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#151
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Quote:
To make solid structures of live rock without having to dry it you might consider using the acrylic rod method. I did this method and was happy with the results. In the end there is no support structure to see. Although I like Tiggsy's approach better overall. There are trade offs. If you click my red house, my web site has pics of my aquacaping using acrylic rods.
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What if the hokey pokey is what it's all about? |
#152
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do you have a pic of the rods?
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im pouring all my rainey day money in my reef tank, |
#153
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I don't want to steal from Tiggsy's thread but to answer your question. This is what I used: US Plastics Acrylic Tubing
I bought 1/4" and 3/8" rods. I got two masonry bits 1/4" and 3/8" although I found this doesn't matter - regular bits work just fine on live rock. Just drill a hole in two separate rocks and insert a short piece of rod to joint the two. It's sorta like tinker toys except you don't see the rods and the holes are deeper. The rod will fit very snug and You'll need to cut the rod to fit. I think it is harder to aquascape doing it this way. You'll have to build from the ground up in the tank in most cases. Planning is likely harder because of the construction method and the time constraints of keeping the rock wet. Mine turned out pretty close to plan though. Sometimes while drilling it, a rock will just split in half or a chunk will fall off instead of just drill nicely. Most holes drill well though.
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What if the hokey pokey is what it's all about? |
#154
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how long is to long to keep the Lr out of the water? i could use a big container with SW in it to stack them while i do it,
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im pouring all my rainey day money in my reef tank, |
#155
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For LR just use the drill and rod method.
Foam may need more time to dry than you want the LR out of the water. Use base rock for the foaming forms. |
#156
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What type of Epoxy did you use?
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#157
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just find some locally that is safe for potable water use. Try west marine. Autozone/pepboys should have fiberglass resin in the paint/bodywork section made by several companies including BONDO. I'd try to get a spec sheet and see if it says anything about use in water/drinkable water systems.
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never say never |
#158
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Hey all,
This is an awesome thread. Tiggsy, thanks so much for the detailed info, it has been a big help towards helping me figure out everything for my own aquascaping project (which has its own unique challenges of course). sorry if this was already discussed somewhere in this thread, but I noticed that tiggsy said his eggcrate is much stronger and stiffer than the typical white stuff you would buy at lowes. I got my eggcrate at lowes, and it feels very brittle indeed, I don't feel very good about adhering the rock to it, even knowing that the foam will add support. I'm mostly concerned because my rock structures are going to be 30" tall, which is awfully tall to be relying on foam + buoyancy for support. Does anybody know a good place to buy the stronger dark eggcrate that was used in this thread? Thanks! Ryan |
#159
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I was thinking of this myself and milk crates came to mind
I would chop one up and see how strong that is..and take it from there... I would think that would get the job done...just gotta have a dremel handy thats all Felix- |
#160
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I was thinking of this myself and milk crates came to mind
I would chop one up and see how strong that is..and take it from there... I would think that would get the job done...just gotta have a dremel handy thats all Felix- |
#161
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When you built the islands, did you use a framework of egg crate or did you just stack the rocks together and fill in with the foam?
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#162
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for the island i just staked rock, drilled it and cable tied - then used foam to hide the ties and give it support.
works well as its stable as....err....rock! The pics are in my build but for anyone that only follwed this thread heres some uptodate shots: |
#163
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whats the foam called and where can i get it ? tyty
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When life hands you lemons make lemonade one of those red house build people :dance: |
#164
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Head over to Home Depot on Route 32. If you live in the same Monroe, NY I live in.
Called "Great Stuff" |
#165
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^^^ buy the red can. It's for windows/doors. It cures the slowest (~1 hr) making it the easiest to work with.
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Cheers! |
#166
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great updated picks. I am going to start on my overflows soon. Thansk for all the info.
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Eric (Red House for my 425 system) |
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