Diy Hidey Holes

[Tizer]

I've been pondering a few caves for my loaches and just thought i would put the idea up here to see if anyone had any ideas/opinions.

I can pickup these on ebay, if you cant access ebay to look, its basically a Vitrified Clay T Junction, normally used for undergroup drainage. These days most pipework is PVC, which is much cheaper but really not all that attractive, at least not in an aquarium.

What i wanted to do, was cover it with EverFlex Aqua Mate then roll it around in the kitty litter substrate (obviously cleaned and dried out) i now use in my tank to get an even covering.

Kitty litter looks like so:

Hopefully it wouldnt stand out like a sore thumb in the tank once done and with a few plants around it, it could made a nice little cave.

Its a little pricey, at £30 but my main concern is getting a nice even covering of the sealant (would have to brush it on) and ensuring the kitty litter sticks to it.

I suppose i could do a bit of a test run with some brown downpipe and a couple of 45 Degree bends...but i dont think the clown loaches would be able to squeeze into downpipe forever. At least these clay junctions are pretty huge!

 

[JonE]

If it was me I'd probably use terracota pots covered in moss, your idea sounds good though, I have seen a post on here somewhere where someone did the say sort of thing I'll try and see if I can find it.

Cheers

Jon

 

[Tizer]

If it was me I'd probably use terracota pots covered in moss, your idea sounds good though, I have seen a post on here somewhere where someone did the say sort of thing I'll try and see if I can find it.

Cheers

Jon

Trouble with pots (i've tried it) is that clown loaches dont really use them, they prefer pipes they can all squeeze into and huddle together. That said, a terracota pot could make a better test subject than PVC pipe!

 

[JonE]

Have a look here mate they have got quite a few terracotta tubes in various sizes.

 

[Tizer]

Have a look here mate they have got quite a few terracotta tubes in various sizes.

can you double check that link?

 

[JonE]

Weird it won't let me post the link, maybe it's because of the recent spam problems. I'll try and PM you the link mate.

 

[Tizer]

Ordered a tube of Aqua Mate, will see how well it works on an old plant pot \o/

 

[coldcazzie]

I'm really interested to see how this works out Tizer. A word of caution though - do it outside! Once you get large amounts of silicone like you're talking about, you need to be outside as it burns the inside of your nose to smell it! I made a cave by sticking bits of rock together, and I nearly passed out a few times

 

[tribalbrit]

If you go to your local building merchants and have a look round the yard you may find some broken clay drainage of various sizes laying around. We in the trade don't use clay much these days so you might get them cheap, certainly cheaper than the one on ebay.

 

[Tizer]

If you go to your local building merchants and have a look round the yard you may find some broken clay drainage of various sizes laying around. We in the trade don't use clay much these days so you might get them cheap, certainly cheaper than the one on ebay.

i gave travis perkins a call but only a few stores stock it and they are a bit of a distance from me so mileage wise i'd blow a tenner.

Im also "kind" of in the trade with my company specialising in surfacing works, but i looked on the yard and they dont have any.

I'll try a plant pot at the weekend if the silicone arrives!

 

[tribalbrit]

I once covered some glass in silicone and gravel to form terraces. It looked good for a while but then started falling off, not so good.

Have you thought about using epoxy resin? It dries clear, if applied correctly, and will last forever IMO.

I did wonder if pva would work also dries clear but not sure if it would be safe

 

[Tizer]

I once covered some glass in silicone and gravel to form terraces. It looked good for a while but then started falling off, not so good.

Have you thought about using epoxy resin? It dries clear, if applied correctly, and will last forever IMO.

I did wonder if pva would work also dries clear but not sure if it would be safe

yeah thats my main concern really, i dont want to risk anything leeching out and wiping out my fish, not sure how the finish will be using silicone, i'll find out!

 

[IainMac85]

I did wonder if pva would work also dries clear but not sure if it would be safe

i was always under the impression that pva was water soluble?

 

[coldcazzie]

I once covered some glass in silicone and gravel to form terraces. It looked good for a while but then started falling off, not so good.

Have you thought about using epoxy resin? It dries clear, if applied correctly, and will last forever IMO.

I did wonder if pva would work also dries clear but not sure if it would be safe

yeah thats my main concern really, i dont want to risk anything leeching out and wiping out my fish, not sure how the finish will be using silicone, i'll find out!

It's been done before by members tizer, twas quite a while back though. I believe it was done with polystyrene used to make a kind of wall.

 

[tribalbrit]

I did wonder if pva would work also dries clear but not sure if it would be safe

i was always under the impression that pva was water soluble?

Your right it is.