I thought they were both interesting, but I liked the second site better. I have taken the larger 'wye' and 'cross' joints of pvc and covered them in silicone and rolled in gravel. That way they have 3 or 4 entrances and exits per 'cave' and you can stack them for multiple tiers. Not real pretty, but plenty serviceable.
Terra cotta 'strawberry pots' are pretty cool for cichlids - especially if you can find the larger ones. I have one that I divided the inside into 4 'chambers' with brown plastic canvas (so more fish could 'enjoy' it - if left undivided then the king and queen of the tank would claim it as 'theirs' and wouldn't share)Then I set it in the tank - top side down. The fish seem to like it! You can also 'break' terracotta pots into halves (or other large pieces) and stack the resulting curved pieces.
As far as the stacked stone - maybe he's trying to avoid the extra weight? The pvc would definietly be lighter!
As for those of you who use real stacked stone pieces, do you find that silicone doesn't 'grab' very well after a while? Do any of you use that epoxy putty that comes in a stick? How well does it hold (compared to the silicone)?
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