Cave dimentions

[ramblin man]

Is there a general 'rule' when thinking about cave sizes, e.g - 1.5 as long as the fish (for length) x once as long (for width of cave)?

I'm gonna be getting a small/mid size pleco, not sure which number yet, but will be around the 4-8 inch mark.

Any other things to remember about caves, except making sure the build quality is sound?

[MatsP]

Is there a general 'rule' when thinking about cave sizes, e.g - 1.5 as long as the fish (for length) x once as long (for width of cave)?

I'm gonna be getting a small/mid size pl*co, not sure which number yet, but will be around the 4-8 inch mark.

Any other things to remember about caves, except making sure the build quality is sound?

Depends on what you want the cave for, as well as other things.

For breeding caves, they should be a "snug fit" around the male, and long enough that the male and female can fit in at the same time (with some overlap, so not necessarily 2x the length).

For general hiding places, something that naturally creates multiple size crevices, like a pile of rocks or a few bits of bogwood will be just as good.

Different species will have different "special requirements" too.

My bristlenose dug it's own cave for breeding space under a piece of slate. Dug out a big handfull of gravel to make it the right size.

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Mats

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Mats

[ramblin man]

Cheers Mat. Was half expecting the reply about depending on species, though hadn't thought about size with regard to use.

It will only be for somewhere for the pleco to hide; not in to breeding at the mo (need a bigger house!) Think what I'm gonna do is make a few sizes, put them in and see which one (s)he likes the most.

BTW, I'm looking to get either L66 or L333.

[kev]

if it's not for breeding then dont worry to much about size's, just make sure if you get a few 333's or 66's then have enough cave's for them to stay out of each other's way. i have 10 L333's and boy they kick off when they want.

Kev