Soon long crystal soda straws hand from the ceiling. These tubular stalactites grow into cones of icicles if the initial tube becomes plugged and the crystals from around its outer surface. Sometimes water trickles along the cave's ceiling and walls leaving thin trails of crystals. Each new trail builds upon prior ones to shape ribbon stalactites. Various minerals in the water create the many colors in the speleothems.
Calcite sometimes forms lily pads or cave rafts on standing pools of water.
These occur when a light plate of calcite crystals is held in suspension on the water's surface. As water drips onto the exposed pad, it may form a stalagmite. Then the whole structure looks like a lily pad. Speleothems made of pure calcite with few other added minerals are light colored and translucent when exposed to light. Here crystals of calcite have built on one another to form a single large beautiful parrot-shaped crystal.