PlanetCatfish.com

Most of us use PVC of some sort, in various sizes and configurations in our tanks, and I think we'd all agree that the standard white variety, while rediculously cheap and functional, isn't esthetically pleasing. After some searching I found clear PVC available both online and from a local...for me at least...plastic pipe supplier. It comes in all the same sizes as the standard stuff with fittings to match and it looks MUCH better in the tank, or should I say it is much less visually intrusive than the white stuff. It's not cheap, about 10x the price of the white stock, but for the small quantities we typically use in a given tank it's still relatively cheap to use. For the cost of a couple bags of gravel I was able to re-do the in-tank plumbing on my 3 tanks and it made a significant visual improvement. You won't find it at your local hardware store, but it's out there if you make a few phone calls or search online. Since it is the same size, dimensionally, as the white stuff you can use the cheaper variety outside the tank and then switch over to the clear in areas where it will be seen, without any special adaptors. They also have a clear cement which I haven't used since I simply friction fit the pieces inside the tank. No danger of leakage and if I need to or want to change something I can just pull it apart. Hope this is useful to somebody out there!!