This is my DIY cave.*
Simple to do, just get the following supplies

small rocks and large pea gravel.

1- 2" PVC fitting. ( your choice of which ) IE: tee, elbow or coupling.

Tube of clear silicone

Attach the rocks on the PVC with the silicone. Arrange sizes to fit and fill holes with the large pea gravel.
Try to be sure you cover all the pvc and silicone with rock

Attach shells or other decor as desired. Let it dry for at least 72 hours before putting in a aquarium.
* this was a sample test one we never used but gives you the basic idea. Ant questions just ask.. Made with white silicone to show where we needed to get better coverage.

Well,,,that's different,,makes it much easier to move when you clean, and re-scape the tank. At least you know these rock formations will never tip over, unless some fish decides to dig a BIG hole under it somewhere. dumb dumb


Here's a suggestion,,,something I would have done if I would do if I were to do something like this. Add some plant pieces to some creases/crevices just to give it a more natural look. JMO.

Over all,,,I like the idea. Tres Bien!

Would love to see a full tank shot of this in the tank with it's occupants.


AP.

I think that's a great idea. You can customize it any way you want to match the decor in your tank. A small version would be good for the younger fish and fry to hide in.

I wonder if you could cover it with sand or if that would be too hard to get to stick? Hmmmm

Aura, the very small oines I just coat the PVC with silicone and roll it in pea gravel.
I will post a pic of my 55 gal that has 2 of these along with other rock structure.

This is a really good DIY article! I may do some myself.One thing I may also suggest is to use silicone that is for aquarium use.Otherwise you will leach toxins into the water.

Derek

Another with shells. This one is great for smaller fish.

Aura, we covered pvc with sand several years ago. The initial idea was to do that first, then strategically place small stones on the pvc.

The only way to cover it well with the sand was to brush the silicone on, roll it in the sand, allow it to dry and cure fully, then do the whole thing again, sometimes even 3 times.

So, basically, it was a lot of trouble...And the small stones wouldn't stick after all that work!

I've been meaning to try it with some of the all natural looking finer gravel that we have, though...

I really like the looks of the shell pieces, Cichlidman!