like with Java Moss attached to it. I used super glue and it worked good. Problem is glue turns white in some spots when it cures and the LEDs on the tank just make the white pop... It'll only be an issue until the moss grows up a bit and hides the glue.
I think they turned out well, what do you guys thing?
Woah! The java moss really pops under the LEDs! Nice looking huts!
Quote from: daworldisblack on February 16, 2012, 11:48:05 PM
Woah! The java moss really pops under the LEDs! Nice looking huts!
Thanks for the comments everyone!
Rah, that moss came from your tank BTW ;)
Quote from: bizfromqc on February 17, 2012, 09:37:06 AM
Thanks for the comments everyone!
Rah, that moss came from your tank BTW ;)
I need me some LEDs!
MOPS still has them on sale, It's now or never ;)
Quote from: bizfromqc on February 17, 2012, 10:16:19 AM
MOPS still has them on sale, It's now or never ;)
You're an enabler! :p
Quote from: bizfromqc on February 16, 2012, 11:02:17 PM
I think they turned out well, what do you guys thing?
VERY well! What a great project.
Well after some hard work and some helpful hints I decided to try this myself, Thanks Bizfromqc
Quote from: Sandy on February 17, 2012, 05:38:21 PM
Well after some hard work and some helpful hints I decided to try this myself, Thanks Bizfromqc
Looking good! Huts are popping up everywhere! Now all you need is Java Moss! Let me know if you need some ;)
I just tuned into this (too much to do, so little time)...... Where do you get the shells, and how do you prepare them before you attach the moss??? Sorry. I missed the original thread but I'm tired of the look of PVC pipe as a stand in for ceramic caves (way too expensive) and log caves (can't find good ones). Cheers. G
I claim being the founder of this craze!!! ;P buy two coconuts from a grocery store. Hammer them in half, or use a hack saw. Remove the fruit and boil the shell till the tannis is all out. From the looks of the pictures posted people are cutting them length wise. Personally mine are cut through the middle.
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Quote from: bettabreeder on February 17, 2012, 08:47:05 PM
I claim being the founder of this craze!!! ;P buy two coconuts from a grocery store. Hammer them in half, or use a hack saw. Remove the fruit and boil the shell till the tannis is all out. From the looks of the pictures posted people are cutting them length wise. Personally mine are cut through the middle.
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+1.
Elbow grease and patience, that's all it takes :)
You forgot a step, you need to eat all of the coconut meat :D.
Good looking coconuts for sure!
Quote from: Sandy on February 17, 2012, 05:38:21 PM
Well after some hard work and some helpful hints I decided to try this myself, Thanks Bizfromqc
Good looking huts :)
They all look great. good job Sandy and Biz. They should make your fish happy!
I made two of these a few years ago, and I cut mine through the middle as well. They darken with age and blend in very nicely.
Quote from: bettabreeder on February 17, 2012, 08:47:05 PM
I claim being the founder of this craze!!! ;P buy two coconuts from a grocery store. Hammer them in half, or use a hack saw. Remove the fruit and boil the shell till the tannis is all out. From the looks of the pictures posted people are cutting them length wise. Personally mine are cut through the middle.
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You say 'boil 'till the tannins are all out'. Other than darkening the water, what is the problem with the tannins?
I haven't researched into it that much but I just prefer a crystal clear tank versus a slightly tinted tank.
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Quote from: wolfiewill on February 18, 2012, 11:37:20 AM
You say 'boil 'till the tannins are all out'. Other than darkening the water, what is the problem with the tannins?
Tannins or tannic acid can lower the PH in your tank, something you may or may not want in your tank. Some species of SA dward cichlids thrive in a lower PH (acidic side) and sometimes people leave driftwood, bogwood, cococut, oak/almond leaves, alder cones, etc to leach in their tank. Result is lower PH and tinted water (black water i.e tea coloured)
At least, that's my understanding of it.
I found this
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/2296-Tannins-effects-on-fish-specific-acids
On top of tannins being potentially toxic you never know what chemicals the companies such as dole, del monte etc are applying to the coconuts to ensure travel from tropical regions to here. I've worked 4 years in a produce department and seen my fair share of rot on foods so just as a preventative measure I boil the coconut shells. Just my opinion though.
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I bought the coconut about 10 years before I actually used it ;D I had planned on making a coconut shell cave, and then never got around to using it. It sat in a basket on top of the fridge for 10 years. By the time I cut it in half, all of the meat had dried out! I guess I am admitting to being a procrastinator ;D
Quote from: bettabreeder on February 18, 2012, 12:16:25 PM
I found this
http://www.barrreport.com/showthread.php/2296-Tannins-effects-on-fish-specific-acids
On top of tannins being potentially toxic you never know what chemicals the companies such as dole, del monte etc are applying to the coconuts to ensure travel from tropical regions to here. I've worked 4 years in a produce department and seen my fair share of rot on foods so just as a preventative measure I boil the coconut shells. Just my opinion though.
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I boiled my huts about 5 times between 20 and 30 minutes each time. The fifth time, the water had the slightest tinge to it, but nothing to write home about. I'm pretty confident about having them in my tank now but you're right, I'd never just drop a coconut without having boiled it.
I do plan on eventually using alder cones and/or almond leaves when I try my hand at other apistos. Interesting info nonetheless.