Coconut shells

At Halloween I managed to save two halves of a coconut shell. I dropped one in each of my tanks and my Bristlenoses have shown great interest in them. I have noticed both the male and female in them at different times but so far haven't managed to get any photos. Anybody else use them as caves?

There's a topic HERE that mentions the use of coconut shells.

I have them in all my tanks.

I always boil and pre soak all coconut shells before dropping them in the tank as you get severeb leaching from them that can turn the tank water brown, as well as do other things to the water which some people are un aware of....

I always boil for 2 hours in water, then strain water off, boild again for another 2 hours then restrain then boil again....
leave to cool down....

I then add to the tank the next day with a water change....

some people shave or file the coconut off to ensure it is smooth, I prefer to leave it as it is or just make a door,
or cave entrance in it to aid the fish breeding...

good luck....

wolverine wrote:

I always boil and pre soak all coconut shells before dropping them in the tank as you get severeb leaching from them that can turn the tank water brown, as well as do other things to the water which some people are un aware of....

Well the water hasn't turned brown not that I'd mind that but what other things can a coconut shell do to your water?

tannins and any decaying matter... can polllute the water..

though we do not usually have to worry too much about them as these are often removed before hand...
depending on the coconut bought etc......

some coconuts can be full of tannins and as such can stain the water terrible-
if i do not boil them I would tend to pre soak them for a week or two before adding to the
tank as this should help much of the tannin to leach out before adding to the water..

a useful guide was posted above or try...

http://www.petfish.net/articles/Do-It-Yourself/diy_coconut_caves.php

this gives a basic guide....

you can get some good deals from the grocery store or pet food store if you buy those filled with nuts and fat
that you hang upside down and let the birds eat out. they are sometimes pre washed and soaked so can save you some time too...

my coconut caves / shells are currently habited by my L071 peppermint pleco's and they love it to hide inside...

good luck

lj

Hmm okay I'll take them out and boil them. thanks

you may be ok.... some shells are pre washed and soaked....

some do not stain the water too much, and some can take a day or two to start to leach.... others may leach terrible...

some people boil in a pan just for 10-20 minutes to ensure they are sterile and to speed up the leaching effect...
usually this way you get quite abit of tannin leached out fairly quickly and will turn the boiled water light or dark brown......

I only boil for so long to ensure that all the brown tannin leaching is speeded up ten fold....

choice is purely down to the aquarist.... and if you can afford the gas or electric bill for boiling ...lol

the easy way would be to boil for 20 minutes then pre soak them in a bucket of water for 4-6 weeks,
but that way takes ages....lol....

I have used Coconut shells and slate caves. I would say at present out of all my Plecos inc bristlenoses its 50/50 as to which they prefer to hide in. Although i have to say the female BN prefers the Coconut because i think she can camoflauge better to its colour. I have always soaked my shells for 2 or 3 days then dried them out, and re-soaked them for a further couple of days and never had any problems with leaching etc. But then again i may have been lucky. As a rule i always try to soak new items in old tank water for a min of 48hrs just in case.