lockrookie's 50g tank build

[lockrookie]

just a couple more pics.. working on the overflow grill tonight install it tomorrow

[lockrookie]

so the wife gave me an idea im not sure if i will do it or not. but i may try to make a diy 3d background fro this tank with bilt in frag rack.. but i may not keep it even if i build it. it may be intersting especially if it gets coraline algea build up then again it wont be easy to clean but hopefully the snails will help with that. ive seen ppl do it for fresh water but cant find any sites that have used it for salt. what are your thoughts?

[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 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

[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