240g anemone cube build thread...

[ATX aquarist]

ah, yeah i guess I was thinking of a glass aquarium. Yeah circulation is what i meant when I said filtration. The tank I am setting up comes with a hang on overflow that pumps it down to a 40 gallon sump under the tank. I want to drill a hole in the bottom and just put a smaller, more attractive black over flow box in there. I think I'll have a refugium and protein skimmer in the sump then pump it back up to the surface for flow. I'll probably have some powerheads in there for extra flow for my sps and mag

 

[ATX aquarist]

did you ever get that new aquascape up?

 

[illcssd]

No, im in a slump, i spent 5 hours on it on mon and came up with nothing. I am gonna trade some of my rocks for different pieces cause i am so angry lol. I am a terrible aquascaper and it has to be just right so that the anemones will be placed right.
soon.
austin

 

[ATX aquarist]

yeah, well don't settle. Better have it perfect than regret it for as long as you have it.

 

[maxxII]

Austin,
If you have access to powertools, (and depending on how dense your rock is), you can work on the rock and make it fit your tank/needs.

I have used a compound mitre saw with a regular blade to cut porous rock. I've also used a drill and masonry bits to drill holes through rocks, and used acrylic rods the same diameter to join rocks together/stabilize rocks.

Might be an option for you...

Nick

 

[GSMguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9660030#post9660030 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by maxxII
Austin,
If you have access to powertools, (and depending on how dense your rock is), you can work on the rock and make it fit your tank/needs.

I have used a compound mitre saw with a regular blade to cut porous rock. I've also used a drill and masonry bits to drill holes through rocks, and used acrylic rods the same diameter to join rocks together/stabilize rocks.

Might be an option for you...

Nick

would have to be strong acrylic to hold 100lb peices up.

 

[maxxII]

No stronger than normal...
I've been using 3/8ths inch acrylic rods for several of mine with no issues. Granted I'm not attempting to support 100 lbs of rock, but that large of a rock will have lots of places to put rods...so use multiples. Keep in mind water will support some of the weight of the rock as well. So if you're able to get it together and have it support itself out of the tank, you'll be fine inside the tank.

The key is using multiple rods placed at different angles to give the rock(s) structural support and stability.

Its just another option to be aware of...if its easier and preferable for Austin to get new rock, then by all means, get new rock...



Nick

 

[maxxII]

Pics copy/pasted from my tank build thread...
These two rocks together weigh somewhere close to 45 lbs, and I used 4 rods. Very stable.

Got the acrylic rod today and made two good size rocks into one larger more stable rock.


Here are the two rocks I started with.

And here's what it looks like now.

I shot this with the flash which caused the acrylic rod to shine like that....wont do it in the tank.
Here are two back to back shots at about the same angle....one w/ flash, one w/o

Right side...you can see where the rod was inserted

Rear

Left side

Top

The rods all but disappear when inside the tank and any sort of algae starts to grow. I just used regular masonry drill bits and drilled through the rock. This is pretty porous and IMO, soft rock. I have some nice pieces of rock that are denser and harder, and they dont drill as well....in fact, they have a tendancy to shatter and break when drilled. From what I've been able to determine by screwing around with some less attractive/less usable pieces, is that drilling holes partially through the dense rock is doable, but as soon as the drill bit begins to pass through the back side of the rock, it shatters.
I also have a Lava rock that is almost impossible to drill through....so for these pieces, I'm waiting for the Thorite to make the racks...

Nick

 

[ATX aquarist]

here's an idea of an aquascape that my LFS used to have when it had an open top cube featuring a mag. It had a reef wall in the back corner and two towers. They had tons of polyps and stuff. It was really beautiful. Here's a rough drawing of what it looked like
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r234/john082588/testaquarium.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

 

[GSMguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9668137#post9668137 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ATX aquarist
here's an idea of an aquascape that my LFS used to have when it had an open top cube featuring a mag. It had a reef wall in the back corner and two towers. They had tons of polyps and stuff. It was really beautiful. Here's a rough drawing of what it looked like
<a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i145.photobucket.com/albums/r234/john082588/testaquarium.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a>

i like that but i think austins placement of the mag on the bigger island in the back is better especially incase he decides to hid a gigantea in there there will be more space for it??


Nick nice pics i will be doing that in my next BB tank

Austin how long till you add some live stock ?

 

[illcssd]

Live stock meaning anemones? a while. I have 8 chromis in there. That i am not sure if i am going to keep in there. Maybe decide to go with a school anthias. But i don't know if i want to deal with the feeding things.
I also have a mated pair of blue bar gobies in there. They are helping keep the sand clean tremendously.
I don't think that i will be adding anything serious until i get my aquascaping done, but that could be sooner or later.

 

[ATX aquarist]

would you mind posting some pictures of the mags you have Austin?

 

[illcssd]

 

[illcssd]

Those are the only pictures i have right now. I am at work and those are the the only ones i have on photobucket.
Just for fun though, i will post all my anemones.

 

[illcssd]

Sold, as it outgrew my tank:

 

[illcssd]

Working on getting the color back on this lta, i probably won't keep it to long as it is growing fast and i really don't like long tentacle's that much, it just was bleached out and i saw that it had potential....

 

[illcssd]

By far my favorite anemone that i will never part with:

 

[illcssd]

My tonga rose:

 

[illcssd]

Baby crispa:

 

[GSMguy]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9672204#post9672204 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by illcssd
By far my favorite anemone that i will never part with:

that one is amzing i like the mags too though