Large Pleco Caves - What Do You ?

[Midwater]

I have got four different Pseudacanthicus and one Scobinancistrus growing out, and currently not very big. But presumably, they will get big. And territorial. And they will all go in the same 3000 litre tank (being built ... slowly).

When they are small, there are plenty of hiding places, but presumably, they will grow out of them. I have got lots of pieces of asian hardwood, and luckily, one with a very useful tube like structure.

But I could do with some more caves, that could, and will be suitable for full grown Pseudas.

There are lots of 'pleco caves' available at LFS and on the internet, but none of them are particularly big. And many of them look a bit phony too.

One idea I have is to go to the public works plumbing suppliers and get some three inch polyethylene or polybutylene pipe and cut it into sections. That would work. But it would look very much like black plumbing pipes, and not as natural as asian hardwood.

What do you use as caves for big plecs? What will look good too?

 

[MultipleTankSyndrome]

Congratulations on that 3000 liter!

I'd say give this a try: https://www.aquascapeinc.com/products/faux-log-fish-cave
Big, robust, natural looking.

 

[jjohnwm]

For many years I have used cylindrical drainage pipe sections or "tiles" for this purpose; not for plecos in particular but for any species requiring a sizable cave. These tiles are commonly available made from concrete or (my preference) kiln-fired clay. Those I have are roughly 4 inches inside diameter and a length of about a foot. They don't look natural per se, but quickly get grown over with algae and blend in much better. They are heavy enough to be very stable. You can also buy 4 or 6 inch ABS pipe, cut to desired length, sanded down to remove external lettering and the glossy appearance, smeared with a thin coat of sikicond and then rolled in or sprinkled with sand or gravel to give it a natural look.

It's also easy to buy 6x6 or 12x12 ceramic floor tiles, cut them if necessary with a diamond-type cutting wheel on an angle grinder, and then assemble into desired shapes using silicone. Tiles can be had in almost any colour and pattern and are also available in many textures as well.

 

[DarkOne]

I made a few from slate tiles.

 

[GolemGolem]

If you don't feel the need to easily look into the cave it's easy to hide a piece of pipe behind some rocks and plants. Or if you only need a couple and you want to be able to look, glue some rocks together, maybe glue some java fern and/or moss to the clump as well.