capsfan July 31, 2009 Share July 31, 2009 Well, we were cleaning out the garage the other day and I saw a 10 gallon. Being me, I couldn't just disregard it , so I put it next to my 2.5 gallon. I threw a powerhead, el cheapo heater, and a HOB filter on it and just let it run. About 20 minutes after I set it up, I realized that it would look much better painted black. So, I emptied all the water and went outside to paint it black. It looked good. Then I filled it up with saltwater and let it run for about a week. Then, I decided that the tank would look so much better if the powerhead and heater were hidden. So, I emptied all the water and took it outside to silicone a divider to hide the stuff. I cut the acrylic and started to cut the overflow notches when it cracked. I got discouraged and let the project sit. Then I thought about a rock wall to hid the stuff. It seemed like it would look awesome. So I went to lowes and the lfs where I bought eggcrate, greatstuff foam, and 9 lbs of rubble rock. I ziptied the rock to the eggcrate and tried to make plenty of shelves for coral. Then, I foamed in between the cracks with the great stuff. Then I decided to do more research about greatstuff foam after the fact. The foam is inert after it cures, but after time, the water will seep in and make the foam all mushy and gross. So, I want back to lowes and bought pond foam instead. I tore most of the foam out from between the rockwork (took me most of the day) and refoamed with the pondfoam. This is where I stand right now. I still have to coat the foam with something, stick sand/rubble to it to make it look more natural, and silicone it to the back wall. More to come as I finish the wall. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmward99 July 31, 2009 Share July 31, 2009 It looks good.Are you saying that water will flow through the rock/foam wall and help filter the tank?Are you placing skimmer or anything in the sectioned of portion behind the wall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate July 31, 2009 Share July 31, 2009 Looking good so far. I thought that the "Great Stuff" you were talking about using wasn't aquarium safe. Sucks that you went ahead and used it only to have to spend a ton of time ripping it all out. So what kind of livestock are you planning on putting in this tank? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan July 31, 2009 Author Share July 31, 2009 It looks good.Are you saying that water will flow through the rock/foam wall and help filter the tank?Are you placing skimmer or anything in the sectioned of portion behind the wall? No the water will go over the wall and be pumped back through the wall by a powerhead. I probably will not use a skimmer unless I find an HOB for cheap. How are those skilters? Looking good so far. I thought that the "Great Stuff" you were talking about using wasn't aquarium safe. Sucks that you went ahead and used it only to have to spend a ton of time ripping it all out. So what kind of livestock are you planning on putting in this tank? The great stuff would have been fine because it once it cures it is inert. I went with the pond foam because it will hold up better with the light and water. I don't know what I want exactly as far as livestock. Probably won't go with any sps. I really want like three chromis and some inverts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trockafella July 31, 2009 Share July 31, 2009 I really like the set up.. Looks great, esp for a caps fan..!! Cant wait to see the progress.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoozilla July 31, 2009 Share July 31, 2009 Looking good Tyler. What kind of lighting are you going with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dmward99 July 31, 2009 Share July 31, 2009 I also take it your going bare bottom as well? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan July 31, 2009 Author Share July 31, 2009 Looking good Tyler. What kind of lighting are you going with? I have no lighting at this point. Not much money right now. I was hoping to go with t5s. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan July 31, 2009 Author Share July 31, 2009 I also take it your going bare bottom as well? Nope. I'm going to put sand in. I don't think it would look that good bare bottom. I'm more of a sand guy myself. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NemesisElite August 1, 2009 Share August 1, 2009 looks awesome.. going to look even better 6 months from now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 1, 2009 Author Share August 1, 2009 Glued the rock walls in. Not entirely satisfied with the color of the sand I got. Didn't think about the color too much until after I got it on. It is pretty white. However, I am confident that it will look better once it is covered in coraline and whatnot. Here are some pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
russell_wiley August 2, 2009 Share August 2, 2009 Looks good man. I can't wait to see this thing filled with water! What are your ideas on aquascaping? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 2, 2009 Author Share August 2, 2009 Looks good man. I can't wait to see this thing filled with water! What are your ideas on aquascaping? No immediate plans until I sell my wavemaker. I'm getting closer and closer towards broke. I will probably just let it run with water and sand for a while and put in a coraline rock to start kicking off the growth on the back wall. Possibly add coraline shavings also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 2, 2009 Author Share August 2, 2009 Bought a light. It is a current nova t5 fixture. It is only a 2 bulb fixture, but I got it cheap and with extra bulbs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Lazar August 2, 2009 Share August 2, 2009 I noticed the tank is set up close to a window. Do you get enough light through the window for you to run the tank without a lighting fixture? Or maybe use a cheaper fixture just for viewing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 2, 2009 Author Share August 2, 2009 I noticed the tank is set up close to a window. Do you get enough light through the window for you to run the tank without a lighting fixture? Or maybe use a cheaper fixture just for viewing? The tank does get some light from the window, but not enough to run exclusively on sunlight. I may let the sun come in through the blinds for some extra light. I am going to have 2 t5s running over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
F&Fmgr August 6, 2009 Share August 6, 2009 thats really quite constructive! You have an eye for aquascaping. Sean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefer37 August 6, 2009 Share August 6, 2009 How did you attach the sand to the wall? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 6, 2009 Author Share August 6, 2009 thats really quite constructive! You have an eye for aquascaping. Sean Why thank you! How did you attach the sand to the wall? I coated the foam with silicone and sprinkled the sand all over it. The wall and sand is in the tank and it looks good. I also have the light now and it is nice too. I'll have pictures for you guys later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 6, 2009 Author Share August 6, 2009 As promised, here are the pictures. I filled the tank with water and just recieved the light. It is a nova extreme 2x t5 light. It looks pretty good to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reefmontalvo August 6, 2009 Share August 6, 2009 Dang!!!! That is looking really sweet. I put a fish or two and throw in a few zoa colonies and some ric colonies and call it a day. That is a really good job. It almost looks like you went deep diving of an under sea rock wall and took a chunk of the sea scape with you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capsfan August 6, 2009 Author Share August 6, 2009 Dang!!!! That is looking really sweet. I put a fish or two and throw in a few zoa colonies and some ric colonies and call it a day. That is a really good job. It almost looks like you went deep diving of an under sea rock wall and took a chunk of the sea scape with you. Thanks!! I want to get the tank totally under control before I throw anything major in there. I need to get another pump. Both of mine are making annoying clicking noises. I haven't tested the water yet either. However, I hope this tank will look even better once it gets some coraline and some easy corals growing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fosterspike August 7, 2009 Share August 7, 2009 looks really nice! i wish i could get mine to look good.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nate August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 Bravo! Very well done, very professional looking. You'll have to keep us updated as this tank ages and how that wall holds up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zoozilla August 8, 2009 Share August 8, 2009 (edited) That's ***HOT*** Edited August 8, 2009 by zoozilla Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now