To All,

This week's "Trick of the Trade" deals with PVC. It is very common to use PVC as a spawning site for discus. The material is essentially non-porous and therefore is easy to clean and keep clean once it is placed in the tank. A four to six inch diameter size PVC is usually cut in lengths of approx. six to eigth or more inches in length. This works very well, however, a problem is often encountered. It is very difficult to get a square cut(even with a miter saw). If the pipe is not square in relation to the bottom of the tank, problems with fry or debris getting under the edges are fairly common.

To remedy the problem, simply place a bead of silicone around the bottom edge of the PVC and place it immediately on a piece of newspaper and let it dry. After drying, the paper can be washed away, leaving the silicone in place. You can also try plastic bags instead of newspaper but I've occasionally had problems with the bags sticking to the silicone after drying, thus making removal difficult.

Another word of advice when using PVC; be sure to buff off the edges of the PVC after cutting(use fine sandpaper). The edges can be very sharp and could easily injure one of your prize fishes unexpectedly.