caves

Question
Hello again. Thanks for fish list. I am STILL working on setting up aquarium. I have been shopping around to find and get the best price on decor and arranging it just right before adding the water. I have a piece of wood,  several fake plants and a small rock. I am looking for a less expensive alternative than the pre-made "cave" decor, and have read conflicting info about using coconut shells or clay flower pots. In your experience, do the crab house coconut shells color water too much and are the openings too sharp? Do the pots cause the water to get harder? I have very hard water and wouldn't care if coconut shells
acidify but I sure don't want to make it harder or more alkaline. I didn't think pvc water pipe had a big enough opening. Some sources say these alternatives are fine. What do you use? Thanks for you help!

Answer
Hi Suz!

From what I learned both clay flower pots and coconut shells are just fine for aquariums. If you are starting with a whole coconut you can break it in half with a hammer but you must boil it several times to get the tannins out much like with driftwood. Coconut shells should make an ideal habitat for whatever fish species you are planning to keep, they are especially good for spawning cichlids. It shouldn't make your water harder though. More than likely it may soften it a bit. My concern is if the coconut shell will stain your aquarium water from it's natural tannins. You might want to try boiling it first a few times to help bleach them out. If your skin is scraped a little when you run your hand or finger through the openings in the coconut shell then it might be too sharp for your fish.

Clay flower pots, fresh and un-used from the garden store will make the perfect caves for your fish. Just remember not to get any with glazes, paint, ect. for obvious reasons.
Pots shouldn't make the water harder either.

All in all, pots and coconut shells are used widely by many, many fish breeders and should be very safe for your aquarium and make an ideal habitat for whatever cave-loving fish you want to keep!

Remember as always. if you have anymore questions or need more info, just email me again! I am more than happy to help!

Best of luck with your new aquarium!

Happy fishkeeping!
Karen~