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wow that is just amazing 
Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)
- Thread starter nineball
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Maintenance Team update
Maintenance Team update
Thank you all for the compliments in regards to the aquascaping :thumbsup:
this is a massive tank so you could just imagine the amount of time that went into the rock work. The aquascape took roughly 5 full days of work (12 hours per day), 2 guys working on placement/ puttying/ designing and 2 guys doing all the labour work- moving rocks in and out of the house- making our lives easier.
my finger tips literally dissipated from the 60 hrs of carefully moving rock in a and out of the tank/ maneuvering the rock around into the proper place/ puttying etc.... all without scratching the acrylic tank
EPO PUTTY useage;
Epo Putty truely is an amazing product! To best mix the resin and the hardner together you want to do so underwater as it seems to form easier.
The first half of our build we used the Epo Putty in a dry state. When applying to the rock work dry you should have some water nearby as it makes for smoother application. If used without water it tends to stick to your fingers and is difficult to work with.
Using bare hands while working with the Epo Putty is also a must as again it sticks to any gloves that you may use. Just be careful not to completely burn of the ends of your finger tips as I did!! :worried2:
for the second half of the build we contructed under water, this condition was a little more temdious to work. To best apply we used zip ties and 30 pound test fishing line to hold in place without any movement. You must hold the Epo Putty in place with some pressure to make sure that it settles into the proper grooves. all points that the intended rocks meet you should use enough Epo Putty that you can cover surface area on both rocks. This will ensure that when dry there is a bond formed between those rocks.
The more gravity defying the rock work the more Epo Putty that should be used. We used PVC pipes to support underneath some of the more abstract design. Zip ties are used to hold the rock into place using a piece underneath as a strong support to tie around.
Drying time;
when worked with in a dry state the Epo Putty seemed to take roughly 2 hrs to dry to a more solid state, you should give it roughly 4 hrs if you are going to be working of of that piece.
when worked with under water the drying time more or less doubles. and to be safe leave you zip ties in place over night as it will ensure a sterel like bond.
We tested 2 other Epoxy products- which were D-D Aquascape Aquarium Epoxy and Instant Ocean HoldFast epoxy
both of these products paled in comparison to EPO PUTTY, literally hardens like steel.
if anyone has any questions or would like further detail on usage please PM me.
:beer:
Jamie Grimm
Maintenance Team update
Thank you all for the compliments in regards to the aquascaping :thumbsup:
this is a massive tank so you could just imagine the amount of time that went into the rock work. The aquascape took roughly 5 full days of work (12 hours per day), 2 guys working on placement/ puttying/ designing and 2 guys doing all the labour work- moving rocks in and out of the house- making our lives easier.
my finger tips literally dissipated from the 60 hrs of carefully moving rock in a and out of the tank/ maneuvering the rock around into the proper place/ puttying etc.... all without scratching the acrylic tank
EPO PUTTY useage;
Epo Putty truely is an amazing product! To best mix the resin and the hardner together you want to do so underwater as it seems to form easier.
The first half of our build we used the Epo Putty in a dry state. When applying to the rock work dry you should have some water nearby as it makes for smoother application. If used without water it tends to stick to your fingers and is difficult to work with.
Using bare hands while working with the Epo Putty is also a must as again it sticks to any gloves that you may use. Just be careful not to completely burn of the ends of your finger tips as I did!! :worried2:
for the second half of the build we contructed under water, this condition was a little more temdious to work. To best apply we used zip ties and 30 pound test fishing line to hold in place without any movement. You must hold the Epo Putty in place with some pressure to make sure that it settles into the proper grooves. all points that the intended rocks meet you should use enough Epo Putty that you can cover surface area on both rocks. This will ensure that when dry there is a bond formed between those rocks.
The more gravity defying the rock work the more Epo Putty that should be used. We used PVC pipes to support underneath some of the more abstract design. Zip ties are used to hold the rock into place using a piece underneath as a strong support to tie around.
Drying time;
when worked with in a dry state the Epo Putty seemed to take roughly 2 hrs to dry to a more solid state, you should give it roughly 4 hrs if you are going to be working of of that piece.
when worked with under water the drying time more or less doubles. and to be safe leave you zip ties in place over night as it will ensure a sterel like bond.
We tested 2 other Epoxy products- which were D-D Aquascape Aquarium Epoxy and Instant Ocean HoldFast epoxy
both of these products paled in comparison to EPO PUTTY, literally hardens like steel.
if anyone has any questions or would like further detail on usage please PM me.
:beer:
Jamie Grimm
canyousee
New member
The first shoot from afar just left me grasping for words non came, really undescribable. Half way down the pool table side I realized I was as close as I'll every get to the Magical Mystery Tour. Coming to the other side it looks like a completely different tank. I know most are ready for corals fish etc. but for me I could just leave it alone and watch all the life come popping out of the rocks and coloring up for months. Thank you all for just a s..t hot experience. (p.s. +1 with SaraB over 50' of acrylic to clean, ouch)
nineball
Active member
If you are in Orlando on Thursday night and you have posted in this thread you are invited to join Mr. Wilson and myself(nineball) with SaraB and her associate and Gary Parr and Tim and his wife Sandra(Hookup). I am going to try and arrange a seafood restaurant and I will post the details as soon as I get them confirmed. My treat.
Peter
nineball
Active member
chingchai
Premium Member
Peter. The rock work is very nice.
Only this area, don't you think it is too tight?
Just my humble opinion.
Hope you don't mind.
nineball
Active member
ChingChai, I presume you mean the last shot???
If you do here is another perspective straight on. I tried to make it look dense and tight if you looked off angle but if you looked straight on it would open up.
Peter
Last edited:
nineball
Active member
mr.wilson
.Registered Member
Jamie and Mark went through more tubes of epoxy for this job then most will use in a lifetime (120 sets). We are pretty sure that we could have used less, but we took the better safe than sorry approach and packed in liberally.
We had second thoughts about one rock today and tried to dislodge it form the reef. The rock is only bonded in two small spots but we quickly realized that the rock or our hands would break before the epoxy bod would
The epoxy is clearly well set in two hours dry and four hours submerged, and a full cure is achieved in 24 hours. At that point in time you can start hanging from a steel I beam with it
We didn't do any drilling yet, but it can be drilled, ground and sanded once it has cured. As Jamie mentioned, cable ties were the most useful tool while the epoxy set, but we did use a few PVC pipes as props here and there.
The epoxy we used is available in larger bulk containers, but it's nice to have small packets to work with so you can measure it more accurately and start and stop anytime you want.
Jamie used the other two brands at the end after he had mastered the art, and he wasn't very happy with the results. The days were long and taxing but the epoxy made the impossible possible. Hats off to Jamie, Mark, Andrew & Craig for a great job. They are still playing around with finishing touches, but reef tanks are never truly "done" anyway
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