How to Make a Polymer Clay Cave

I've made a few caves from polymer clay for my apistogramma - a dwarf cichlid - and was asked to share how I did it. Sorry if this isn't the most professional "how to" but you should get the idea :P

1. Fish that need a cave - otherwise this instructable is kinda useless to you

2. Polymer Clay. You want the stuff you bake in the oven, not the air dry type. There are a few different brands available. I am using Kato brand because its what I have on hand, however I would suggest Sculpey brand as its cheaper and easier to find.

3. Tinfoil

4. Rolling pin. A bottle of wine works well if you don't have a rolling pin.

5. Oven

Make a hat from tinfoil or, as in my case, a tinfoil tiara. I'm classy like that.

Take some tinfoil and mush it into the shape and size you want your cave. It doesn't have to be perfect, fish aren't judgmental.

Using your chosen rolling implement, take a chunk of clay and roll it out. How much clay you use depends on how large the cave is and how thick you want the cave walls to be. I tend to make mine pretty thin.

I don't make bottoms for my caves because it makes it difficult to remove the tinfoil after baking. If you want to make a bottom I suggest you make and bake the top first, remove the tinfoil, roll out more clay,add the bottom piece and rebake.

Take your clay and cover the tinfoil mold. Tinfoil and clay are very forgiving to work with so don't be afraid to slightly re-shape the tinfoil as you cover it.

Your fish needs a way to get in! Using a razor or knife cut out a hole in the clay. Don't cut yourself - that would be an embarrassing emergency room visit.

Check your clay packaging for baking instructions - I usually bake at 300F for 15-20 minutes. Your house will fill with the enticing aroma of melting plastic. Yum!

After the cave is done baking give it some time to cool - maybe 10 - 15 minutes - and then pull out the tinfoil. Make another hat or throw it away, up to you.

And thats it! You can use sandpaper to smooth out the edges of the hole if you think they are too rough. Give this a good rinse before you put it in your tank but like other aquarium decor don't use soap.

On a side note I have used colored clay for some caves but DO NOT use paint.