600 gallon Acrylic Reef - Page 30

kpk · #**726** 07/24/2006, 11:32 PM

What did you drill holes with paul? That is some awesome looking rockwork!

Jaime_309 · #**727** 07/24/2006, 11:54 PM

i agree, it looks real nice, good depth... your fish must love it!!!

Dtking · #**728** 07/25/2006, 12:14 AM

that is an awesome idea, it looks really good!... but i want to know what you drilled it with too, i will do it in my next tank!

mskohl · #**729** 07/25/2006, 12:16 AM

I really like that. I'd like to see it before we move.

Matrexz · #**730** 07/25/2006, 07:40 AM

Man Paul thanks to you I'm going to have to go buy more rock because now I want to try the pillar thing. Your tank is looking awesome in my opinion.

pwhitby · #**731** 07/25/2006, 08:14 AM

i drilled it with a 1 1/4 inch hole saw. (Actually, with two......they wear down reasonably fast).

I am very happy with the results. I got the idea from a tank that will be TOTM next month. A gentleman from Germany called Ralf. He and I chatted some about what works best etc....but that was my first attempt.

If you do decide to do something like this, you really need plate rock. Anything thicker than a couple of inches is difficult to cut and stack nicely.

I have been toying with the idea of making plates of rock myself using Travi's recipe and letting them set with holes already in place. These can then be stacked where ever I want them to be.

From the videos and pictures above, I hope you can see the cave working behind the rocks. The fish love this as they can dart in and then reappear elsewhere. I still have some aquascaping to do to completely obscure the racking, but thats not a priority.

The RHS will have three pillars and possibly an arch of some sort. The rockworking will not have the cave across the back like the LHS.

Thanks for all the kind words,

P.

pwhitby · #**732** 07/25/2006, 08:19 AM

heres another vid if anyones interested. You can see the opening for the cave in this one.

http://www.flowinghand.net/images/dscf0302.avi

thanks for looking,

P.

Lazyreefer · #**733** 07/25/2006, 03:59 PM

Paul,

Nice video. However it needs background music. What do you think of ......

STYX - To Much time on my hands

Russ Braaten · #**734** 07/25/2006, 05:38 PM

Am I the only one who has trouble downloading the file? I have DSL but it looks like a 30 minute download!

captbunzo · #**735** 07/25/2006, 05:49 PM

Probably not the only one, but that is a screwed up connection you have there at the moment. Should only take a couple minutes to download over DSL, max.

Russ Braaten · #**736** 07/25/2006, 06:42 PM

Finally and I LOVE the idea of rock towers.

Paul, The only time I tried to drill rock I did it with a typical masons dril bit and since the rock had holes in it the bit would grab a little. The rock was regular live rock and was not strong enough to hold together with the small amount of grab and would bust the rock. Can you tell me how you drilled the rock and was this your regular live rock you drilled or some sort of baserock?

Russ

pwhitby · #**737** 07/25/2006, 06:55 PM

It was regular live rock and I used a hole saw, so the hole was 1 1/4 inches across. The hole saw has an attached pilot drill in the middle, so that keeps it on the straight an narrow. I did crack a couple of pieces, but so long as the rock was wet and I didnt press really hard, it went thru.

I did it slowly, miminum of prssure and kept cleaning the hole as I went.

P.

pwhitby · #**738** 07/25/2006, 07:11 PM

I have been looking for plate rock to make the other 3 or 4 pillars I want in the tank, but havent been able to find any. If anyone has any large flat plates, i would be interested in them if you have no need for them.

Failing that, I will be making a lot of rock in the very near future.

Having seen the results Travis has achieved with his recipes, I have to say Im quite inclined to make some....or have Travis come and make some more for me.....hint hint....

P.

Russ Braaten · #**739** 07/25/2006, 08:04 PM

Paul, did you use a regular wood hole saw or a diamond coated one or one with carbide grit?

pwhitby · #**740** 07/25/2006, 09:11 PM

regular bi metal made by blu mol....about $10

Ixthys · #**741** 07/26/2006, 12:14 PM

Paul,
Have you tried a cement bit? I've used them before and they work pretty good, but you can also bust up a good piece of rock with too much pressure and if the rock is really porous. Did you run into any problems like that with the hole saw?

pwhitby · #**742** 07/26/2006, 01:00 PM

the only problem i had was that i destroyed the hole saw after about 8 rocks, but I was trying to drill an old piece of TBS rock that was possibly a fossilized coral skelleton and was very hard.

Regular fiji was just fine.

messy1messmer · #**743** 07/27/2006, 02:42 PM

I would like to ask you what kind of sand you are using? What grade it is? I sorry if i missed it and you already shared that bit of info.
I also missed but that looks like Judo.
thanks steve

messy1messmer · #**744** 07/27/2006, 02:42 PM

I would like to ask you what kind of sand you are using? What grade it is? I sorry if i missed it and you already shared that bit of info.
I also missed but that looks like Judo.
thanks steve

messy1messmer · #**745** 07/27/2006, 02:42 PM

I would like to ask you what kind of sand you are using? What grade it is? I sorry if i missed it and you already shared that bit of info.
I also missed but that looks like Judo.
thanks steve

pwhitby · #**746** 07/27/2006, 03:15 PM

i am using aragamax, it pretty small grain, but not as fine as southdown.

messy1messmer · #**747** 07/27/2006, 03:19 PM

Is southdown now called yard right. I was told the company that made southdown went out of business or were bought out.
Thanks Steve

Travis L. Stevens · #**748** 07/27/2006, 03:45 PM

Yes, and no. Supposedly that's what happened, but Yard Right/Old Castle stopped dealing in Aragonite Sand.

messy1messmer · #**749** 07/27/2006, 03:52 PM

I dont want to Hijak, but yard right is safe to use in a tank right. I did look back and saw that it was mixed with some other stuff. Could a person use it as without mixing it?

Travis L. Stevens · #**750** 07/27/2006, 04:15 PM

Yes, it's safe. And yes you can use it without mixing it. The grain size is quite fine, though. I use it unmixed.