FibberMcGee
Premium Member
Looks great !!
Here is my big tank so far.
- Thread starter gooch
- Start date
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Why did you go with ceramic over arag-crete? Ceramic is a relatively non-porous substance after you fire it...is there something else to it? I mean, with arag-crete you can make rock that has relatively the same porosity as regular LR, but ceramic...well...its pretty much glass after you fire it, it doesnt even have a buffer capacity.
Ceramic is very porous fired at lower temps. It is when it is fired at higher temps that it becomes water tight. My ceramic is only bisk(sp) fired. To make it water tight it would have to be fired again. I sat down one afternoon with a potter and I told him what I needed and what I wanted to do. Granted most of it went over my head but he was confident this stuff would work.
This clay is also harvested from an area that use to be an ancient ocean(no bs). I believe this clay has a lot of lime or calcium in it. When fired it looks like a stone. If you saw how fast it corallined up you would be suprised. Especially since I added supplements about every two weeks and have never done a water change. Cleaned the skimmer three times in six months and have very few snails in the tank. And I feed heavy. I have spaghetti type worms colonizing it as well. I abused the hell out of this rock in my testing. This is not something I am just jumping into. I have been thinking and researching this tank for about 18 months already. The test rock has been in tank since June. Here is a thread if you want to go through it and look at pictures.
http://www.zoosrus.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2141&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
As for buffering capacity. I think it will be fine. As for filtration I think there will be more surface area for bacteria to colonize. Remember every rock is hollow or no thicker than two inches. I may have issues with nitrates but I do have two sixty gallon refugiums and a huge skimmer. Plus water changes.
I didn't want to use aragonite for a few reasons. Clay is easier to mold. I do not think I could have gotten the shapes I wanted. It is heavier. And I just think it takes to long to cure. And I personally do not think it is a pourous as liverock. In fact I really do not think liverock is pourous enough to really make that much of a difference. Just my opinion and not looking to argue it.
Not to mention this stuff(ceramic rock) is very popular in Europe. Or at least has been in use for a long time. I guess liverock is pretty expensive there. And this has been a substitute for it. It is not the same material I use but I think I am pretty close. I know Tunze Stream Rocks are ceramic and I just loved the way they looked after a few months in the tank.
And the number one reason is I just wanted to try something different.
This clay is also harvested from an area that use to be an ancient ocean(no bs). I believe this clay has a lot of lime or calcium in it. When fired it looks like a stone. If you saw how fast it corallined up you would be suprised. Especially since I added supplements about every two weeks and have never done a water change. Cleaned the skimmer three times in six months and have very few snails in the tank. And I feed heavy. I have spaghetti type worms colonizing it as well. I abused the hell out of this rock in my testing. This is not something I am just jumping into. I have been thinking and researching this tank for about 18 months already. The test rock has been in tank since June. Here is a thread if you want to go through it and look at pictures.
http://www.zoosrus.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=2141&perpage=15&pagenumber=1
As for buffering capacity. I think it will be fine. As for filtration I think there will be more surface area for bacteria to colonize. Remember every rock is hollow or no thicker than two inches. I may have issues with nitrates but I do have two sixty gallon refugiums and a huge skimmer. Plus water changes.
I didn't want to use aragonite for a few reasons. Clay is easier to mold. I do not think I could have gotten the shapes I wanted. It is heavier. And I just think it takes to long to cure. And I personally do not think it is a pourous as liverock. In fact I really do not think liverock is pourous enough to really make that much of a difference. Just my opinion and not looking to argue it.
Not to mention this stuff(ceramic rock) is very popular in Europe. Or at least has been in use for a long time. I guess liverock is pretty expensive there. And this has been a substitute for it. It is not the same material I use but I think I am pretty close. I know Tunze Stream Rocks are ceramic and I just loved the way they looked after a few months in the tank.
And the number one reason is I just wanted to try something different.
Well I am as far as I can go until it dries. Then I bake it. I actually only need three or four more peices to complete it. But I can go no further until I mount the pieces on the overflows. I think you will get the idea of how it will look.
Left Side
Right Side
Top Down
Center
Now I get to work on the plumbing.
Left Side
Right Side
Top Down
Center
Now I get to work on the plumbing.
I like the way it looks. Most importantly so does the wife. Her one rule was that no pvc showed. I know if I was to do it again it would go a lot smoother as I learned a bit while doing it. It was fun but pulling teeth fun. You know a real pain but you feel so much better when your done.
Just had the kiln installed and did a test fire yesterday. Well two of them as my first attempt resulted in the samples exploding. Second try was better I was able to do the side plates for my overflows. One piece cracked but held together. I figure this will happen to a few pieces and the cracks look cool.
