I just made 7 caves for my fish

[Lady Hobbs]

I searched everywhere for something to use for caves. Home Depot always has their pvc pipe in long lengths and I knew I couldn't get them in my car.
So, after hitting 3 stores today I go back to Home Depot to see if I can get them to cut me up some pvc. Lo and Behold.........they had a whole rack of 2 ft pieces.

I got a 2 ft section of 2 inch pipe and a 2 ft section of 3 inch. Total, including the silicone was $12.

I now have 4 firemouth caves and 2 for the featherfins plus one long one for the loaches.

I covered 3/4 of the pipe with silicone, added brown gravel to it and filled in blank spaces with the sand. Maybe not beautiful but won't take up the room that piles of rocks do.

[squirt_12]

sounds really cool.......pictures???

[mitcore]

can you post pics i would love to try that one for my self,

how does it go with getting food, poo etc in it
is it easy to clean and for the cleaner fish to get in there and do it?

[OscarFan]

whats the silicone you sprayed on it

[Lady Hobbs]

No spray. GM II silicone put on with a silicone gun. NOT LATEX

[Lady Hobbs]

I will take pics when they set up for 2 days and I put them in the tank. Out of batteries right now.

[country_boy454]

I like the idea. Want to see pics when finished and in tank. Here (http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_cichlid_cave.php) is different approach to the pvc. They used a piece of rain gutter.

[Lady Hobbs]

I saw that before. That looks cool.

[OscarFan]

is that the stuff you put between tiles

[country_boy454]

Silicone is like the stuff they use when putting windshields in cars. Its makes a waterproof seal and is safe for fish.

[CAX474]

I do the same as you Hobbs!!

I make mine from 2" diamiter PVC pipe and my bristlenose love them for breeding, I cover them with silicone and role them in fine gravel and then place them in the tank when they are set wich takes about three days. I then place them half way under the gravel so there is a small rise and then I cover them with plants. Also the Bristlenose clean them out so crud in them is not a problem.

[Becikeja]

CAUTION: Be careful of silicone. Not all silicone is safe for fish. Most of the silicone you wind at the DIY store has mildew resistant stuff in it (not good). Make sure you use Aquarium safe silicone. I believe GE I is safe, not sure about GE II. If it worked excellent, just be careful. The last thing you want to do is add a cave and wipe your tank out.

I would like to see the pictures.

[Lady Hobbs]

It can not have any fungal agents in it.

Well, I made the caves too big. They are useless for now. Too big and take up too much tank space. Should have gone with the 2 inch!!