280g Inwall

Delphinus · #1 06-19-2009, 11:27 PM

I totally went into this thinking I would do the rod thing as well .. I went as far as buying acrylic rods. In the end I just don't want to bother drilling the rocks. I have a hard enough time getting rocks to fit together "just so" anyhow, so I figure I'm further ahead to just do it once and then cement the pieces together rather than try to find the right angle to drill and then wiggle the rock onto the rod and etc. etc.

I did find a different product - forget the name now but I can check it later and post back if it works out - like Thorite it is a "polymer based patching compound" so theoretically it should also be tank safe. However I'm going to test it first, I'll put a bunch together and let it sit in water overnight and see if the pH changes at all.

Then again, some people just use regular old cement .. Since it's a small amount comparitively the pH spike might be minimal and since the tank sits empty anyhow at first to cycle maybe it's a non issue..

StirCrazy · #2 06-20-2009, 03:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Delphinus

Then again, some people just use regular old cement .. ..

and some just stack there rock so it won't fall over

Steve

Delphinus · #3 06-20-2009, 06:25 AM

I dunno. I think you have more possibilities if you can reinforce it. Plus, stuff just happens that you can't plan for. Like right now in my 115g, I have a 4-5lb rock on top with a clam glued to it that is constantly being jostled. I have no idea who's responsible for shifting it around like that, but every few days I'll find it in a slightly different orientation.

Seen a couple tanks that mortared the rock structures and I thought they looked good. But .. well, we'll see, I don't have much of a knack for aesthetic rock placement so maybe it will just look like butt in the end anyhow.

Parker · #4 06-20-2009, 06:49 PM

I was thinking about building pillars for mine and reinforcing with great stuff covered in epoxy and sand.

Jack · #5 06-20-2009, 08:09 PM

Sanjay used Thorite and I've gotta say it looks pretty sweet. He has a thread on reefcentral about how he did his rock work but I don't have the link.

Here's the youtube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psoP8...om=PL&index=22

Jack · #6 06-20-2009, 08:13 PM

Ah, found the thread for you. It explains the use of Thorite ect.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...&pagenumber=66

Got to page 69 for the full tank pics.

Delphinus · #7 06-22-2009, 06:28 PM

... Having a complete beehive of a time trying to locate Thorite. The product name of Thorite seems to refer to 2 or 3 different but similar products. The best I'm able to do so far is locate three buckets of "Thorite 400" in Edmonton. It turns out that the product name itself from BASF is discontinued and replaced with a new product line "Emaco" but it is unclear to me whether it is just the name itself that has changed or whether the composition as well has changed, rendering the "I know it's safe to use based on blind faith" aspect completely null and voided. Reading up at RC has been completely futile as there's only casual passing references to various differnet products ranging from "it's completely safe" to "I can't find this stuff where can I find it" (to which there are responses like "use THIS stuff instead, it's sort of safe" or "Just use acrylic rods, I'm so helpful I rule!!"). Anyhow I am now trying to check whether Emaco GP is any easier to locate, or perhaps Emaco S110. Apparently these are the closest things to what Thorite USED to be, but it's still unclear to me whether "GP" and "S110" refer to the same product. To confuse matters, the same product may have different names whether inside or outside the U.S.

Soooo ... this is starting to feel like a complete wildgoose chase and/or fiasco and I'm about ready to say "This isn't worth it." But I'll spend a few more hours on this and see where it takes me, if I get anywhere I'll post some findings since it seemed there were a couple others who were interested in finding Thorite.

fishytime · #8 06-23-2009, 12:14 AM

Have you seem Khaosinc's thread on RC?(if you havnt I highly recommend reading it...by far one of the most entertaining threads Ive ever read) http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1650383 He used spray foam to bond his structures together....I never really looked into it, as far as how many others have used it, is it reef safe etc...might be worth checking out.

JDigital · #9 06-23-2009, 01:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fishytime

Have you seem Khaosinc's thread on RC?(if you havnt I highly recommend reading it...by far one of the most entertaining threads Ive ever read) http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...readid=1650383 He used spray foam to bond his structures together....I never really looked into it, as far as how many others have used it, is it reef safe etc...might be worth checking out.

Wow... That's a sweet build!

danny zubot · #10 06-23-2009, 02:50 AM

My brother in Calgary has used spray foam twice in his 90 gallon tank. He claims that it dries inert but still manages to break down over time. If you apply it too quickly or thickly, it will likely warp once the water is in the tank. It is also not immune to breakage, scrapage, gouging etc. Which looks a bit unsightly. He always used the "Mono" type foams that come in a can. There may be other types of foam out there that will stand up better in an aquarium.

In my experience as an insulator for a while, I should tell you though that no foam dries completely inert. At least, not when used as it was intended. They ALL off gas over time, and some more than others. There are open cell foams and closed cell foams, sugar based, and poly based. I for one, wouldn't trust any of them in my tank.

Just my 2 cents about the foam thing....back to you Tony!