PVC Pipe Opinions

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chunkswrestles

AC Members
Dec 30, 2008
146
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Maryland
hey,
im trying to breed my bn pleco pair and i cant find any nice caves in my area. i really dont want to use a pvc pipe cause it wont look good in my tank but i was wondering what do you guys think of them?
thanks
 
Glue gun and/or epoxy and gravel?

chunkswrestles said:
hey,
im trying to breed my bn pleco pair and i cant find any nice caves in my area. i really dont want to use a pvc pipe cause it wont look good in my tank but i was wondering what do you guys think of them?
thanks
Click to expand...

I seen where one guy took either a glue gun or epoxy and covered the whole pvc pipe with gravel--I was amazed ... looked very acceptable from the pics he posted.

Regards,
TA
 
You can use pvc intended for use as electrical conduit. It's grey instead of white.
 
The caves are not something you'll easily find without going on-line. Check out Rosenthal Pottery, I use his #4 ancistruc cave and the plecos go right for them. The problems with an open piece of PVC are that the it will be difficult for the male to protect the spawn/fry in an open piece of pipe, and the fry will fall out of the pipe too soon. A closed end cave gives the male only one opening to guard, is dark which the fry prefer and keeps most of them deep inside until they can swim and eat on their own.
 
pinkertd said:
The caves are not something you'll easily find without going on-line. Check out Rosenthal Pottery, I use his #4 ancistruc cave and the plecos go right for them. The problems with an open piece of PVC are that the it will be difficult for the male to protect the spawn/fry in an open piece of pipe, and the fry will fall out of the pipe too soon. A closed end cave gives the male only one opening to guard, is dark which the fry prefer and keeps most of them deep inside until they can swim and eat on their own.
Click to expand...
Cap one end.
 
I use the with my cats different sp. plecos- no problems just gotta figure out what medium you wanna use for covering the white surface and then figure out how to "cap" it. I used pieces of acrylic, silcone, rocks, etc
 
PVC is safe for carrying water- doesn't leach chemicals. PVC is poisoness if injested.

I suspect PVC is most likely safe- but if any species is going to injest it-it would be Plecos with their powerfull rasping mouths- accidentally rasping the surface off trying to get at algae/biofilm. Personally, I'd bet it's 99% chance safe- but I have that minor doubt.

Add little pebbles glued to the outside means if they go out and about cleaning the algae from the outside- they can't get to the PVC to injest it- and it looks nice. Win/Win.
 
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