Nate July 11, 2009 Share July 11, 2009 If it makes you feel any better, I don't think it looks like jar jar. It looks amazing! I love how it came out...I might have to make one of these myself one day. I will definitely be hittin you up when I do. Great Job! Can't wait to see it in the tank with some coralline on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan July 11, 2009 Share July 11, 2009 ^Double Post^ Anyway, the rock looks quite amazing. I love how it turned out. Did you have to drill the rock? If so, what type of drill? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 11, 2009 Author Share July 11, 2009 ^Double Post^ Anyway, the rock looks quite amazing. I love how it turned out. Did you have to drill the rock? If so, what type of drill? I did drill the rock a number of times. Unfortunately, all the holes are covered with epoxy and sand now so I can't get a pic. I used a regular masonry bit that was just slightly larger than the width of the zip ties. I would basically drill 2 holes close together at the edge of the rock where it touched the lower rock that it needed to be secured to. Then I would drill 2 holes in the larger support rock, thread a zip tie through, and then cinch it really tight. In some cases I had to cinch 2 zip ties together for needed length. While I believe I could have gotten away with just foaming the main part of the structure, I still used a number of zip ties just to make sure the whole thing was held together as one solid piece. The one long lower arm and the upper little ledges would have been impossible to do without zip ties. I think acrylic rods would have worked just as well if not better, but again, I got impatient, and didn't want to have to wait and pay for them. I think the zip ties got the job done. One more thing I forgot to mention: I wanted to secure all of the rocks together into one big structure not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for ease in moving. Most folks know what a pain and event it is to move a tank, even across town. I wanted a single, open structure that most of my corals were attached to so that I could basically take it out of the tank, put it in a big trash can or rubbermaid container, drive it across town if I move into a new place, and put it back in the tank. I realize this is easier said than done, but in theory I think it will be much easier on me and my livestock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryL July 11, 2009 Share July 11, 2009 once it groes out it wont look like jar jar....i do however think it looks great and cant wait to see it live in the tank with fish hangin around it. where'd you get the pond foam? i looked in lowes and all i found was the window and regular stuff. i have an idea for my overflows Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 11, 2009 Author Share July 11, 2009 once it groes out it wont look like jar jar....i do however think it looks great and cant wait to see it live in the tank with fish hangin around it. where'd you get the pond foam? i looked in lowes and all i found was the window and regular stuff. i have an idea for my overflows I got it at the Ace Hardware out in Chantilly. Only reason why I got it there is cause I saw an old post that said they had it there and I was out that way picking up some dry rock from onyx. I don't think the box stores carry the pond foam. You could always use the regular great stuff and coat it with epoxy. Probably blends better than the black foam too. The only catch there is, although regular great stuff is inert, it will break down over time without an epoxy or resin coat. I'm pretty sure BRK carries some as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan July 11, 2009 Share July 11, 2009 One more thing I forgot to mention: I wanted to secure all of the rocks together into one big structure not only for aesthetic reasons, but also for ease in moving. Most folks know what a pain and event it is to move a tank, even across town. I wanted a single, open structure that most of my corals were attached to so that I could basically take it out of the tank, put it in a big trash can or rubbermaid container, drive it across town if I move into a new place, and put it back in the tank. I realize this is easier said than done, but in theory I think it will be much easier on me and my livestock. Good concept. I like the idea. Are you planning on moving any time soon? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 11, 2009 Author Share July 11, 2009 Good concept. I like the idea. Are you planning on moving any time soon? My lease is up in October, so possibly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Origami July 12, 2009 Share July 12, 2009 Beautiful work, Stu. What did you use for resin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 12, 2009 Author Share July 12, 2009 Beautiful work, Stu. What did you use for resin? Thanks, Tom. I used Bondo fiberglass resin from Home Depot. Came with the hardener for about 15 bucks. I dropped it off at Sam's (L8 2 Rise's) house today to go in his 120g refugium with a bunch of other live rock to seed it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 By the time it gets seeded won't you be moving? I like the idea of one solid rock for your tank and might do the same for my 120 but I would have to make 2 seperate structures. How much does the mass weight now and does it float any when water? Also dont you think the corraline growth would have coverd the rock in a few months? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 13, 2009 Author Share July 13, 2009 By the time it gets seeded won't you be moving? I like the idea of one solid rock for your tank and might do the same for my 120 but I would have to make 2 seperate structures. How much does the mass weight now and does it float any when water? Also dont you think the corraline growth would have coverd the rock in a few months? My roommates and I decided to renew our lease, so I'll be here through at least October 2010. I'm really not sure how much it weighs now; I'm not very good at estimating weight. Maybe 70 lbs? A lot of the rock is very light, and probably quite porous--good for bacteria. It doesn't float, but I suspect that it was close to floating when i picked it up underwater to check for buoyancy. I plan to put as much of the LR from my 12g into the sump of the 30g as I can to initially supplement biological filtration. I do think the rock will be covered in coralline in a few months, but right now I am more concerned with colonizing the rock with beneficial bacteria and microfauna than aesthetics. While I am only going from my present 12g nano cube to the 30g cube, my tank is so jam-packed right now that I think my corals will cover most of the rock in the 30. So coralline won't really matter anyways because most of the exposed rock surfaces will hopefully be covered by coral. