Where To Get Big Caves?

[Forsaken77]

I'm looking for either big rock/coral caves for fish to hide, or those fake coral caves. I can't seem to find anything big enough. They're mostly for smaller fish.

If anybody has any DIY options, I'd love to hear about them and see any pics if possible.

 

[Billldg]

I found that the only way to have caves is to build them yourself in the rock structure, I built a cove and a cave in my tank with Caribsea life rock, it can be tricky sometimes, but the only way you will get what you want is to build it yourself.

 

[hdsoftail1065]

BRS has some really good videos on aquascaping and you can find some good stuff here too: https://www.reef2reef.com/forums/aquascape-discussion.1028/

 

[Forsaken77]

I saw a pic of someone's tank on here the other day and they had a few completely round caves (half circles) and it was one of those ones that had very small, almost drawn-on, pieces of coral with a little texture.

I know I can build some out of rocks, but I wanted a complete enclosure with a big opening.

I know someone on here knows because I saw it in your tank, lol.

 

[Mikin8tor]

I'm looking for either big rock/coral caves for fish to hide, or those fake coral caves. I can't seem to find anything big enough. They're mostly for smaller fish.

If anybody has any DIY options, I'd love to hear about them and see any pics if possible.

I've been fantasizing about doing a big "Multi-Zone" tank, that would include a big "cave" zone. The idea is to build a structure into the tank using plastic (3D Print?) and rocks. This structure would provide a shallow "back-reef" zone that would look and work like a frag tank. On the mid-tank side of this shelf is a slightly built-up "reef crest" zone, where I'd try to create breaking waves. The waves should break on the crest and swash across the back-reef. After the reef crest there is a "reef slope" zone down to the botton of the tank. The slope zone is basically like a conventional reef tank. The slope face should be angled so that it can be viewed easily from the front of the tank. At the bottom there will be a "deep zone"; probably just a dusting of sand. Lots of holes and fissures through the slope into the cave behind. The cave bottom should also just have a dusting of sand. Would want to keep the big fish out tof the back reef and provide refuge areas in the cave as well,