How to Make Aquarium Buildings

Aquariums make beautiful additions to a home. They are interactive, educational, and can be as simple or as elaborate as you'd like. For aquarium enthusiasts, personalizing a tank with statues, plants and underwater structures is almost as much fun as keeping the fish. In addition to being decorative, small submerged buildings provide interesting places for your fish to explore. While store bought decor is widely available in pet stores and aquarium shops, you can create your own custom aquarium buildings, such as caves and towers, using PVC pipe.

Things You'll Need

  • PVC pipe (wide enough for the largest fish in the tank to fit through)
  • Aquarium-safe gravel, sand, smooth glass, or small stones
  • Permanent marker
  • Protective gloves
  • Aquarium safe silicone (non mildew-resistant)
  • Coarse sandpaper (60 grit)
  • Large plastic tub
  • Dremel tool or hacksaw
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Instructions

    • 1

      Design your aquarium building. A wide length of pipe placed vertically would make a castle turret, or a Y-shaped pipe cut in half could form a cave. Choose placement of any window or door openings to allow your fish easy mobility.

    • 2

      Draw the openings on the pipe using the permanent marker, ensuring that they are large enough for all of your fish. Using the hacksaw or Dremel, cut out the windows and doorways. Sand the edges smooth to prevent injury to your fish, and rinse the pipe thoroughly to remove dust.

    • 3

      Apply silicone to the pipe by squeezing it out of the tube and spreading with a gloved hand. Press the gravel or rocks onto the silicone, working in small sections and letting the silicone dry for a few minutes for the best results. When the pipe is completely covered let it cure according to the instructions on the silicone tube.

    • 4

      Fill the plastic tub with enough water to cover your pipe, and let it soak for 24 hours. Remove the pipe from the water, rinse well, and rinse and refill the tub. Repeat two more times to remove any harmful chemicals before introducing it to your tank.