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OK I just purchased some "U Joints" and "T Joints" of pvc to help create some much needed hiding holes for my bottom feeders, especially while I'm in the middle of moving everyone about and getting rid of leeches (don't ask, it's a long story)

The U's are about 2.5-3 inches across, while the T's are 1.5-2 across...I figure it will give them all a place to go and hide, and when this mess is all finished I'll do something to decorate them to make them fit in with the tank...The edges are prefinished so they are smooth I figure all I really need to do is drop them into the bathtub and let them soak to get the extra dust and what have you off of them...

Is there anything else I need to do? Other than put them in the tank with the babies:%)

Heidi






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Not much. Just give them a good rinse & they're ready to use.


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There shouldn't be anything else you should have to do. Maybe you could scrub them down a bit just to get rid of any stuck on dust.

and sometime you can fancy them up by spreading aquarium safe silicone on them and rolling them in aquarium gravel.

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If at first you DO succeed, try not to look astonished.

i hope its heavy enuf to stay in place

PVC should be heavy enough to sink on it's own.

I'd only worry depending on what fish you're housing. If they're cories and kuhliis, I'd take a good sigh. If you're housing larger plecs and Clown Loaches, I'll be more worried. Lots of nocturnal fish and bottom feeders seem to find it's incredibly fun to wedge themselves with an impossibility of you getting them out again. Not only is this annoying, there is the chance that the fish actually gets itself stuck. Some of the worst fish horror stories I've heard are the ones about fish getting themselves jammed into places. Perhaps it's because I'm also a smidge claustrophobic, but having a fish that's stuck is no picnic.

But anyway, a quick rinse should set the pipes straight.

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The aquarist is one who must learn the ways of the biologist, the chemist, and the veterinarian.

My sterbais cories seem to enjoy swimming in and out of PVC pipes. Occasionally I'll find one resting on top of one.

About fish getting stuck, I've had cories get stuck in decorations a couple times. One was plastic and I used wire clippers to enlarge the opening freeing him. It was pretty easy. The other was metal and I used the same wire clippers to free him without an ill effects. It was not easy and the fish was very stressed, but pulled through. I now won't put any decorations in my tank that I feel have any possibilty of having a fish get trapped in any way.

I think I'll be ok on the size of the holes...They are plenty big for 2 or 3 of the guys to pile on top of each other...I have had a similar problem with a pleco a few years back who believed he belonged inside the castle decoration in the tankI'd barely get him out and the fool would be right back in it, I finally had to give it up

I figure I'll work on making them pretty later, for now I just want them to have plenty of room to hide since I'm having to spread my hidey holes out among 3 tanks and not just the 1...

And as far as what bottom feeders I am talking about, I have 2 Albino BN, 4 Clown Loaches of a small/medium size, and way too many (is that possible, too many?) corries

I just don't have enough clay pots and driftwood to put in each of the holding tanks, so I figured that this would work and was fairly cheap

I'll let ya'll know how it turns out,
heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

Heidi

If it has any writing on the sides of the PVC rub it of with steel wool. Just a good cleaning should do.

Keith

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Sheila, Heidi, and I spent a lot of time at the home improvement store finding pvc parts that were smooth, and large enough not to catch anybody, but still make them feel like they had a hidey hole.