Here is my big tank so far.

Well, like I said I started over. Saturday I built a mock tank the same inside dimensions of my tank. I think the first mistake I mad was building the closed loop first. It just didn't look right once I had it done. I ripped out the closed loop and will build that around the rockwork.

I am this far.
newrock006.jpg

newrock007.jpg

newrock008.jpg

newrock009.jpg

newrock010.jpg

newrock011.jpg
 
ok gooch that rock work is looking cooler by the day. your becoming a master at this. what will it take for you to come over to the twin cities and do a demonstration of this??? we are looking for events like this for the club??? coral frag bribes????
or are you planning any demos out there in your area where we could make the trip out there as a club to see it??? I would love to do this with my next tank.
 
Right now all I want to do is get this thing done. Get water in my tank and get going on moving my corals and fish into the tank.

Here is one of the small pieces I made last week.
newrock001.jpg


I was messing around just getting my feet wet. I am probably going to give them away. I think they would be great in a quarantine tank or while aclimating new frags. It should all but eliminate the chance of a frag getting lost before it has a chance to get attatched to its permanent home.

Here is a big one I may add near the back of my tank to hold frags for trading once my corals start getting big and need trimming.
newrock005.jpg


To give a demonstration I would first have to know what I am doing. This is all new to me as well. This could turn out to be a complete failure. Only time will tell.

gooch
 
Great Job! I was looking into making my own Ceramic Walls and started a thread in the DIY forum about it. I just didn't have the time to make my own and find a kiln to fire it so I purchased some pre-made pieces:

Here they are when I first installed them:

73065wallsintank.jpg
 
mike89t-

Hey I like that wall setup. Is that the 150G? I'm working on getting my 180G going where did you get that rock? Thanks for your help man!

gooch-

I'm really considering following your stuff in my tank setup! I really enjoy your documenting. Nice Work! Thanks for posting it! I'm definitely watching to the end! ~Matt
 
Looks like reef ceramics, made in Germany. I believe that you can find them at various sites, including finsreef.com

Chris
 
I looked into buying it myself but I really wanted this to be unique. If I purchased premade pieces I felt it wouldn't look right and wouldn't flow. I am hoping when a person sees it for the first time they see it and there eyes just follow it.

I came across a slightly used(3 fires) kiln for $200. It is small but I can do about 100 pounds at a time. Another $100 to wire it. $350 for materials it was still way less than buying it comercially. Not to mention the feeling you get from doing it yourself. Even though it is time consuming and laborous it is almost fun doing it. I just ordered another 1000 pounds of clay. After tearing it apart I ended up running out of material. The clay that dried is still usable but I have to add water to it so I am gonna wait until spring to do that. Even with that I will have only about $1,000 invested in it. Way less than liverock and probably way less than if I purchased the pre made ceramic. And I will be able to build mine, my brothers and a couple of friends and still have stuff left over. I am sure I can get what I paid for the kiln when I get rid of it as well(although the kids want to make stuff now) so I may end up keeping it.
 
You should just make one large rock...something that looks like the main rock in 'Lion King' or something, and then just everything sits around it. All those little pieces with their own agenda can make the tank look, well, 'processed'.
 
That is the idea. But the kiln I have is only so big. Those little pieces you see in the center are not going into my tank. They are just to give me something to look at . Once everything encrusts you should not be able to tell one piece from the next(hopefully). I also have to figure a way to hide six stream pumps in this tank. So I am sure there will be spots that look odd. I wanted lots of caves for the fish as well.

When you look at the big picture the rockwork will just be a place to put corals and the fish to swim around. After a year no one will even be able to see the rockwork in most places.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6757745#post6757745 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gooch
I came across a slightly used(3 fires) kiln for $200. It is small but I can do about 100 pounds at a time. Another $100 to wire it. $350 for materials it was still way less than buying it comercially. Not to mention the feeling you get from doing it yourself. Even though it is time consuming and laborous it is almost fun doing it. I just ordered another 1000 pounds of clay. After tearing it apart I ended up running out of material. The clay that dried is still usable but I have to add water to it so I am gonna wait until spring to do that. Even with that I will have only about $1,000 invested in it. Way less than liverock and probably way less than if I purchased the pre made ceramic. And I will be able to build mine, my brothers and a couple of friends and still have stuff left over. I am sure I can get what I paid for the kiln when I get rid of it as well(although the kids want to make stuff now) so I may end up keeping it.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a great deal! My biggest stumbling block was I didn't have the time to find a place to fire my ceramics. Not to mention the time to make it look nice.

Here is the thread I started on DIY Reef Ceramics:
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=630141&highlight=reef+ceramics
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6758008#post6758008 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gooch
That is the idea. But the kiln I have is only so big.
Click to expand...

You mean you can't make something like this size:
untitled10.jpg


;)
 
I could make some of those pieces. But I do not know if they will look that nice. My kiln is 22.5" tall by 17.5"wide. Those are the inside dimensions.

You have to remember I have made a handfull of pieces so it would be unfair to compare my stuff to rocks they make. I think they have been doing it a lot longer and have much better methods. I really do not have a clue myself.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6758162#post6758162 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by gooch
I could make some of those pieces. But I do not know if they will look that nice. My kiln is 22.5" tall by 17.5"wide. Those are the inside dimensions.

You have to remember I have made a handfull of pieces so it would be unfair to compare my stuff to rocks they make. I think they have been doing it a lot longer and have much better methods. I really do not have a clue myself.
Click to expand...

I don't know. Some of the stuff you have made so far looks pretty good. Way better than I could do.

Thanks for posting the info in the other thread!
 
All I know is it looks like an alka seltzer when I first put it in water. So I do know it is absorbing some water. I was told at this temp if I were to make a bowl and fill it with water it would not hold water. It needs to be reduced(fired again at a higher temp). I let that information go right over my head as it is one step further than I needed to go.

I could not tell you how porous. Probably not as porous as some liverock.
 
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