# New Caves & Tunnels



## butterbean 3

I needed more for my 2 gsp to do in their tank but after pricing tank decorations I decided to make some myself and they turned out pretty good. I bought PVC joints the ones that curve and one that makes a T. and I covered them with pure silicone and took the same color/type rocks that they have on the bottom of their tank and covered the pipe with them. Out of two joints they ended up with 5 caves/tunnels that completely blend into the aquarium and with plants placed around give them lots of places to explore. :welldone:


----------



## Lupin

Where are the pics, Butterbean?:mrgreen:


----------



## butterbean 3

I will take some tomorrow when the lights good


----------



## Amphitrite

Excellent idea butterbean, can't wait to see the pics


----------



## joeshmoe

mee to this sound s like a great idea


----------



## butterbean 3

:wave: Here are the pictures, my gsp's really seem to like them :lol: The tunnels not the pictures


----------



## Lupin

Nice.:thumbsup: They camouflage so well.


----------



## Amphitrite

Excellent idea, and they do blend in really well with the rest of the tank. Great job!


----------



## Daz

I tried the gravel on plastic pipe thing before, the little buggers pecked it all off. Look nice thou.


----------



## Tracy

Excellent! It turned out great! What a good idea  thank you for sharing.


----------



## butterbean 3

:wave: Tracy can you post pictures I would love to see them


----------



## reverendred

definitely gonna be looking into doing this in my tanks! thanks for the great idea!


----------



## iPesci

Awesome idea!
Thanks so much for sharing!


----------



## Blizzz

I also came up with that idea and used a dark grey PVC joint and smaller rocks.


----------



## Kate

Both of them look great! ::goes off to hardware store::


----------



## iPesci

I'm doing it!
Yay!
I have made a longer tunnel...
I have spraypainted it blue then I'm gonna puc rocks on..(please tell me spray paint is safe for them when it's dry...)


----------



## ClarkyJ

*Great idea mite give that ago my self *


----------



## reverendred

i put two pieces of PVC in my 29G....

one is a 4" in diameter 45 degree corner piece. the other is a 3" diameter y-shaped piece. both are black and i have them buried in black rock. looks pretty gnarly with my pirate flag background.


----------



## RubyWhisper

that looks so cool! and a lot easier than most do it yourself projects

-cover plastic pipe with silicone
-cover silicone with rocks
 

I can't wait to try it out!


----------



## saint

i was just at my brothers place the other day and seen a whole box of pvc pipes and elbows.... i wonder if he will notice if it goes missing, lol


----------



## RubyWhisper

BTW butterbean, what kind of gravel is in your aquarium? I love it!


----------



## tophat665

Very cool. The thing I am planning on doing for my wife's tank is to take a flowerpot, drill a mess of tiny holes in it, and stitch java moss all over the top half and bury it half way in the gravel. Similar, but plants instead of stones.


----------



## Falina

great idea. this is something i will definitely consider doing and would never have thoguht of myself

thanks for sharing


----------



## Falina

woohoo! i went to b&q and returned with a t-shape joint. shall cover it in gravel tonight


----------



## reverendred

here are some pictures of my PVC setup. i didnt cover mine in gravel though.... i kinda buried one though. the fish absolutely love them!  


























sorry for the poor quality pics


----------



## BillyVille

I know this is a old post but does spray painting the tubes hurt the fish?


----------



## fish_4_all

I have heard of spray paint that can be used that is "safe" for fish but I don't know of any that will permemnantly stick to PVC. Eventually it will start to peel of and the fish could eat it or get injured from the edges.

Just use the color PVC that matches your gravel closest. White, gray or black.


----------



## The Trans Am Kid

I have a sunken ship in my one tank and I think my pleco ate all the paint off of it. Is there anyway to keep it on there or put new paint on? Thanks


----------



## ilikefish

what kind of glue?


----------



## willow

you can use aquarium sealent to sick the stones on.


----------



## renaluvfish

thanks very usefull
i will try for my new aquarium :thankyou:


----------



## Amphitrite

Welcome to the forum renaluvfish. If you decide to go ahead and make one, let us know how you get on


----------



## thewhityfang

thanks. that was my sister, i work for the tank. Shes just watching only :?


----------



## kritas

I love it!!!!!

Great idea, might give that one a go for myself!!!


----------



## volzb1

this is a great idea and a great money saver. buying decorations is such a hit on your wallet!


----------



## Shadowhawkiv

Is PVC stock aquarium safe & the reason for the silicone is just to attach the rocks or does it need to be sealed?


