Coffee container habitat

They say "build it and they will come". Well we will see. What to do with those old coffee containers? Well I had a pretty morning for a change and decide to make some fish habitat. I had seen some that Cane pole had made and have been wanting to make some so here they are. Coffee containers with 13/16" holes drilled in the sides and through the bottoms and tops. I bought 10 pieces of 1/2" thin wall PVC pipe and 3 60# bags of Quickrete mix. I was able to make 15 of these. A 60# bag fills 6 coffee containers about 1/2" from the top. I cut 3 - 48" pieces for each container and 1 - 34" piece so to have enough to make the 15 habitats. They are a lot cheaper than a lot of store bought habitat. I sanded the PVC pipes with 80 grit sand paper before starting the project so that algae will catch ahold good. I am planning on making 3 different drops with these with 5 per place. I am planning to place some natural habitat like bamboo buckets close to them also. As I get a little older I want something that will be there when I am no longer able to build and place fish habitat. These should be there when I am a 100 years old.
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That is a lot of coffee. I got 60 used Keurig pods. Guess I could skewer them with chopsicks from the take out. I'm sure it would attract my normal size catch.

Nicely done. I finally have a use for those coffee cans now.

How many do you drop together? I'm assuming you put more than one per drop?? I dropped some bamboo in 5 gallon buckets but must have picked poor place, no fish on it.

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Originally Posted by SeaRay

How many do you drop together? I'm assuming you put more than one per drop?? I dropped some bamboo in 5 gallon buckets but must have picked poor place, no fish on it.

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I planning on putting 5 of them at each place like the picture of the 5 above. I will drop a buoy and mark it on 2 different sonars. Then place them in a X pattern there. I am also planning on putting some bamboo cane buckets close to them also. Now these are places that I have caught crappie before and they do have old habitat there that was placed in the past. Its always good to have a few places to go in case they are not biting good in other areas.

those look great. lots of luck.

:ThumbsUp Thanks for sharing, I just had the old "light-bulb" go off, while I don't have any coffee containers like that I do have a bunch of old gallon milk jugs which I'm thinking would do about the same thing. Maybe cut the spout a little bigger to make easier to add the quickrete mix, what do you think?

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Originally Posted by Lonnie84

:ThumbsUp Thanks for sharing, I just had the old "light-bulb" go off, while I don't have any coffee containers like that I do have a bunch of old gallon milk jugs which I'm thinking would do about the same thing. Maybe cut the spout a little bigger to make easier to add the quickrete mix, what do you think?

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The gallon milk jugs should work just fine as after the cement sets up good it will hold the PVC in place.

I've been saving milk jugs just for this reason.
Thanks for posting and reminding me to do it.

I never have as much luck with PVC as I do with wood but those should last much longer than you . Look easy to deploy too .

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Originally Posted by scrat

I cut 3 - 48" pieces for each container and 1 - 34" piece

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Just wondering what length of pipe you are you cutting the pieces from to not have any waste.

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Originally Posted by Lonnie84

Just wondering what length of pipe you are you cutting the pieces from to not have any waste.

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I bought 10 pieces of 20' thin wall 1/2" PVC pipe. I can't remember exactly how I cut them. I think I cut 2 pieces up at 34" which gave me 14 pieces and I already had a section or two from another project. You can get 5 - 48" pieces out of a 20' piece so it took 9-20' sections to get the 48" pieces for 15 coffee cans.

So you would need 11- 20' sections and a extra piece at 34" to come out right for 15 coffee cans.

PVC v/s wood stakes.
i read a suggestion last week. Use larger diameter PVC, but run it through your table saw, and split it in half.
The half round shape of the split pipe provides a better surface for growth of algae and related underwater stuff.
I plan to try when I build again next fall.

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Originally Posted by SeaRay

How many do you drop together? I'm assuming you put more than one per drop?? I dropped some bamboo in 5 gallon buckets but must have picked poor place, no fish on it.

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Watch them , things change . Sometimes it takes a while .

Hey Scrat at what depth will you set these up in.
LittleJohn

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Originally Posted by LittleJohn

Hey Scrat at what depth will you set these up in.
LittleJohn

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They are setup in 12' and 13' water with 5 of them set out in a x looking group some what like the picture.

http://www.crappie.com/crappie/attac...t-imag2383-jpg

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Originally Posted by LittleJohn

Hey Scrat at what depth will you set these up in.
LittleJohn

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Remember no 2 lakes alike when fishing depths concerned . :twocents