Anyone want to learn advanced rockwork techniques?
 

I am going to be hosting a free workshop on building elaborate rock structures tomorrow (Friday) at Oceanic. Starts at 5:30 and runs for an hour or so.

Here's some examples of what I'll be teaching:

http://i.imgur.com/GiKrPUn.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/1BO9JEx.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iwPb5Xt.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/iOFWMIl.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/MqUemlL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/JArDPK5.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/HWszb6X.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/5VRx1VA.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/SyckqfS.jpg


Comment here or shoot me a PM if you have any questions!

Wow, I'd love to attend but that is way too early for me to get to Aldergrove after work.
Any future plans for a weekend date?

Is it 5:30am?

Sent from my HTC One using Tapatalk

I'll do mixed workshops periodically as ideas spring into my head and/or with community feedback. I'll probably have a ton of pics from this regardless.

Haha, as much as I'd like to think I am, I'm probably not that ambitious. 5:30 PM. I can push it to 6 if there's enough need.

maybe record it for the rest of us?

you can model your hands (and more) big guy =)

Yes, GREAT idea - sure wish I could attend...

By all means, if a few key pictures could be posted with accompanying text, that would be a great start.

Cheers,
-Benoit

I'll try to remember to bring my camera

I'll try to make it; not sure if I can make it at 5:30 though...

I wish I could make it but it's too short of notice

+1 to taking a video and posting it Albert .... :biggrin:

Yah... Sorry about the short notice. For some reason I thought I posted it here. Turns out I didn't press the "submit" button. I'm bad like that :(

I wish I could join in on this, as I am looking for cool ways to aquascape for the new 75g. Sadly I am on the opposite side of the country. I would love if someone made a video and posted it!

I agree about the video, I'd love to see this but can't make it over :neutral:

Further to my interest, here are some questions that come to mind
and could be addressed either with post-event pictures or forum posts.

-Do you use PVC shed 40 and paint it? If so, what paint & cure time?

-How practical is it to work on rocks being pulled from the tank
(and that have some life on them)?

-It looks like you use some sort of cement/mortar to mask fasteners.
If so, what is it and how long a cure time?

-Would be interested to clearly see a frame before rocks are attached.

Perhaps others can submit questions ahead of time?

Video or pictures are fine. I think that the latter is easier to produce
and therefore more likely to be volunteered for...

In these pictures, I've used both 40 and 80. I don't paint, but that's not to say you couldn't use Krylon Fusion beforehand (cures reefsafe IME). Cure time is as per manufacturer's recommendations.

Pretty easy. You lose your coralline often, but it's a minor nuisance at worst.

Just regular concrete. I cure in tank once it sets up if there's less than ~1 cup/100 gallons of tank volume. If there's substantially more, I cure for two weeks remotely. Ideally hydrated for max strength.

Here' are a couple I have:

http://i.imgur.com/n9y68vD.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/w6qjIvx.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/cgmLZ1M.jpg

Albert,

Thanks a lot - these are quite helpful.

I'm a bit hesitant to work on existing rocks (as this is all I have) and
cure concrete in my tank so I'll have to think this through some more.

Good luck with your presentation :)

Cheers from the Okanagan,
-Benoit

I'm going to try to make it tonight
:biggrin:

Are you able to make a YouTube video of a start to finish?

If Tyler records it, then yes. If he forgets his camera... Well, I only have two hands, haha.

i would be in, for a future date!

Starts in 45 minutes!

Please call if you are going to be a couple minutes late. Otherwise, see y'all shortly! :D

workshop
 

Thank you Albert for hosting this. And thank you Tyler for helping. It was also good to meet some fellow enthusiasts.
I learned quite a bit and this will help me when I do the rock work in the 120.
Hopefully soon! lol
That cement that was plasticized is for sure the compound I will use. Only in Aldergrove!
A very good selection of corals and fish if I must say so!
Hopefully pics will come.

Sorry guys.... Forgot my camera, when it comes time to do the rock work for my tank we could possibly do another seminar

Thanks
 

This was a great workshop; thanks for putting it together Albert. It was an opportunity for me to visit Oceanic too, which was a treat.

Good show Albert!

And for those wishing they could have attended, could we have specific details about the "cement that was plasticized"?
TIA,
-Benoit

Ya I couldn't go. It takes two hours to transit from Burnaby. :(

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Thanks to everyone who came. Unfortunately, we finished rather late and I was rushed to leave and didn't take any pictures of note in my haste.

Too bad
Looked good, but then its the technique , not the actual finished piece. We were taught technique, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.