----------



## adrenln

bump for the last question


----------



## willow

the PVC pipes are fine for the aquarium,
just make sure you wash them well in hot water to clean off
any dirt you can and can't see.
and the silicone is just for attaching the stones.


----------



## adrenln

thanks!


----------



## willow

you're very welcome.


----------



## onefish2fish

The Trans Am Kid said:


> I have a sunken ship in my one tank and I think my pleco ate all the paint off of it. Is there anyway to keep it on there or put new paint on? Thanks


 
thats because plecos need driftwood to gnaw on and im guessing this wasnt present.


----------



## SolaceTiger

butterbean 3 said:


> :wave: Here are the pictures, my gsp's really seem to like them :lol: The tunnels not the pictures


Those are SO cool, may have to steal your idea. heehee.


----------



## willow

i'm thinking on something like those for my lizard tanks.


----------



## Kim

Those are really neat looking. Maybe I'll do something like that when I get my QT tank. It seems like such a nice hiding place for fish


----------



## Tyyrlym

Unglazed terracotta pots make great cheap caves for a QT. Got mine for a buck a piece.


----------



## 1077

I have made PVC caves for plecos to rest in and found that if you sand the PVC with some coarse sandpaper to rough it up a little the silicone and rock sticks a little better. For attaching Java fern an Orchid pot found at some garden centers or nurserys works very well. They are already drilled with holes.


----------



## dallops_of_polyps

i am gonna try this in salt water tmrw ill post pics!


----------



## AmPitbullTerrier

That was a sweet idea.... I just set up a 29g for my Convict Cichlids and made some of those for them. I'll post some pics. 
Thanks for the killer idea. 
When I set up my 110g bow front I want to make a big inter connected maze of tunnels and build my rock up around that.


----------



## aunt kymmie

These are all excellent ideas. The flower pot w/ moss is something I'm going to attempt tomorrow!


----------



## daisycutter

sorry to jump on the bandwagon but..........
had to give it a go i had just re-sealed a pair of tanks and there was some silcone left so i thoght..why not? i made 4 one T with a short length of pipe attached and 3 straights,amid the plants there barely noticable


----------



## Amphitrite

Great job DC, I bet the fish will love them!


----------



## SolaceTiger

daisycutter said:


> sorry to jump on the bandwagon but..........
> had to give it a go i had just re-sealed a pair of tanks and there was some silcone left so i thoght..why not? i made 4 one T with a short length of pipe attached and 3 straights,amid the plants there barely noticable



Very nice. Hey, I love your gravel. Where'd you get it?


----------



## willow

:thumbsup:well done indeed,


----------



## daisycutter

SolaceTiger said:


> Very nice. Hey, I love your gravel. Where'd you get it?


 my gravel came from my loacal garden/aqatic shop i really wanted the black basalt gravel but it was £30 a bag this mixed stuff was about £15 which was pretty good as it was a huge(heavy) bag and ample for a 2-3 inch layer with enogh left to make some caves!


----------



## fishyfarts

Just thought I'd share my version which was inspired by this thread. I used 3inch pieces, 2 45's, 1 90, and a sanitary T. I spent maybe $20 total and used some polester resin I had leftover from some auto work I had just completed this fall. My plan was to cover the entire PVC (including inside) with gravel/sand and make it look like a cement pipe. I painted it with the resin then poured sand over it. Took a couple days to complete. I got worried I was wasting my time because the resin was giving it a poopy look, lol. Like a sewer pipe. But it actually took on a better color when in the tank under the CF lights. Oh, and I used a spiral bit to make broken looking holes all over the length of the pipe giving it a more natural shape and ground down all the edges of the pipe too.
So here's what I came up with.


----------



## willow

turned out quite well,is the stuff you used non toxic ?


----------



## mom2thebest2

Thank You for this great idea! Going to the hardware store tomorrow to get me some PVC pipe!


----------



## fishyfarts

willow said:


> turned out quite well,is the stuff you used non toxic ?


I hope so lol. It's just pvc, sand, and polyester resin. The resin smelled pretty strong at first so I left it outdoors for a day then soaked it for couple minutes mainly to warm it back up and then plopped it in. From what I know resin, once cured it air tight and should be safe as long as all the solvents have come out. I just got two fish to put in with it yesterday, so far so good. I hope they do OK.








2 Cherry Barbs.


----------



## willow

well they look like they're having fun


----------



## eileen

Great idea, I bought some blk. PVC pipe and used that in the back of my tank with plants in the front to sort of hide it. You can also put Java Moss and Java ferns on it and attach it with clear fishing line, Mine is the basic Blk. PVC. My Bushy Nosed Pleco likes using it as it's home.


