Forgive me if this has been posted here before, a lot of people have asked about this so I wanted to share it with everyone.
Materials
1 tube clear GE Silicone I (NOT II, it has a mold additive that will harm your fish)
1 caulk gun
? pieces of pvc elbows or joints, 1 1/2" and/or 2" round in diameter
1-2 lbs of substrate of your choice (I pulled tahitian moon sand from my tank and dried it out)
1 pair non-dusted gloves (for silicone, not necessary)
I used 4 pieces of black pvc elbows to blend in with the moon sand and save $ on sand. This setup is for fish that are all 2-3" long, so the size of your pvc elbows is entirely up to you.
How-to
1) Take off the bar-code or any additional material on the pieces of pvc completely and rinse them thoroughly.
2) Once rinsed dry them off until they are totally dry.
3) Lay the elbow down flat on its side so it is longer widthwise than height.
4) Apply silicone to top half of pvc elbow.
*If using sand or gravel spread silicone out with hands so that it covers the entire top half.
*If using pieces of rock apply silicone so that the area of pvc the rock will attach to completely covers the piece of rock that will be touching it.
5) Attach substrate.
*If using sand or gravel use a paintbrush after coat has dried to remove any excess.
6) Allow silicone II to cure for 24+ hours, depending on your circumstances.
It usually takes 24 hours for mine.
7) Submerge caves in bucket of water for 24-48 hours.
I usually go 24 hours in a 3 or 5g bucket with water conditioner and bacteria supplement off and on with water changes every couple of hours. This ensures that the silicone II will have cured properly and the completed project will not harm your fish.
8) Place the completed pieces in your tank.
Total work time: 15 minutes.
Overall time: roughly 48 hours.
Cost of materials
pvc- 4x pieces @ $1.54/ea.
caulk gun- $5.52
silicone II- $5.67
substrate- free from my tank.
Hope this helps and some of you try it!
Materials
1 tube clear GE Silicone I (NOT II, it has a mold additive that will harm your fish)
1 caulk gun
? pieces of pvc elbows or joints, 1 1/2" and/or 2" round in diameter
1-2 lbs of substrate of your choice (I pulled tahitian moon sand from my tank and dried it out)
1 pair non-dusted gloves (for silicone, not necessary)
I used 4 pieces of black pvc elbows to blend in with the moon sand and save $ on sand. This setup is for fish that are all 2-3" long, so the size of your pvc elbows is entirely up to you.
How-to
1) Take off the bar-code or any additional material on the pieces of pvc completely and rinse them thoroughly.
2) Once rinsed dry them off until they are totally dry.
3) Lay the elbow down flat on its side so it is longer widthwise than height.
4) Apply silicone to top half of pvc elbow.
*If using sand or gravel spread silicone out with hands so that it covers the entire top half.
*If using pieces of rock apply silicone so that the area of pvc the rock will attach to completely covers the piece of rock that will be touching it.
5) Attach substrate.
*If using sand or gravel use a paintbrush after coat has dried to remove any excess.
6) Allow silicone II to cure for 24+ hours, depending on your circumstances.
It usually takes 24 hours for mine.
7) Submerge caves in bucket of water for 24-48 hours.
I usually go 24 hours in a 3 or 5g bucket with water conditioner and bacteria supplement off and on with water changes every couple of hours. This ensures that the silicone II will have cured properly and the completed project will not harm your fish.
8) Place the completed pieces in your tank.
Total work time: 15 minutes.
Overall time: roughly 48 hours.
Cost of materials
pvc- 4x pieces @ $1.54/ea.
caulk gun- $5.52
silicone II- $5.67
substrate- free from my tank.
Hope this helps and some of you try it!
