As I finish up my fake mangrove root project, I'm anxious to move on to the next!
Following in the footsteps of some great fake rock walls, I want to create a variation and approximate the look of a mangrove lagoonal mudbank. In keeping with my overall goal of building a Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank, I want a mudbank-not a reef rock wall. This is NOT a reef tank! It IS a marine planted tank-a completely different animal.
Besides trying to make it look cool, I have some specific goals and functions I hope to accomplish.
My number one goal is to provide numerous caves for some specific fish I want to keep. Because this tank will have very little live rock, there won't be enough hiding places for the fish to feel safe and secure. I want to provide additional nooks without using more live rock.
Second, I want it to take up as little room as possible. My tank is 24 inches front to back, and I'd like to keep this mudbank within about 2 inches thick.
Third, I'm building a surface overflow on the back wall that will span almost the entire width of the tank. I need the fake mudbank to integrate well with the overflow and hopefully even disguise it.
Construction will take place outside the tank, so it will have to be in more than one piece, allowing me to fit it under my hood and through the tank's top openings. One of the downsides to doing it this way, is ending up with a straight, vertical seam running up the middle of the wall. To avoid that, I will shape the wall pieces to fit together like puzzle pieces, so there won't be a straight, unsightly dividing line.
Like most of the fake-rockers before me, I will probably use egg crate light diffusor as my base structure. However, I will consider other materials that are thinner, since overall thickness is a big concern.
I've been collecting small plastic bottles, which will become my caves. Since they are all different shapes and sizes, I hope they will provide a natural look to the wall. They will be attached to the structure laying flat on it.
I will use the black pond foam, which should be almost the perfect color as-is. I may sprinkle some silica sand on it as it dries to make it more brown. I'll add shells and rubble and many small fiddler crab-like holes as well.
So there you have it! I'm excited about this because I've never seen it done in a home aquarium before.
Comments? Suggestions?
Following in the footsteps of some great fake rock walls, I want to create a variation and approximate the look of a mangrove lagoonal mudbank. In keeping with my overall goal of building a Caribbean Biotope Seagrass Tank, I want a mudbank-not a reef rock wall. This is NOT a reef tank! It IS a marine planted tank-a completely different animal.
Besides trying to make it look cool, I have some specific goals and functions I hope to accomplish.
My number one goal is to provide numerous caves for some specific fish I want to keep. Because this tank will have very little live rock, there won't be enough hiding places for the fish to feel safe and secure. I want to provide additional nooks without using more live rock.
Second, I want it to take up as little room as possible. My tank is 24 inches front to back, and I'd like to keep this mudbank within about 2 inches thick.
Third, I'm building a surface overflow on the back wall that will span almost the entire width of the tank. I need the fake mudbank to integrate well with the overflow and hopefully even disguise it.
Construction will take place outside the tank, so it will have to be in more than one piece, allowing me to fit it under my hood and through the tank's top openings. One of the downsides to doing it this way, is ending up with a straight, vertical seam running up the middle of the wall. To avoid that, I will shape the wall pieces to fit together like puzzle pieces, so there won't be a straight, unsightly dividing line.
Like most of the fake-rockers before me, I will probably use egg crate light diffusor as my base structure. However, I will consider other materials that are thinner, since overall thickness is a big concern.
I've been collecting small plastic bottles, which will become my caves. Since they are all different shapes and sizes, I hope they will provide a natural look to the wall. They will be attached to the structure laying flat on it.
I will use the black pond foam, which should be almost the perfect color as-is. I may sprinkle some silica sand on it as it dries to make it more brown. I'll add shells and rubble and many small fiddler crab-like holes as well.
So there you have it! I'm excited about this because I've never seen it done in a home aquarium before.
Comments? Suggestions?