----------



## fishyfarts

thank you 
yes it is, as long as you let the resin cures long enough. But it will hold up better than silicone that's for sure.
If I had it to do again, once I got a good coating I would put one more coat of sand on and not seal it back up with resin. that way it would take on a more natural flat sand appearance rather than the wet look I ended up with. I would also strain my sand out with a screen and just use the larger pieces and not the dusty sand.


----------



## mamatoulouse

ok where do you get black pvc pipes?

i want to make some things for my up and coming cichlid tank and cant seem yo locate any black pvc..... only white and grey....


----------



## fishyfarts

I used white if your referring to mine.


----------



## willow

most DIY shops should store this item for you,in both colours.


----------



## mamatoulouse

What do you mean by diy shops at ace they didn't but I have gone one the lowes web site and not seen any...maybe I will just coat the inside with sand as well
_Posted via Mobile Device_


----------



## fishyfarts

Yeah just set a big box under it and lather it with resin then pour sand over and thru it till it's covered.

have fun!


----------



## bearwithfish

Black PVC is very expensive and huge waste of money IMO... just get the cheap schedule 40 (white and a can of KRYLON Fusion then you are all set the Krylon is tank safe after it cures for 4 -7 days and you have a full spectrum of colors to pick from


----------



## fishyfarts

as far as the 'black' PVC, I don't believe they make such a thing unless someone is referring to drain tile which is not basic PVC. Maybe someone makes a specialty Black PVC for some reason, if they do you should be able to find it somewhere on the internet.
Forgive me if anyone has suggested this already, but from my experience PVC stains real easy, so why not buy some RIT dye and boil it in dye to change the color? Once it's colored it won't change. I just hate the idea of paint flakes mucking up someones hard work. I like the coating better. Looks more natural and less contrived. I suppose you can use some black sand if that's what floats the boat. Kinda wish I had because I just recently went with a new black sand substrate. -what a messy fiasco that was BTW!!!! Yet it still looks good none the less.


----------



## bearwithfish

i thin kyou are on to something there though i have never used RIT..... i will point out however that Krylon Fusion bonds and turns into the plastic its applied to and will never come off....


----------



## SinCrisis

Not 100% true, ive used krylon on a nerf gun before and the paint came off after a few months. It's not a "fusion" but it is pretty durable. Heavy usage caused the paint to start falling off. 

Has anyone thought about the dead zone longer PVC creations cause? The water in the pipes, unless the pipes are very wide, the water in there might get stagnate, causing anerobic conditions. Before everyone starts adding entire cave system, they should plan out how they expect water to circulate in the tunnels..


----------



## fishyfarts

that's a good point. I used 2" pipe (i think) which is pretty wide. My cherry barbs love it and can really go sailing thru it so I would imagine they push some water around in there that and I have a 'chimey' like extension that should allow the water to move up as well. Putting 'holes' every couple inches as well should help. Dremel and a torch work there.


----------



## mamatoulouse

well i have admit i would be using fairly large 4"-2" sections of it for cichlids.... but i have just visited my local landscaping yard/store.. and found some petrafied wood in various sizes and mexican river rocks in black and Colorado rainbow river rock all for about 16cents a lb.. i want my tank to be mostly blacks and grey... i am wondering about how one safely makes sure rocks are ok for your tank.. also is petrified wood lighter than river rock?...


----------



## fishyfarts

I'd be interested in finding out whether or not Oxygen based sanitizers like I find at my local Brewing store ('Straight A cleaner') would be safe for aquaria? I haven't found a reason why it wouldn't. You wouldn't have to rinse either! Just soak and done.


----------



## SinCrisis

mamatoulouse said:


> well i have admit i would be using fairly large 4"-2" sections of it for cichlids.... but i have just visited my local landscaping yard/store.. and found some petrafied wood in various sizes and mexican river rocks in black and Colorado rainbow river rock all for about 16cents a lb.. i want my tank to be mostly blacks and grey... i am wondering about how one safely makes sure rocks are ok for your tank.. also is petrified wood lighter than river rock?...


petrified wood is very heavy, i dont know how it compares to river rock, but its certainly much heavier than the usual stuff you find in stores. Rocks can be used for the aquarium if it doesnt react to acid tests. Pour some vinegar on a rock, if it fizzles, its no good, if nothing happens wash the rock and use it.


----------

