DIY Cichlid Rock

In the wild, many species of African and Asian cichlids spend a majority of their time in caves. Many of these species use rocks and caves as spawning areas and as places to raise their young. When you keep cichlids in the home aquarium, recreating their natural environment to the fullest extent possible allows you to witness all of these fascinating behaviors.

Things You'll Need

  • Flat rocks
  • Round rocks
  • Bucket
  • Aquarium sealant
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Instructions

    • 1

      Gather an assortment of flat rocks and round rocks of various sizes. Wash the rocks in a bucket of hot water to remove any excess dirt. The size of the caves and the number of caves depends on the size of your tank and the size of your cichlids. A dwarf species like a kribensis can be happy in a cave only a few inches wide, while larger species like Oscars would need a much larger cave, perhaps as much as a foot square. Choose appropriately sized rocks as the base of your cave. This reduces the number of total rocks you need to complete the project.

    • 2

      Place one of the flat rocks on a stable surface and place another rock at each end. Place a small dab of aquarium sealant at each end of the flat rock and press the other rocks to the flat rock to seal them together. Allow the sealant to dry before proceeding. You should now have an open-ended structure, with a flat rock at the top and bottom and two other rocks forming the sides.

    • 3

      Apply a small amount of the aquarium sealant to the top of the rocks on the flat rock. Place another flat rock on top and press it down tightly to seal it.

    • 4

      Continue adding rocks until you have a fully formed cave. If you wish to leave the cave open-ended you can do so, using the back of the aquarium to form the fourth "wall" of the cave. It is also a good idea to place the rocks in the configuration you plan to use before gluing them together. If you prefer, you can also simply place the rocks against one another to form free-standing caves.

    • 5

      Place the rock cave against the back of the aquarium to provide a cave for your cichlids. If you prefer you can place another rock on the back of the existing rocks to create a full three-sided cave.