Fish tank caves are more than mere aquarium decorations. They provide a quiet hiding spot for your fish and other aquatic critters and offer a safe shelter for breeding.
Breeding caves come in various designs to make your fish feel secure and comfortable in the aquarium.
We’ve reviewed the best fish tank caves for breeding to bring you our top seven picks for 2023.
How We Compared These Products
If you’ve had fish in your aquarium for a while and are wondering why they’re not breeding, it might be because you haven’t provided them with a private place where they can reproduce. Fish need to hide away in a quiet spot to breed.
Our criterion for finding the best fish tank caves on the market was simple: Finding a product that provided a dark and safe habitat conducive to breeding. Here’s what we found.
Best Overall: Ameliade Fish Tank Caves
Top on our list is the Ameliade fish tank cave, which comes in two pieces. The first thing that stood out to us was how natural-looking they were. They are made of ceramic with a textured rock finish to give you a realistic feel – a little like what you would expect to find on the ocean floor.
We particularly like the environmentally-friendly aspect of their design. Ceramics are effective filters. You don’t have to worry about the fish cave contaminating the aquarium with toxic residue. The hollow caves provide excellent hiding and breeding spots for fish, making them the perfect addition to your fish tank.
Pros
- High-quality material
- Realistic-looking finishes
- Filtration capability
- Aesthetic appeal
- Easy to clean
Cons
- A little pricey for the size
Best Eccentric Design: JIH Fish Tank Cave
If you consider yourself eclectic, you’ll enjoy this little number from JIH. Everything about its enchanting skull design oozes magic and mystery. It is made of ceramic with a rock finish making it safe and non-toxic to your fish and other aquatic critters.
If your aquarium has a spooky theme with rugged driftwood and other rustic decoration pieces, this fish tank cave will be a great addition to your eccentric collection. The skull shape provides ample fish hiding spots, making it the ideal spawning space within your aquarium.
Pros
- Unique eccentric design
- High-quality, non-toxic material
- Doubles up as a natural filter
- Affordable price point
- Easy to clean
Cons
- Some of the edges are a little sharp
Best Ceramic Option: Norgail Ceramic Fish Tank Cave
The ceramic fish tank cave from Norgail is another favorite. The attention to detail in its design is simply unmatched. It is reminiscent of a century-old pot relic salvaged off the ocean floor and somehow found its way to your fish tank.
The vivid brownish-gray color blends in well with most aquarium themes and provides great breeding, entertainment, and sheltering spots for the fish. Its ceramic material allows it to double up as a filter and is an excellent toxin-free addition to any fish tank.
Pros
- Beautiful design
- Non-toxic material
- Excellent filtration capability
- Plenty of hiding spots for breeding
- Great value for the money
Cons
- It might be a little tight for larger fish
Best Premium Option: MEWTOGO Fish Tank Caves
If you have more wiggle room in your budget, you should check out the five-piece stackable fish tank caves from MEWTOGO. These work like a charm for fish that fall in the “territorial” realm.
The first thing that caught our eye was how smooth the edges and interior surfaces were. You don’t have to worry about sanding down sharp bits, which is the norm for most brand-new fish tank caves.
Their flat bottom, coupled with their lightweight design, allows you to stack each on top of the other to create fun little arrangements for your fish. There’s no chance of them getting bored. When they need to breed, there’s plenty of room in these caves for them to hide away for some “alone time,” if you catch our drift. All in all, they are worth paying a few extra bucks.
Pros
- Non-toxic ceramic material
- Smooth edges and interior surfaces
- Lightweight, stackable design
- Easy to clean
- Eye-catching rock finish
Cons
- It may not be ideal for larger fish
Best Minimalist Design: Saim Fish Tank Cave
If you’re not into the fancy fish tank cave designs on the market and prefer something a little more subtle, you will like what Saim brings to the table. The company has been around for a while and has built a solid reputation for producing unique aquarium decoration ornaments.
This particular unit did not disappoint. Its minimalist design with the smooth ceramic finish gives it a minimalist appeal that blends in with virtually any aquarium theme. It provides ample breeding sites for fish and is non-toxic. Bonus points for the impressive smooth finish.