Saturday I am going to do a big fire.
gooch
Saturday I am going to do a big fire.
gooch
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Jason has a reef? I thought he was always into Eels and 'fish that ate other fish'.
hahnmeister
In Memoriam
Trash it? Wha?!?!!? Ill take it!!! OR I know Bill could use some in the near future when he and I finally get to setting up that acrylic frag vat of his (the one he bought from you).
Actually after a 13 hour night shift I have been doing a ton of thinking. I am scrapping the current aquascape on my tank and doing something like I did for my brothers 90. I just really like the way that looks. So today the closed loop spray bar is coming out and I am starting over.
Better to do it now before I fire it. At least now I can salvage the clay. Just have to rehydrate it .
You don't want that rock. It has valonia all over it and black sponge underneath it. It was real low quality Walt Smith Premium Fiji to begin with. It looked like crud when I got it and in three years it never improved. It is junk.
Better to do it now before I fire it. At least now I can salvage the clay. Just have to rehydrate it .
You don't want that rock. It has valonia all over it and black sponge underneath it. It was real low quality Walt Smith Premium Fiji to begin with. It looked like crud when I got it and in three years it never improved. It is junk.
MiddletonMark
Premium Member
Better to realize that now, than post-firing.
I have no doubt it'll look incredible.
WOW
WOW
Amazing Gooch!! I love the ingenuity! Good Luck on the remold, I had to laugh... That sounds like something I would do, and everyoneââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s mouth would drop and ask.....Youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re starting over NOW???? Sometimes it has to be done, Go for it!! I did want to know what the 3 large holes in the center/top were for?
I have always thought a multi-tier structure could be sweet. Like 4-5 graduated shelves, with layered over-hangs and caves.... Just an idea, I have loved all of your so far and can't wait to see what you come up with
Oh, and about the jawfish, do you ever have an issue with them sprinkling sand ALLOVER your blasto's or riccordea? I find mine to be especially good at doing this on my favorite corals, (while I'm out of town, only). Usually (especially with certain mushrooms) the coral will die from this. I thought it was from the detrius, because even when uncovered, they rarely recover.
WOW
Amazing Gooch!! I love the ingenuity! Good Luck on the remold, I had to laugh... That sounds like something I would do, and everyoneââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢s mouth would drop and ask.....Youââ"šÂ¬Ã¢"žÂ¢re starting over NOW???? Sometimes it has to be done, Go for it!!
I did want to know what the 3 large holes in the center/top were for? I have always thought a multi-tier structure could be sweet. Like 4-5 graduated shelves, with layered over-hangs and caves.... Just an idea, I have loved all of your so far and can't wait to see what you come up with
Oh, and about the jawfish, do you ever have an issue with them sprinkling sand ALLOVER your blasto's or riccordea? I find mine to be especially good at doing this on my favorite corals, (while I'm out of town, only). Usually (especially with certain mushrooms) the coral will die from this. I thought it was from the detrius, because even when uncovered, they rarely recover.
21 reefman
I havn't kept a jawfish in a long time. Never had a problem with them and corals when I did. Three large holes were for my streams. Tank is four feet deep so I was going to put three 6000's in there one pointing left one right and one toward the from of the tank.
Spazz,
I am asuming you mean the 8 foot frag tank. It is only 12" tall including the bottom and the eurobrace. It was made out of 1/2". The bow is so slight I had to go down and look at it when I read the post. It has been running for a while now(about nine months) and I do not clean the sides. They are coated with coraline. The tank was made to be looked at from the top down. I use to have two 6'x3'x14" lagoonal tanks and was going to set this eight footer and another one just like it up when I still had my shop. They are cool set ups. I use to just stare at them for hours. I sold the other tanks and hung on to this one to hold the corals I am putting in my big tank. Once that is set up this one comes down.
Scott
I havn't kept a jawfish in a long time. Never had a problem with them and corals when I did. Three large holes were for my streams. Tank is four feet deep so I was going to put three 6000's in there one pointing left one right and one toward the from of the tank.
Spazz,
I am asuming you mean the 8 foot frag tank. It is only 12" tall including the bottom and the eurobrace. It was made out of 1/2". The bow is so slight I had to go down and look at it when I read the post. It has been running for a while now(about nine months) and I do not clean the sides. They are coated with coraline. The tank was made to be looked at from the top down. I use to have two 6'x3'x14" lagoonal tanks and was going to set this eight footer and another one just like it up when I still had my shop. They are cool set ups. I use to just stare at them for hours. I sold the other tanks and hung on to this one to hold the corals I am putting in my big tank. Once that is set up this one comes down.
Scott
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