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 Great plan now are you also planning on keeping the egg crate at the bootom as well? I more about just a sandy bottom so the snails can move freely with no interuptions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 13, 2009 Author Share July 13, 2009 Great plan now are you also planning on keeping the egg crate at the bootom as well? I more about just a sandy bottom so the snails can move freely with no interuptions. I think this time around I'm not going to use the eggcrate, mainly because the structure is solid and I don't really have any danger of rocks falling. I think you will have a lot more options than me in a tank as big as a 120. Definitely room for some dramatic arches, canyons, etc. Good luck and post some pics if you go the foam route! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
El Camaron July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 it turned out really nice Stu, lol about the jar jar binks, i kind o see it too but none of it will matter once it has coraline all over it as well as some corals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amos July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 Looks great! I think the single mass rock structure has lots of pros from an aesthetic and practical maintenance standpoint. Thanks for sharing, I'd like to undertake something similar one day. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoozilla July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 Excellent work!!! Really like the sand coat finish. With all the branches and the slight tilt, kinda reminds me of an old Bonsai tree I once had. Roughly, how much did the finished product weigh (dry)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sugar Magnolia July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 Very nice work!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu July 13, 2009 Author Share July 13, 2009 Excellent work!!! Really like the sand coat finish. With all the branches and the slight tilt, kinda reminds me of an old Bonsai tree I once had. Roughly, how much did the finished product weigh (dry)? It's funny you mentioned the bonsai. I got the idea from a post on RC, and the guy called it "bonsai-inspired rockwork." If you have a minute, check it out--it's amazing. I have kept bonsai trees for a number of years, and a lot of the guidelines of bonsai shape translate well to general aesthetics in reef structure. Here, I wanted one strong main "trunk" with long sloping "branches". I intentionally made the rock branches slope down for the same effect of an old bonsai tree, in the hopes that my SPS will eventually fill in as smaller "branches and leaves". I wasn't truly trying, however, to replicate a bonsai tree. Just using some of the guidelines for better aesthetics and openness. I am anxious to see how the structure enhances/detracts from flow. I am hoping the open design will enhance it and really benefit my SPS. I really don't know how much it weighed dry, but I'd estimate around 70-80 lbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmward99 July 13, 2009 Share July 13, 2009 (edited) Looks Good Stu,Thats exactly what I had in mind.Glad to see you loved the rock.Was that all of the rock or are there more pieces left?I can't wait to see the finished Full tank shot. Edited July 13, 2009 by dmward99 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier October 12, 2009 Share October 12, 2009 Hey Stu, I love the way it looks. Now that it looks like I will be in our house for a bit longer.(The house we wanted to buy got sold). I want to build something like that for my 90 so I can set up the corals I am keeping. I am thinking of using a piece of large diameter PVC as the center and work out with the foam and some rock on the branches. Any ideas would be appreciated. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer October 12, 2009 Share October 12, 2009 Looks great. My only suggestion would be to make sure you leave enough room at the sides/wall of the tank to clean the glass. It is hard to tell in the images, but it looks like it may be getting close. Just check and make sure you have room to clean. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dschflier October 12, 2009 Share October 12, 2009 Does the pond foam stick to the PVC? When you put the pond foam on did you then sprinkle sand and pieces of rock in the foam? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stu October 12, 2009 Author Share October 12, 2009 Looks great. My only suggestion would be to make sure you leave enough room at the sides/wall of the tank to clean the glass. It is hard to tell in the images, but it looks like it may be getting close. Just check and make sure you have room to clean. Check my tank build thread in the Dedicated Tank forum. The tank's been running for about a month now, and there's clearance on all sides. Does the pond foam stick to the PVC? When you put the pond foam on did you then sprinkle sand and pieces of rock in the foam? David, I'm not sure if it will stick to PVC, but I think it probably will. I didn't use any pvc personally, just foam and a bunch of zip ties. I have seen similar projects where they used fiberglass or acrylic rods for support. One word of caution on the PVC, this foam is very buoyant; almost to the point where my rock structure was close to floating when I put it in. Having a hollow piece of PVC as the central "trunk" of a rock structure may not provide enough weight to keep it down. Luckily, I had some heavy pieces of rock, but without the rock, it would have floated. To achieve the sand coating, I picked up a fiberglass resin from HD and coated the foam with it. It dried very quickly, so I had to do everything really fast. As soon as I put some of the resin on the foam, I basically threw sand onto it in heavy coats on a table outside. It dried within probably 5 mins or so. I was pleased with the results. Like I said, check out my dedicated tank thread to see it in the tank w/ coral etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mountaineer October 12, 2009 Share October 12, 2009 If you use PVC you should drill some holes to allow the foam to attach and a few to allow water to go in will help with the buoyancy. Holes in the PVC will also mike a "pod hotel" of sorts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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