Alternative Needed For Pvc Pipes

[Neal]

Well, i'm thinking about getting some peacock gudgeons, and I want to try and breed them. The thing is it's going to be a high tech planted tank I want to do it in, so it will be a nice display tank and I don't want nasty PVC pipes laid out everywhere. I have plenty of riccia but I'm not sure what it would look like on the pipe, I might give it a try. Anyone else have any alternatives that will suit a planted tank?

Neal

 

[gizmo001i]

Hi Neal,
I used a PVC pipe in my tank. However, I covered the top in fish safe silicon and then stuck gravel all over it. That way, it looks like a cave going into the gravel bed and you can't see the PVC. Not only that, but I covered the top in Java Moss as well. This looks really good as you have a base of gravel with the moss growing from it. Hope this helps.
Ian

 

[Neal]

I'm using sand, so I don't think that technique would work well for me. I have lots of java moss but personally it's not that attractive, but I could use riccia or christmas moss.

Neal

 

[OohFeeshy]

You could possibly silicone the tubes together in a group, then cover in, say, crushed lava rock, them attatch plants of your choice. I'm sure it would adhere better to lava rock than gavel or sand.

 

[Matthew5664]

old terricota piping that was used in the 18th and 19th cent would look good. could do it like an outlet of some kind. will find them in old building yards and scrap heaps

 

[Lord Zogat]

What about taking a block of wood appropriate for the tank and drilling holes through it. It looks natural and has the holes and caves your after. The drilling might take a bit of time, but might also be a really nice custom peice.

 

[Neal]

I'm not sure where I could get crushed lava rock, nor what it would look like in my tank. At the minute I have coconut caves, but I was thinking of getting some peacock ?gudgeons?, and breeding them. But now i'm going to breed endlers, but still may get some peacocks for their shear beauty for my community tank. Thanks for all the input guys.

Neal

 

[andywg]

Using aquarium sealant to stick sand to the pipe should work fine. I did it on some pipes ages ago.

There was a thread about it, you basically give the pipe a light going over with a blow torch to prevent it looking so regular and then seal and dip in sand. You may have to repeat the dipping a couple of times to get a really good covering, but it should work fine.

 

[hoarp001]

why dont you try clear PVC? picese aquatics do clear PVC in fairly small diameters, and aslong as you keep the tank clean the pipe should remain more or less invisible in the water...

 

[Boxermom]

Sand will stick quite well with aquarium safe silicone. Just get some rough sandpaper and sand the sides of the tube up to remove the smooth finish, spred on some silicone, roll in sand, and there you go!

 

[BINKSY]

Hello,

can you use any kind of pvc pipe in the tank, like the plastic waste pipe you can buy in the diy shops, i dont want something that maybe harmful to the fish


Thanks Gordon

 

[mr.dark-saint]

There was a thread about it, you basically give the pipe a light going over with a blow torch to prevent it looking so regular and then seal and dip in sand.

Yeah light going over with a torch will soften the PVC (then use a spoon or something to push the PVC to get more shapes and dents) and it's a good way to get odd shapes for the next thing. Get some Epoxy (or other resins) and coat the now deformed PVC pipes and shake and bake the whole lot in a Zip-Loc bag (make sure it's big enough and make sure you got some glue in side the PVC) or a jacked up cookie tray (dump and roll technique). After you got a nice coating of "Sand" (In your case Neal) set it aside and do another. Waterproof resin (like for fiber glass) works well and shop around for non-toxic ones . I won't guarantee they'll use it but they will blend in well.

Since it's PVC you can drill large holes and then deform it with a torch (make sure you do this outdoors just in case you get flare ups) have a bucket of water to dunk it or a water squirt bottle handy. Latex or rubber gloves are real handy dealing with resin. You can also cut chunks off the PVC and heat those areas to a softer shape. As for the holes made you can use that as planters for potted plants and if you use large enough piece of PVC there will be plenty of room for breeding.