Tank Journal Archive

[Buddy]

Firstly, I wanted to use a lot less rock than I previously had in my tank. I have gone from about 50kg - 60kg down to around 22kg of rock. I aimed to have one rock that contacted the bottom of the tank and the rest of the scape built on top of it so that water could freely flow around it.
I also wanted the bottom rock to be a little off center to the rest of the scape so it doesn't look too symmetrical. It was a bit of a challenge to achieve this as one side tended to be heavier than the other, but in the end it is very stable.

I used an 18.2kg box of CaribSea South Seas Base Rock, which consisted of seven separate rocks. I used this because it has a really nice shape to it which is great for mounting corals to. It also helps to lock the rocks together.
For the shelves I used a piece of shelf rock from Real Reef Rock, which I got from my LFS.

I used Aqua Kneed It, mixed with super glue gel to attach the rocks together. I used cable ties to hold it all together while it dried. I will leave the cable ties on until the rocks are in my tank but the whole structure is very solid.

 

[chimaera]

Looks great, mate! Exactly the type of structure I love, and in a big tank it will look epic. Though it certainly doesn't look 'stable/solid' but we'll take your word for it :p

 

[macca_75]

Looking good @Buddy - not something I could do (not for the faint hearted).

BTW - the Copperband is still kicking goals and looking fatter than ever. You want him/her back when you're finished (what type of corals are you aiming for)?

 

[Buddy]

Looks great, mate! Exactly the type of structure I love, and in a big tank it will look epic. Though it certainly doesn't look 'stable/solid' but we'll take your word for it :p

Cheers! Once it is in my tank I will need to try and find a spot for my Anemone. It is dinner plate size so I don't want it blocking too much of the rock work.
Yes it is solid :p I took off some cable ties and I could lift the whole thing up just holding on to any of the three middle rocks.

 

[Buddy]

Looking good @Buddy - not something I could do (not for the faint hearted).

BTW - the Copperband is still kicking goals and looking fatter than ever. You want him/her back when you're finished (what type of corals are you aiming for)?

That's great to hear! Is everyone getting along with him now? Is he eating directly from the water column now? I would love to have him back but I think he would pick at my clams unfortunately.

 

[Savage Henry]

Cheers! Once it is in my tank I will need to try and find a spot for my Anemone. It is dinner plate size so I don't want it blocking too much of the rock work.
Yes it is solid :p I took off some cable ties and I could lift the whole thing up just holding on to any of the three middle rocks.

Looks great!

Gives me a few ideas. Could you leave the cable times on indefinitely? Surely the ties would get covered soon enough?

Would you consider a separate isolated rock in the hope you're anemone would stay put on the one rock? Would hate to hear that your anemone has travelled across the top of the rockwork from one end to the other seeking the highest point.

Also, can you explain the mixing super glue with the putty? Do you mean that you actually mix the two together and appy it to the rock or do you mean that you have used both separately?

 

[Buddy]

Looks great!

Gives me a few ideas. Could you leave the cable times on indefinitely? Surely the ties would get covered soon enough?

Would you consider a separate isolated rock in the hope you're anemone would stay put on the one rock? Would hate to hear that your anemone has travelled across the top of the rockwork from one end to the other seeking the highest point.

Also, can you explain the mixing super glue with the putty? Do you mean that you actually mix the two together and appy it to the rock or do you mean that you have used both separately?

My anemone prefers to burrow its foot under the sand beneath a rock and it has only moved slightly once in about 2.5 years, so I am confident that if I isolate it to its own rock it will be happy. This is how it is it the moment anyway.

So firstly I mix up the putty in my hand until its soft, then I roll it in to a ball and just poke a dint in to the ball with my finger. I put a few drops of the glue in the hole I made and then roll it all together a few times. I have found this gives a much better bond and it sets faster. The Aqua Kneed It seems to take forever to set on its own, especially when you are trying to attach a frag underwater.

 

[macca_75]

That's great to hear! Is everyone getting along with him now? Is he eating directly from the water column now? I would love to have him back but I think he would pick at my clams unfortunately.

I don't target feed and it's as fat and healthy a fish as you'll find so I guess it's eating something ;)

 

[Lesley]

very nice work. like it a lot. Great for coral placement and well thought out.

 

[Buddy]

I got the tank filled on the weekend just gone and got the cycle started. The rock structure is nice and solid with all of the cable ties cut off :) I put one LED unit over the tank so I could share some pics.
This probably wont be the final position of the rock but it's close to it. Some of the open space will be taken up by my large Leather and Anemone, but there will still be plenty of space on the bottom.

 

[Scottrotton]

Following this one!

 

[Wrangy]

Fucking hell, that's come up an absolute treat man!! :D