trockafella

How long is this exhibit open for..? Or is it gonna be there forever..? Do you all ever go to the bmore aquairium..?

Well, the pvc framing has been a real pain.. It is cominmg along, but slowly.. I just picked the acrylic rod yesterday and hope to have those assembled in the next couple days, a much easier project than the pvc.. I will get some pics up.. i left my camera at my buddies house where we are doin the work.. but i will try to get those up soon... They make it look so much easier than it really is.. Hopefully it willbe done around the same time as the tank is done cycling, so we can get to the fun part..!!!

Hey, go to piedmont plastics in beltsville md, i just went yesterday, $5 for a 6ft 1/2" rod, and $9 for a 6ft 5/8" rod.. If you are interested i will get you there info... I am planning to get the rods mounted in the stones in the next couple days, i have a live framing thread you can check out also... pm me with any questions..

That does look really good... Keep up the good work... Any plans to add more..? Do another tank that way.. You could do some really cool things with that..!!

I think its a good idea as well, but what if you knock it off, or something knocks it off..? Can you attach it again, or only when the tank is empty.. You would have to be careful attaching frags.. But i do like the look a lot... How long have you had it mounted..? Any plans to do another..?

Well the project has began.. It is definetly a lot of work and very time consuming... I will get pics up soon... Btw, should i move this thread over to the projects section or just keep it here...

Do you think its sad that we dreams about rocks and monster fish in a tank... I dont know if i would share these things with people outside the hobby.. lol... But here its ok, we understand... I used to have a some small snakes and i used to have nightmares about them all the time... I have had a few girlfriends who gave me nightmares as well.. Im sure im not the only one... haha..

I had that dream/nightmare happen a month ago, my 70gal acrylic came apart on one side and poored out on my floor at 530 in the morning, it sucks.. Hope your dream doesnt come true... I was gonna do a 65, but decided i was gonna do this 47 column tank, something i havent seen on here... It doesnt have much ground space so i knmew i need to build up, but the "pile-o-rocks" just wasnt gonna work this time... So the live framing was my answer.. I read about a couple months ago and was kinda like, oh thats cool but not for me, to much work.. But after the old tank broke it was my chance to do something completely different.. Thats when i had the epiphany and decided to live frame.. So this weekend im gonna start buildin the rear wall frame which is gonna be the pvc style frame.. I can stack rocks and hide power heads in them as well.. Next week i will make the column style frames with the acrylic rods and paver stones... Hopefully next weekend it will be up and running.. Pics will be posted of the project.. If this works, which it should, i would be happy to help others interested in doing this... I hope my thread will help others realize that it isnt that hard and the reward can be great... Thanks to all who are riding along on this one...

Ok thats what i thought.. I tried to use it in the tank once, but had some hair algae problems, which probably wasnt the rocks fault.. Cool, well thanks guys, that was quick and easy...

I have some old reef rock, i bought it dry, its called dead reef rock, im sure everyone knows what it is.. Like rock you would use for african cichlids.. My question is... Is that ok to use in the sump where you would put bio balls.. I always used live rock in this area before, but would the reef rock work the same..? Thanks..

Hey thanks, just called piedmont, they have acrylic rod, 1/2" rod is $5 for 6ft..

Really..? That sucks.. You know anywhere else.?

What kind of dreams do you have about live rock..? Cant say ive ever had those.. Just nightmares of rock slides...

Actually i located some locally today.. I dont know the price yet, i will update.. They are available at ACME plastics inc, which is in alex/springfield, right off of edsall.. I plan to go sometime in the next few days, i will let all know the prices, i do believe they also have acrylic sheets and such..

Does anyone know where to get acrylic rods locally.. I can find them online but i was hoping to find some locally that i could just go get.. Let me know thanks.. Btw i am looking for 1/2" thick, at least 24" long.. thanks

No i havent seen his tank.. Yeah, im typically not that creative either, but i really wanna try to do something unique, and hopefully help other people realize the diversity in tank designs that can be done.. After joining here and looking at all these different tanks and different structures people have, it made me realize that i wanted more than a big pile. Nothing against the big pile, but its hard to work with, limited access and a lot less coral space.. Everyone has there own preference and for me its just a chance to dare to be different.. I dont think this is going to be an easy 1 afternoon thing, im sure it will consume plenty of time and headache, but no sacrifice no victory..

Yeah i think i may incorporate both methods.. I really like this idea as well.. I am going to be using a 47gal column tank, it is 20 x 18 x 30. Not a lot of ground space so i dont want a big pile, plus this is much easier to work in this tank with these live frames.. I am hoping to start on it next week, if i can wait that long... I need to get the supplies and then some rocks.. Money has been a little short due to the fact that my last tank broke and i am kinda starting all over.. But, hopefully next week i will get some rock and start to get the ball rolling.. Btw i want to start posting pics but cant seem to get them to ever come on toa post.. any suggestions..?

Well, i think this weekend im gonna start attempting to do some live framing.. It does look like time consuming, but time well spent could be well worth it... I plan to take pictures and will try to post on here.. If i can figure out how to post pics on here...

Im sure most of you read the article in the marine fish mag about live framing, but has anyone done it, and possibly have any pictures to share.. I am going to try and do this on my new tank, i will definetly post pics.. Thanks.. PICS ARE AVAILABLE NOW...!!!!!! YEAH FINALLY, I KNOW..!!!! LOOK IN THE D.T.F. SECTION.. ITS LABELED --- PROJECT 47 "THE TOWER".

What does everyone recommend for a refig substrate..? Do you have to use the mud or is live sand ok..? What are the benefits of the mud and is it truly worth the money..? Thanks in advance..!!!