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RE: Coconuts



Chris was asking about coconuts (no Chris, this isn't off topic... this is
aquascaping...)

The easiest implement to remove the "meat" from the split coconut is a large
(the bigger the better) flat headed screwdriver. The meat should break apart
and pop out easily. If you carefully clean the blade of the screwdriver
first, you can also enjoy the fresh coconut meat afterwards. Coconuts make
GREAT caves for use in an aquascape. Here is a portion of a post I made in
rec.aquaria.freshwater.plants earlier today in reply to a chap wondering
about using coconuts, hope that it gives you some ideas:

"In my big 130 gal. tank, I used two halved coconut shells as "caves",
attached to the rear wall of cork with black silicone (the black variety is
less noticeable when cured than the clear). I had molded the "cut" surface
of the coconut shell a bit using a Dremel moto-tool to remove the sharp
edges and make it look a little more weather beaten. I also drilled a couple
of small holes in the top side of the shell before I attached it to the
back. I did this so that no air pocket could get trapped inside the coconut
and as a place where I could run thin nylon monofilament which I used to tie
the moss down initially, until it had a chance to attach itself to the hairy
outer surface of the coconut shell."

"Once the shell was glued in place, and before I tied on the moss or added
water to the tank, I took some finely ground up cork particles and covered
up all of the visible silicone around where the coconut was attached to the
back wall. This had the effect of making it appear really natural and a part
of the back wall, rather than something added after the fact."

"Within a few weeks of filling the tank and attaching the moss, the whole
thing looks great. The moss has attached itself well and is even spreading
over the cork on the back of the tank. The effect looks better and better as
the moss grows and my only regret is that it is partially hidden by the
plants in the tank growing in front of it. But the fish in the tank
certainly enjoy the security afforded by this little hidden cave."

James Purchase [Toronto - Canada]

Latin Rocks!
...student of Carolus Linnaeus