# Aquarium caves dangerous?



## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

I was just told that putting any kind of hiding cave in an aquarium is dangerous because water or air or something can get trapped in there...Is this true?


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

I don't think so... Four of my bettas plus the sorority have a cave of some kind and they are all fine. Mine seem to like them a lot.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Yeah but several people on another forum are telling me this...I don't know what to think now /:


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

I think that happens when the decorations aren't waterlogged yet. I mean, for every fish they need hiding spots, right? And we don't always have access to live plants for their hiding spots. 

If people have been making aquaria decor for 10+ years now, I think they're safe; they would've been recalled already.


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## SunshineSulie (Mar 16, 2013)

My betta actually dislikes things like hiding caves. She won't go near that portion of the tank. I got 3 different ones to make sure, and kept them there for over a week. She never went to that side of the tank. Lol ol.


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## MattsBettas (Dec 18, 2012)

Yup. The benefits ought weigh the risks if there are any. I don't know about bettas, but it has been proven that hiding spots for leopard geckos extend their lives by years!


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

LebronTheBetta said:


> I think that happens when the decorations aren't waterlogged yet. I mean, for every fish they need hiding spots, right? And we don't always have access to live plants for their hiding spots.
> 
> If people have been making aquaria decor for 10+ years now, I think they're safe; they would've been recalled already.


I agree with you.
But, I guess a good fake plant can make a good hiding spot, right?


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## LebronTheBetta (Apr 23, 2012)

True, but hiding places ensure full darkness. Plants don't really cover up everything when I plant them. Well, if there are only a few that is.


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## Destinystar (May 26, 2012)

Caves or not I think all Bettas will find a safe place they like to rest in. Perseus has live plants, a big silk leaf plant and a decoration with windows in it that he likes to swim though and he can also hide in there which he never does and his safe place is behind or beside the heater on the top of the big silk leaf. Yes I have had caves before also and he would swim in and explore but come right back out after that. They seem safe to me just be extra sure anything with openings are big enough so they cant get stuck.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I don't understand why having water or air trapped in a cave would be dangerous. After all, you want water in there (it's for a fish!), and having an air bubble isn't going to hurt - bettas breathe air anyway. Seems wierd.

Odysseus never really used caves before, but he has a big terracotta pot now that I always find him resting in, when he hasn't burrowed under the leaves I use for substrate. He thinks he's a kuhli loach.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Bombalurina said:


> I don't understand why having water or air trapped in a cave would be dangerous. After all, you want water in there (it's for a fish!), and having an air bubble isn't going to hurt - bettas breathe air anyway. Seems wierd.
> 
> Odysseus never really used caves before, but he has a big terracotta pot now that I always find him resting in, when he hasn't burrowed under the leaves I use for substrate. He thinks he's a kuhli loach.


Well apparently it can harbor bad bacteria and parasites...:dunno:


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Has anyone else heard of this?


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> Well apparently it can harbor bad bacteria and parasites...:dunno:


Fairly sure that harmful bacteria and parasites wouldn't limit themselves to just the cave, unless they can't handle light... I'd be really interested to see these people's sources, if they have any (and that's not ment to be critical - my geeky self really enjoys learning about this type of thing).


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

pittipuppylove said:


> Fairly sure that harmful bacteria and parasites wouldn't limit themselves to just the cave, unless they can't handle light... I'd be really interested to see these people's sources, if they have any (and that's not ment to be critical - my geeky self really enjoys learning about this type of thing).


They said that is from the stagnant water in the caves or any hollow ornament...Here's the article about it http://www.kokosgoldfish.invisionzo...sked-goldfish-questions/hollow-ornaments-r439
It's tecunically about goldfish tanks, but still...


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## CrazyDiamond (Feb 20, 2013)

I myself just had to remove a cave from my tank, something started growing on it, a really viscous slime but that has nothing to do with stagnant water or air bubbles :/


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

It looks like they mean the sort of ornament in that photo, rather than caves. I can see how nasties might build up in an ornament like that hollow bridge, in theory...maybe. Still, there doesn't seem to be any scientific reasoning behind the article, other than the person had that kind of ornament and their fish got dropsy. Correlation is, after all, not the same as causation.


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## pittipuppylove (Feb 23, 2012)

Bombalurina said:


> It looks like they mean the sort of ornament in that photo, rather than caves. I can see how nasties might build up in an ornament like that hollow bridge, in theory...maybe. Still, there doesn't seem to be any scientific reasoning behind the article, other than the person had that kind of ornament and their fish got dropsy. Correlation is, after all, not the same as causation.


