Foam & Live Rock commbo

[devgru]

i think that im going to drop this project and just drill an extra 2 3/4" holes on the rear of tank and use the 2 3/4" that are on bottom as a behind rock spray bar.

if things were different i would like to do a foam/rock scaping project.being that my LR has been in my system for over 4 yrs i'd rather keep it that way.

i still need to hide my internal acrylic overflow box.byt i think that some Krylon fusion will help.

micstarz---as to your question i wil try my best,but dont hold me to it.first by exposing the LR to air you would be killing any anaerobic bacteria that is already in play.if this bacteria only lives in conditions without O2 i think that exposing it would cause a die off.not 100% sure but seems likely

by keeping it wet or moist i believe that it would decrease the chance of a full die off.

 

[customcolor]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14443895#post14443895 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefEnabler
devgru,

you could do a cave in the center. two pillars that cover up both of those vertical pipes, then a top connecting the two pillars could cover up the overflow box (I couldn't see any return line in ur pic).

youd see the black background as a cave between these.

the only tricky part in this would be making is asymmetrical as possible. a symmetrical cave in the middle would probably look awful.... but if you varied the shape alot, make one pillar taller and fatter, and used the composition around the other areas to your advantage it could look GREAT.

did you get that idea from me??? :eek1: :rollface:
goning on just a year and a half now

 

[devgru]

nice scaping.i still dont know what im going to do.

option 1: do away with e vertical PVC and drill holes somewhere else.and then just try to cover the overflow box with a foam/rock design( i sketched a design where the foam/rok starts in the upper right corner and goes to the right,covering the overflow and then down slightly diagonal,creating 1 pillar as sorts.

option2:drill the tank and forgo the PVC,and Krylon fusion the overflow box itself.

option3:just rockscape like i had in the past and let the overflow be semi-visible.

option4:forget about a reef tank and get a betta bowl

 

[james3370]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14448264#post14448264 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by devgru
option4:forget about a reef tank and get a betta bowl

i consider this option at least once a day.......

LOL

 

[devgru]

well its either keep my reef tanks or become someone who just lays around watching soaps and talk shows.

have you seen All My Children lately?what about Judge Judy?

 

[james3370]

going crazy is the only thing that keeps me sane

 

[devgru]

OK guys i finally settled on a design and im commited to it.i already started securing my eggcrate around the overflow box.

instead of just doing a foam/rock design around the box itself im going to follow Reefenablers idea of having the back open to a certain extent.the structure will start 1/2way between the right side glass and the rght side of the overflow.it will continue to the right and stop a few inches past the left overflow box edge.

as most of my LR will be in the corners tapering up to the rear top,it will appear(hopefully) to look like a shelf branching out from the LR corner to other corner somewhat

from the right corner of the overflow box i will have a column of sorts.with a slight radius/bend all the way to the bottom of tank a few inches from the front glass.

ill of course post pics as i progress.i take pics of every step just because space on a digital camera is not limited ans i can always of course erase what i dont like.pics should be up by morning.

 

[devgru]

ok i need some help.i temporarily secured the eggcrate pcs for the overflow with dabs of silicone.however it doesnt secure to acrylic too good.

marinedepot has a 2part epoxy "underwater glue" that bonds to PVC but it doesnt say anything about acrylic.

i need something to bond the eggcate to the acrilic as there wont be anything below to hold it up.

any suggestions?

 

[customcolor]

try weld on 16. it take some time but you wont beable to get off to easy. for the quick lock just use super glue gel.

 

[devgru]

thnx customcolor.

super glue?ther is a small gap 1/16" or smaller.

i need to secure it to the underside of the acrylic box.then foam the edge ,and then place coral skeleton pcs and more foam,then epoxy and sand to fill.

maybe the super glue gel.i know it must have cyanoacelite(sp?)

 

[customcolor]

i use the gel for my frags so why not. i glued a piece of polycarbonit to a 4" piece of pvc for a top down viewer and works great.

 

[devgru]

thanks again.

and thanks for the viewer DIY.i was about to buy one from a local fabricator for $50

 

[customcolor]

glad to pass on a cheep diy so save like $45 out of $50

just make shure that one of 2 things...eather make the 4" pvc as flat as you can or just put on a lot of superglue GEL

 

[devgru]

i was thinking of a 6" coupler.factory flat and good size opening.

thanks again

 

[ReefEnabler]

sounds good keep us posted.

customcolor,
thats interesting! that does look alot like what I was picturing. I may have seen your tank around before and never put together that you were trying to cover up and overflow.... cant remember. But it looks cool!

the cave definitely adds some depth.

I was also picturing with another tall rock pillar in front of the cave, slightly off centered, beaking the cave into a 1/3 and 2/3 ratio.

I almost want to tear down my aquascape and redo it these things have so many possibilities.

 

[ReefEnabler]

browsed this thread again and saw the first pic of your tank, wow I didn't even recognize that was yours! Looks way different now.



I posted these overflow cover pillars here once but never the rest of my aquascape:

 

[Steve175]

Was ready to pull the trigger and do this but am a bit nervous that several of the originators (including the guy who started this thread) have dismantled their tanks. Anyone done this for more than a year with healthy SPS (besides the single TOTM)?

 

[tdkarl]

Has anyone noticed a high level of skimmate in thier skimmer using the foam/epoxy backgrounds? I have had mine running about 3 weeks and its been producing high ammounts of very watery skimmate. About 5 gallons a day. No mater how much tweeking I do to my skimmer it just keeps coming. I would think by now things would have calmed down. On my old 75 gallon I didnt have this issue with this skimmer at all, but I wasnt using any foam/epoxy background in the old tank. I am using a aquaC EV-120 skimmer. All my other readings and tests are zero.

 

[ReefEnabler]

how long did it cure for???

My BK250SM has been consistently skimming dark coffee.

However I have noticed that in some places the foam has begun to "swell up" and cracks are apparent, through which I can see through the sand/epoxy to the black foam. Like dry mud in the desert. So far no side effects besides that.

 

[tdkarl]

Its my understanding there is no "cure" time for this setup since its inert. I did let the foam / epoxy dry for about a week oor so befoore setting up the tank.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=14839094#post14839094 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ReefEnabler
how long did it cure for???

My BK250SM has been consistently skimming dark coffee.

However I have noticed that in some places the foam has begun to "swell up" and cracks are apparent, through which I can see through the sand/epoxy to the black foam. Like dry mud in the desert. So far no side effects besides that.