# Fish graveyard



## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

OK, this is a queer idea but bear with me...

I would like to turn my tank into a graveyard. I would have it heavily planted and hopefully get some dwarf hairgrass on the ground to look more realistic and have some headstoes dotted about the place which would also act as hiding places for the fish. 

Now I don't suppose I can buy 2-3" headstones so I would need to make them, but what could I use? Something that would be tank friendly obviously, and hopefully look kinda like stone.

I thoguht about just using pebbles and black silicone to write on them but I don't think this would look very good. I also thoguht about carving into the pebbles but I don't know how easy this would be to do.

Any ideas appreciated.


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## Gump (Oct 26, 2006)

I dont know about this being a queer idea but I would check into model train accessories since they have graveyard stuff used in making model cities.


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

Ceramics or clay would work fine but you would have to have them fired to keep them from disintigrating. Personally I would use ceramics but that is because I have free access to a ceramic shop. For you, clay may work better because oyu can shape the pieces and then take them to a ceramic shop to be fired which should actually be inexpensive, maybe $10 to fire all of them if the ceramic shop isn't too greedy. 

You could take apiece of driftwood and cut the thickness you want with a bandsaw or similar and then carve the shape you want. Bogwood and driftwood should both cut pretty easy with a handsaw if you can keep the teeth clean because of the wet wood. 

Another idea would be to use plastic canvas with Rexlace. This way you could cover the canvas with the color you want and put the words in a different color. 2-4 pieces thick would make it thick enough and if oyu make a kind of tab on the bottom of the craftlace it could act as an anchor to hold it in place.


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## The-Wolf (Mar 15, 2007)

I've seen on another forum that some one has their tank set up to mimic Tombstones boot hill, very effective even if it is odd.


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## Marco (Jul 8, 2007)

For a minute there I thought you meant a graveyard for your dead fish


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

Marco said:


> For a minute there I thought you meant a graveyard for your dead fish


I have one of those as well at my mum's house (I live in a flat), althoguh no headstones. They rest with 2 hamsters, 2 dogs and a lot of puppies (mum breeds Yorkshire Terriers and obviously you loose some).

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I'll try your ideas and se ehow I get on.


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

It would be cool to build like a Fin Hill instead of Boot Hill using a cave with some tunnels inside. To see the fish come in and out of the cave would be kinda cool and would definately be a conversation piece.


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## Falina (Feb 25, 2007)

Boot hill?


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## fish_4_all (Nov 13, 2006)

Sorry, is a reference to the old West in the United States. They would have old cemetery hills that were covered in the boots of all the ones buried there. Kind of like their own tombstones. Is from the early 1800's if I remember right.


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## leifthebunny (Mar 13, 2007)

fish_4_all said:


> Sorry, is a reference to the old West in the United States. They would have old cemetery hills that were covered in the boots of all the ones buried there. Kind of like their own tombstones. Is from the early 1800's if I remember right.


It took place through most of the 19th century and I think was more prevalent during the wild west years following the Civil War (1861-5).


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## herefishy (Dec 14, 2006)

Actually Boot Hill was Began after the American Civil War and was really going during the period of 1870 to around 1890. They eventually had to put a fence around it. People were dying to get in. :roll:


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## daisycutter (Jan 4, 2007)

... the plastic train acsessores are made of styrene normally which dosent do well in water over time anything made of fired clay should be fine bog wood cut up would be good and harmless failing that try slate its very easy to work with and is somerthimes used for real gravestones and small saw and a chisel is all thats needed


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## willow (Sep 9, 2006)

hay,
how did you get on,did it work ?
also interested in what The-Wolf had to say
about someone elses idea of this,
would it be possible to see it ?


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## SeaSerpant (Dec 9, 2007)

Okay that is a queer idea


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## Pleco_stomus (Dec 10, 2007)

you could use small chunks of slate to make the head stones. and carve names in them with a small screw driver or somthing.


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