lockrookie's 50g tank build

[lockrookie]

well i picked up some dry rock and some eggcrate to start my 3d aquascape. will most likely not start it untill tomorrow night. i am going to try to build my return outlets into the rock work and vito the closed loop to reduce costs if i have to ill add a powehead once all is running. i will try to take pictures of all the steps i take but im sure i will change things periodicly through this build. hopfully it doesnt look like crap in the end

[lockrookie]

well i have one more coat to put on but i thought id post pictures of what i have been up to for the last week on my diy 3d rock wall part 1 for this build.



egg crate





attachiing rock with zip ties





filled with great stuff foam





epoxy'd and dusted with sand only one more coat left but you get the idea.

[burtonboy]

Tank is looking good! Did u cut out the section for the overflow yourself or did u take it somewhere to get that done? What tool did u use, and was it hard to do? Bachground looks nice

Daniel

[lockrookie]

Originally Posted by burtonboy

Tank is looking good! Did u cut out the section for the overflow yourself or did u take it somewhere to get that done? What tool did u use, and was it hard to do? Bachground looks nice

Daniel

this whole project is a diy marathon. i am trying to do absolutely every aspect myself if possible or cost effective. so yes i cut out the over flow myself with a rotozip diamond bit it cost me 36 bucks but i can re use it for my work. it wasnt too hard to do just keep it wet and it cut like butter. then i took a dremel sanding bit and smoothed out the glass edges to reduced the blood sacrifices. i also cut out the overflow holes with it took a bit to penetrate but once a hole is made the rest is easy

and thank you part two will be an island tree/ return line circulation system hopefully if i can figure it out

[Slick Fork]

Where did you pick up the Dremel bit? Is there a specific name/part number I can look for? How did you stabilize the glass to reduce vibration? I'm looking at doing something similar with a 33 gallon but the glass is much thinner so I'm worried about vibrations

[Madreefer]

Your 3d rock wall is cool. Good job. I've only seen it once before but it was ceramic I think.

[lockrookie]

Originally Posted by Madreefer

Your 3d rock wall is cool. Good job. I've only seen it once before but it was ceramic I think.

thank you it was a fun project but i will tell you this the epoxy gets you high and the smell take awhile to fade i have to try and soak it in water and hopefully it fades.

or maybe i should just sit in the room for awhile inhale some fumes and think of the next rock tree/return flow formation for the rest of the tank maybe in technicolour.

i know i will have to put some live rock in to seed the dry rock but once seeded ill remove it unless it looks cool with it

[lockrookie]

Originally Posted by Slick Fork

Where did you pick up the Dremel bit? Is there a specific name/part number I can look for? How did you stabilize the glass to reduce vibration? I'm looking at doing something similar with a 33 gallon but the glass is much thinner so I'm worried about vibrations

i picked up the dremel bit from home depot for 36 bucks. to be honest i drilled the holes in the overflow box which was the glass from a 10g tank very thin very fragile cut like butter didnt even use water.

here is the bit http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/s..._PartNumberbut i think i got ripped the website is cheaper

or you can use this bit but definately use water to keep it cool
http://www.homedepot.ca/webapp/wcs/s...k=P_PartNumber