caves types and where do people get them?

hi all where does everyone in melbourne get their breeding caves from or do they make them.?

I have some round clay caves which I have bought. I also have some square caves that I made varrying sizes made out of ceramic tiles. And I also have some caves that I made from cutting a terracotta pot down the middle then sticking them together large ends joining with aquarium silicon. They seem to really like the terracotta caves because the entrance is really small which the males like but they are also spacious inside giving the male room to move in the cave but a small enough entrance to make him feel safe.

Thanks best place to buy these or better to make them???

I found my bristlenose like the home made pot caves the best. You can buy the pots for less than $2 each at bunnings or your local nursery. I used 8cm terracota pots and they are a perfect size for my bn. 9 or 10 cm pots might be a little better for larger males or big peppermints though .

i found mine like home made over store bought i just silicone rock and wood together

can PVC pipe work or terricota better............I got both  

I make all different size pleco caves for people.

https://2img.net/h/i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad178/findingjohn/Plecocavepicture002_zps908bb18a.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad178/findingjohn/Pleco%20caves/Plecocaves002_zps217d0566.jpg

https://2img.net/h/i933.photobucket.com/albums/ad178/findingjohn/Pleco%20caves/plwcocaces02002.jpg

Mine have spawned in both

males will basically breed in anything that works.

PVC can be a problem as it can be too smooth. if you use it you need to rough up the inside so the eggs stick. I have used almost everything to breed them in. I have found no real differences. The cheapest way is to get some broken slate tiles and make your own. Just make sure you use aquarium safe silicone

I made some caves from very large dried bamboo pole. The outside diameter was about the size of a coffee cup. My plecos love them. All I did was buy a 6' length of bamboo from our garden center and cut it into segments that are about 6-8" long. I then boiled them and gave them a quick scrubbing and dropped one in the tank after it cooled. It takes a while to sink or you can silicone a piece of slate onto it so that it sinks.

I think I paid something like $18 US for the bamboo and got something like 8 individual caves so price-wise very cheap. I am only using 2 so the remainder will last me forever. Bamboo like that doesn't grow anywhere in the USA except maybe Hawaii, but I think it may be grown in Australia. It's possible you could find dried bamboo locally??