+1
Seeing as there are so many fishkeepers who use caves of some sort, I'd think that there would be more data out there if it was a major issue. Maybe I'll check some of my school's academic journal databases tomorrow and see if anything comes up there - sometimes there're some articles that are pretty aplicable to aquariums.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Bombalurina said:


> It looks like they mean the sort of ornament in that photo, rather than caves. I can see how nasties might build up in an ornament like that hollow bridge, in theory...maybe. Still, there doesn't seem to be any scientific reasoning behind the article, other than the person had that kind of ornament and their fish got dropsy. Correlation is, after all, not the same as causation.


Well that's what I thought at first, but then they told me that caves cause the same problem.


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## bniebetta (Feb 26, 2013)

I think if you are worried about it, you might consider rinsing or removing the decoration during a water change, it will help you clean the substrate underneath it anyway  I don't think you should be too worried about it


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

The only I see it as being dangerous is if the entrance is too small and the fish gets stuck or they are not made for aquariums



> Well apparently it can harbor bad bacteria and parasites.


 I never heard of parasites chilling in JUST a cave. Ditto for bacteria. Maybe if you never remove the item for cleaning you will get an accumulation of poop aroound the cave but that is neither bacteria or a parasite...


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## Polkadot (Feb 10, 2013)

I've never heard that before either.My little boys have logs,caves,mangroves & barrel hideouts which have all been really great.They love them & have lots of fun with them,Button especially prefers his caves to logs and I switched his log hideout with a new granite rock hideout with 3 different openings in it the other day and he was in it straight away checking it out. :-D


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

So caves are just fine then?


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## Tabbie82 (Jan 24, 2013)

All of my tanks have caves and other hiding places. My fish all love them and there haven't been any problems.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Do bettas need caves? Or can they just have a plant?


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## CrazyDiamond (Feb 20, 2013)

One of my "caves" is a large piece of driftwood with the gravel dug out from under it, my fish loves it and it's nice and dark under there and there's no plastics or anything. As for needing one I think it depends on the fish. My boy Floyd loves to look around his tank and hardly ever hides, Freddie I usually have to look for, he's shy and pretty skittish so I like to make sure he always has places to hide.


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

Neither of my bettas really use the hiding places I have for them. I have a ship wreck decoration with a lot of holes to swim in and out of, and she only swims through it sometimes, but never really rests in it. Patriot has a terracotta pot and a few fake plants, but he only ever hides in his floating betta log. I made a styrofoam "betta log" for Tiny Tina and she's been hiding in that lately, but other than that, they don't use their hiding spots too often.


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Well I mean do you need a cave specifically? Or does a plant with large leaves make a decent enough hiding place?


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

finnfinnfriend said:


> Well I mean do you need a cave specifically? Or does a plant with large leaves make a decent enough hiding place?


Anyone?


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## bettacrazygirl86 (Jan 21, 2013)

I think that would do. And if not, terracotta pots work well as caves.


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## Bombalurina (Oct 10, 2011)

I think large plants would be fine. That's all Odysseus had in his last tank and he seemed content enough.  I think all you can do is see what your betta likes - after all, with fish as individual as bettas it is hard to generalise.


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## Kuronue (Oct 12, 2012)

Some commercial caves can have edges from the mold when they were made, but nothing a scrap of sandpaper won't fix.


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

> Well I mean do you need a cave specifically? Or does a plant with large leaves make a decent enough hiding place?


Oversized plants will work too. In one tank, I have a few plants like a forest and the other side pretty bare. The plants were originally to slow down the outfloe from the filter but he seems to like to be in the plants more then the Tiki Hut. SOmetimes he goes in it but not alot. 

Cichlid stones also work. I got them for my plecos to hide in but find my females in them more


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

I was just wondering because I really like the whole minimalist look. I wouldn't take my little guy's cave away from him, but maybe with my next betta I would like to have one large leafy silk plant on one side of the tank and then nothing else but gravel. If he doesn't use the open space on the other side I think that's fine, because male bettas are naturally not usually very active anyway and I just like to have 5 gallons for water quality and maitenance reasons more than anything else...Though I think a betta would go to the other side out of curiosity anyway because there will either be a heater or a sponge filter over there


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## Tikibirds (May 26, 2011)

Thats kind of what I have - but I have several plants on one side.
The blue one is like an 18inch plant but I like how it bows over to the side. This is a 5G


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## finnfinnfriend (Feb 3, 2012)

Tikibirds said:


> Thats kind of what I have - but I have several plants on one side.
> The blue one is like an 18inch plant but I like how it bows over to the side. This is a 5G


Thanks for sharing  do you have a full tank shot?


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## Polkadot (Feb 10, 2013)

finnfinnfriend said:


> Do bettas need caves? Or can they just have a plant?


 
They probably don't specifically need a cave,but I think definitely some sort of hideout would be appreciated.Yes a big leafed plant would be good,a log or anything they can get in or under just to feel safe and get out of the light if they want to.You will get to know what your Betta prefers for sure,so you can swap things around and see what he/she favours best.


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