Idea for Faux sand bed. Envirotex Lite high gloss finish.
- Thread starter mattjk
- Start date
FastUno
New member
What I would do is to create a PVC backing with about 3 pvc pieces of pipe per 2'. They would go down & finish with an elbow facing in various directions on the BB. Would be nice to hide these between a layer of eggcrate & spray that Great Stuff Foam over that.
Would also be nice to have a pump activated through various pipe inlets randomly for at least 3hrs a day.
Would also be nice to have a pump activated through various pipe inlets randomly for at least 3hrs a day.
FastUno said:
I was thinking about a small PVC pipe, running across the back of the faux bed (buried) with 4-5 90s coming up from the pipe that can be redirected over time (not fixed). Maybe too much..not sure. I was thinking of covering the 90s with the epoxy/sand mix too to "blend" them in to the ground.
FastUno
New member
Mines will not be fixed nor buried. Modular pieces with the 90 elbow the can be moved to any direction. You will have access to the black pvc from the bottom 2-3 inch gap.
So, a layer of PVC that goes back against the wall & then eggcrate mounted to the PVC, so to create one piece that can be removed if needed. The foam sprayed over that, but not touching glass, so the entire piece can be moved.
You have a very interesting idea, but sounds like yours is permanent.
So, a layer of PVC that goes back against the wall & then eggcrate mounted to the PVC, so to create one piece that can be removed if needed. The foam sprayed over that, but not touching glass, so the entire piece can be moved.
You have a very interesting idea, but sounds like yours is permanent.
Marshall
Premium Member
Why not just run a piece of pipe with some holes facing forward along the tank (a spray bar) and then connect that to your closed loop or the return manifold?
Are y'all going to put the rock directly on the sand or are you going to prop the rock up so you can shoot water under the rocks to keep detritus suspended back there? What are you going to prop the rocks with?
Also, has anyone done this OUTSIDE the tank and then moved it in? The talk of cracking glass and having to cure for several days makes it a tough decision as I only have one tank and so my livestock will have to sit in tubs while I did this.
Are y'all going to put the rock directly on the sand or are you going to prop the rock up so you can shoot water under the rocks to keep detritus suspended back there? What are you going to prop the rocks with?
Also, has anyone done this OUTSIDE the tank and then moved it in? The talk of cracking glass and having to cure for several days makes it a tough decision as I only have one tank and so my livestock will have to sit in tubs while I did this.
FastUno said:
I will be putting the faux sand on two removable cutting boards, so I can create the whole thing outside the tank, put it in and take it out when required. However, I was thinking the PVC and channels would be embedded in the epoxy/sand mix, but there would simply be PVC holes in which a rotatable 90, 45, or even a cap may be put on.
I understand your idea...I'll think about that as an option.
Well, i'm going to join this trend today on a tank that I picked up for free. Cant mess it up really, even it it goes wrong, the tank was free.
I think i'll use the pvc manifold idea, but since this will be a test tank for breeding snails, I'll make the pvc permanent in the epoxy bed. I'm thinking of having a couple risers with 90's on them, so they are adjustable. That way, if a certain area of the tank seems to be collecting crap, I can turn one of the 90's towards that area.
You could also attach some of those flexible fittings, and aim the water in any area you wanted.
I was also thinking a 1/2" pvc riser in the corner of the tank will be the feed for it. After the bottom is hardened, I'll turn the tank on it's side, and epoxy the riser in. This way, it'll blend with the sand bed, and hopefully get covered with coralline later.
I think i'll use the pvc manifold idea, but since this will be a test tank for breeding snails, I'll make the pvc permanent in the epoxy bed. I'm thinking of having a couple risers with 90's on them, so they are adjustable. That way, if a certain area of the tank seems to be collecting crap, I can turn one of the 90's towards that area.
You could also attach some of those flexible fittings, and aim the water in any area you wanted.
I was also thinking a 1/2" pvc riser in the corner of the tank will be the feed for it. After the bottom is hardened, I'll turn the tank on it's side, and epoxy the riser in. This way, it'll blend with the sand bed, and hopefully get covered with coralline later.
phrawd said:
I just wanted to hide the tubes in the sand bed..but an option could be to basically put a spray bar underground with many small holes facing forward, raised up a bit..someone else talked about tilting the tank to make the faux bed taller in the back, perhaps that could work but then the whole bed would be at an angle. For the embedded spray bar option you could insert straws in the holes to make sure the epoxy doesn't flow into the bar?
I'm going to be getting epoxy/sand soon, and will experiment with a few optiions.
I had not thought about the rocks, but I'm thinking I will put some small PVC pipes that the rocks will rest on, those can be coated with the epoxy/sand mix too.
Well, i'm jumping on this today, I thought about using sand, then I thought "Hey, I have this 50lb bag of crushed oyster shells sitting here, why not use it?"
So, after looking around, I decided to try it on my 29 gallon, that i'm going to be using for a frag tank. It's collecting dust after all.
I liked the idea of using eggcrate as a filler on the bottom of the faux sand bed, so I cut out a piece, and poured in the oyster shells to find out how much I needed.
I plumbed together some 1/2" pvc with 3 exhause heads popping out, with 2 90's and 1 45, so I can aim some water around later. I will have a pump attached later, but for now, it'll just be sitting in there. I'm going to have the pvc covered up, with the 90's exposed enough so I can turn them however I please. One side has a riser all the way out of the tank, which I attached a durso style standpipe, with a T pointing in, which I'll use for the closed loop, and a T pointing out, which Is capped for now, which I'll probably use for a sump/fuge later.
I'll get some pics up in a bit.
So, after looking around, I decided to try it on my 29 gallon, that i'm going to be using for a frag tank. It's collecting dust after all.
I liked the idea of using eggcrate as a filler on the bottom of the faux sand bed, so I cut out a piece, and poured in the oyster shells to find out how much I needed.
I plumbed together some 1/2" pvc with 3 exhause heads popping out, with 2 90's and 1 45, so I can aim some water around later. I will have a pump attached later, but for now, it'll just be sitting in there. I'm going to have the pvc covered up, with the 90's exposed enough so I can turn them however I please. One side has a riser all the way out of the tank, which I attached a durso style standpipe, with a T pointing in, which I'll use for the closed loop, and a T pointing out, which Is capped for now, which I'll probably use for a sump/fuge later.
I'll get some pics up in a bit.
Great photos, suver569. Thanks for posting them.
phrawd said:
Yeah that's what I'm sinking, just silicone around the edges perhaps...will be in the back of the tank anyhow. I'll be putting a very, very thin layer of the epoxy/sand on cutting board..in fact, I'll put a epoxy layer down, then sprinkle sand on it..don't need much. I'm going to use some very thin PVC, I think, maybe < 3/4" if they make it, for the flow towards the front of the tank.
Anyway I'll be quiet now and enjoy the pictures posted by suver569.
Lookin' good!
