Got my new tank
- Thread starter nate4546
- Start date
Sanjay is out of town, but I followed his lead on my tank, so:
- I think maybe we used a concrete bit, but I think a regular would work OK too. Main thing was getting bits long enough (1 foot long).
- Tips: when I did mine, I worked to find a wide, flat, stable one for the base. Sanjay actually used brick pavers for his base stones I think and that's what we used in the HUB. Drill and put them together before you put them in the tank. You can see how it looks, then just lift them off and put them back in reverse order. You can also work on balance this way, so that one side is not too heavy so it would fall over, and you can twist them so they sort of lock together for stability. (Of course, they never fit back exactly the same way in the tank, but you can get close!) Had to experiment a little bit with how much force to use while drilling, not too much or the rock will shatter. I'd say start with a practice rock, and figure you'll lose a couple in the process. Of course, then you have nice rubble.
- Rods were fiberglass (not acrylic, they were too brittle) and we both got them from mcmastercarr, http://www.mcmaster.com/. They have a jillion things, look under materials - plastics - rods. I think I used 3/8" for mine, I was afraid 1/4" was too thin. I probably needed two or three 5' rods, and they shipped them packed in a nice shipping tube. Rods just cut with a hacksaw.
Good luck! Doing the rock was pretty fun, I think I did it all one day, then redid at least 1/2 of it the next. I ended with some of mine being kind of interlocking, and I like the look. It's easy to do caves and overhangs that way. The one downside of pieces overlapping is that if all the pillars are separate, you can lift off pieces more easily if you ever need to redo a section or take out a rock for some reason.
-- Scott
- I think maybe we used a concrete bit, but I think a regular would work OK too. Main thing was getting bits long enough (1 foot long).
- Tips: when I did mine, I worked to find a wide, flat, stable one for the base. Sanjay actually used brick pavers for his base stones I think and that's what we used in the HUB. Drill and put them together before you put them in the tank. You can see how it looks, then just lift them off and put them back in reverse order. You can also work on balance this way, so that one side is not too heavy so it would fall over, and you can twist them so they sort of lock together for stability. (Of course, they never fit back exactly the same way in the tank, but you can get close!) Had to experiment a little bit with how much force to use while drilling, not too much or the rock will shatter. I'd say start with a practice rock, and figure you'll lose a couple in the process. Of course, then you have nice rubble.
- Rods were fiberglass (not acrylic, they were too brittle) and we both got them from mcmastercarr, http://www.mcmaster.com/. They have a jillion things, look under materials - plastics - rods. I think I used 3/8" for mine, I was afraid 1/4" was too thin. I probably needed two or three 5' rods, and they shipped them packed in a nice shipping tube. Rods just cut with a hacksaw.
Good luck! Doing the rock was pretty fun, I think I did it all one day, then redid at least 1/2 of it the next. I ended with some of mine being kind of interlocking, and I like the look. It's easy to do caves and overhangs that way. The one downside of pieces overlapping is that if all the pillars are separate, you can lift off pieces more easily if you ever need to redo a section or take out a rock for some reason.
-- Scott
Use standard but long (as Scott says) masonary drill bits for drilling the rocks. Depending on the type of rock used, be prepared and plan on accidently breaking a few of the rocks when you drill it. A lot of the HUB rock was MARCO rock and we ended up breaking a few when attempting to drill
rickyfins
New member
I used 1/2 inch PVC, I regret not filling them with portland cement to make them a little more sturdy, but in the long run when coraline and corals grow between the rocks it will make it rock solid!
I used a Masonry bit from Lowes, they have long shank bits for around $15
I did mine differently.
I started with an empty tank, drilled each one as I went.
I stood back and looked at the tank and layed out all the rock in front or beside the tank.
I then tried to picture how I wanted it to look and drilled each one as I went.
I also cut the PVC long so that I could trim it when I was done.
I put the base with the PVC rod in first and then built up the rock in the empty tank as I went, and adjusted and drilled as I wanted the tank to look.
It turned out great that way.
The benefit of having all the rock laying out is so you can design, figure, and plan as you go like a jigsaw puzzle.
I used a Masonry bit from Lowes, they have long shank bits for around $15
I did mine differently.
I started with an empty tank, drilled each one as I went.
I stood back and looked at the tank and layed out all the rock in front or beside the tank.
I then tried to picture how I wanted it to look and drilled each one as I went.
I also cut the PVC long so that I could trim it when I was done.
I put the base with the PVC rod in first and then built up the rock in the empty tank as I went, and adjusted and drilled as I wanted the tank to look.
It turned out great that way.
The benefit of having all the rock laying out is so you can design, figure, and plan as you go like a jigsaw puzzle.
AquaReeferMan
Got Reef?
That tank looks familiar... 
Hope you enjoy it.
Hope you enjoy it.
