Where to find caves for zebra plecos?

[eeeeemo]

hello. im urgently looking for proper (maybe clay made) caves for L46s..
i thought pvc's were got to house them until my parents noticed me that the pipes are toxic... do not want to risk polluting the water.. the chemicals leaked by pvc are known to cause sterility in humans.
any sightings? normal pleco caves also can. just for now only. it can house them until i find an exporter of specialized caves.

[benny]

Why don't you just use claypots or halved dark colored coffee mugs.

Alternatively, this might be of interest to you.

http://aquaticquotient.com/forum/showthread.php?t=16281

I'm using the S size one for my Zebra Pleco.

Cheers,

[marle]

wow benny, the caves in the link looks great. very nice!

Anyway, how about some diy with some silicon and materials? it will give you your desired shape and satisfaction.

[eeeeemo]

i wanted to DIY last time.. but i do not have any stone cutters..mentioned on getting one and my parents said its damn dangerous.. they don't want me to play with it... and all the slates i see are too big! I'll pay a visit to clementi later...

thanks benny! those caves are really good..i wana get them! for S size..how large is your zebra that lives in it? my alpha male is huge. approx 3.5inch TL. will it be a good cave for this big guy? and this is an old thread.. any chances of it available here now? can pm me who to find who is able to bring these in or LFS that carry them.

[benny]

You can always consider the M size one for your Zebra if it is that big. These caves are no longer available here as they are too expensive.

By the way, PVC pipes are used for drinking water. Any food grade materials should be safe for aquarium fauna. akoh uses them successfully to breed his zebra plecos.

Cheers,

[kenn]

another cheap option that i saw at the farms. they use those broken flower pots (esp. they used in orchid plantation(like reddish/earth colour). the save way of breaking to smaller size you want, just cover with thick cloths of those big rice bag(50kg type) and hit with a hammer. make sure you soak it a few day especially for those used pot. you even can get it free for those florist (normally they throw away also)

[Gecko]

Why don't you just use claypots or halved dark colored coffee mugs.

DIY Caves using slates, etc. Good old hammer, saw and silicon




Final product. My zebs are spoilt for choice of caves: pvc (silicon-ed sand), DIY slate, and ceramic (also with sand silicon-ed on). So far all have been used.

[eeeeemo]

how did you cut the slates apart?? it looks very natural.. can share your dimensions?
okay ive gotten a friend to get 1.5inch opening PVCs with caps!

[genes]

Hi Gecko, These slate caves gives a very pleasant and natural look. Much better then the PVC pipings in my opinion.

Have they ever bred in there or they still prefer the cosier PVC pipings? Is there a reason to attached the lapis onto the PVC pipings or purely for aesthetic purpose?

[illumnae]

I was at NA today. they have ready-broken slate pieces for sale if you want to make your own caves Gecko style

[Gecko]

Hi emo, do search for celticfish thread on his L46 breeding project in the catfish forum. Very informative and concise. Pvc pipes with caps do not work, it has to be cut diagonally (see my pic).

Hi Eugene

Thanks, the lapis sand is purely for aesthetics, prefer them to blend into the background as if part of a natural biotope.

[bryan]

If the fish can fit, there are some coconut shells with moss on them for sale at C328.