Pros
- Beautiful minimalist design
- No sharp or rough edges
- Non-toxic ceramic material
- Easy to clean
- Affordable price point
Cons
- Feels a little heavy
Best Value Option: Cobalt Aquatics Fish Tank Caves
The fish tank caves from Cobalt Aquatics are one of our all-time favorites when it comes to handcrafted stone-fired clays. Their vivid brick-orange color adds to their visual appeal, and the simplistic PVC pipe design of these caves offers the perfect breeding ground for spawning fish.
We particularly like the fact that it is made of non-reacting clay, so you don’t have to worry about leaking harmful toxins in your aquarium.
Pros
- Simple minimalist design
- ● High-quality finish
- Non-toxic
- Easy to clean
- Affordable price point
Cons
- Color tends to fade over time
Best Bamboo Option: SOYEAHZ Fish Tank Caves
Most of the fish tank caves on the market are made of ceramic and the occasional clay variant. What you won’t typically come across are products made of bamboo. That’s right. The aquarium breeding cave from SOYEAHZ is made from bamboo with a touch of hardened ceramic.
If you’re looking for a natural habitat for your fish and aquatic critters, this unit will make the perfect addition to your fish tank, particularly if you have small fish like cichlids, shrimp, and pleco species. It comes in a set of six pipes, meaning your fish will have plenty of room to play, hide, and breed.
Pros
- Made of bamboo and ceramic
- Smooth interior and exterior finish
- Ample room
- Easy to clean
- Excellent value for the money
Cons
- Not ideal for larger fish species
How to Choose the Best Fish Tank Caves for Breeding – Buyer’s Guide
Below are a few things to remember when choosing the best fish tank caves for breeding.
Material
The first thing you need to consider is the material used to make the aquarium cave. You want to pick something made of ceramic, clay, silicone, or any other material that won’t leak toxic chemical residue in the fish tank. Steer clear of metallic decoration.
Size
Fish tank caves come in various sizes, some bigger than others. Choose your preferred cave based on the size of the fish in your tank. The whole point of having an aquarium cave is to provide a safe habitat for your fish to breed. If the cave in question ends up being too small, it beats the whole purpose of having one in the first place.
Design
Fish caves come in a wide variety of designs to fit any aquatic theme you might have. Ensure the design you pick fits in with the general aesthetic of your aquarium.
Surface Texture
There’s a good chance that many of the fish tank caves you’ll come across will have sharp edges and rough surfaces that may harm the delicate fins of your fish. Check to ensure the surfaces are smooth to determine if you’ll need to sand them down yourself.
Easy to Clean
Complicated cave designs tend to be harder to keep clean compared to their simple counterparts. The fish tank cave you pick should be easy to clean to allow you to remove any debris that gets trapped in it.
Bottom Line
Choosing the best fish tank caves is a matter of personal preference. That said, there are a few factors you need to consider when picking the right one, such as the material it’s made of, how big it is, its design, texture, and whether it will give you a hard time keeping it clean.
Any of the seven units we’ve reviewed in this guide will make a great addition to your aquarium.
In the meantime, are you thinking about growing aquarium plants in gravel? Is it even possible? Find out here.
FAQ
What size fish tank cave should I get?
There’s no standard size. It will depend on the size of the fish in your tank and the overall capacity of your aquarium. For instance, a cave that stands at 5 inches will fit perfectly inside a 10-gallon fish tank.
Why do fish need caves?
Caves are essential for the health and well-being of fish. These aquatic critters value their privacy when it comes to breeding. They will usually seek out a hidden spot to reproduce. They will hardly (if ever) do it out in the open. If you’re looking to increase the population of fish in your tank, you should consider integrating some fish tank caves.
What can you use for a fish cave?
The item you use for a cave should provide a safe and dark habitat for your fish. It should have ample room within to allow them to swim freely and breed when needed. Fish tank caves come pretty cheap and are typically made of ceramic, which is non-toxic, non-reactant, and lightweight. Any of the products reviewed in this guide would be a great choice for fish tank caves.
