Rock work

[Mudbeaver]

Brainstorming
























http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3htdlYbWXc&feature=c4-overview&list=UUNv5Yl1X_E0ESAB1DiqfG0Q


Macro-Algae tanks an idea, video seahorses coutship in macro-algae tank

[Mudbeaver]

We've covered almost everything already, not so complicated;

we talked about;

-are walls
-the difference between fish only and reef tanks demands
-using the full length of your tank not to loose space for placing corals
- Hiding things, namely pipes

We need to talk about and to show a few more example of hiding over flows boxes and the differents levels of a rock work .





A very bold example of hiding his stuff and getting his wall ready to receive corals for every level. Not masterfull but he get its and makes an attempt




In this one he's got the different levels covered but his back wall, how much swimming room do you think he could of saved for his fish instead of an unused wall. Of course this is a purely in terms of space economy. Some don't mind the black backwall full of coraline , but if your looking to put extra fish, your options are limited by your system to accommodate your bioload and your swimming room for stress load.



Compare it to this one

The size ; i know its larger, but the point is that the back wall was used to foster a better ballance between his bioload and the space he had to work with, he used the maximum of it. Its not the prettiest tank...no, but the use of it is well executed.





This one belong to a different category; they are the huge tank with NO back walls. This is different thinking all together. But the levels are too important to ignore. The success of a good reef tank scape often reside in the number of levels you give yourself to put corals on. The more levels you have the higher the odds are in your favor... count the levels. Their's no set numbers, the more you have the better. This is a 550 G 8 feet long tank.





If we compare this one with the previous ones we can see that its much more heavier, rockier, stuffy. Carefull with that, thats why we have putty and why we use acrylic rod, and drill are rocks into place sometimes. I understand he did it to hide his overflow and pipes but in time the corals would have grown to hide those; over doing the scape is also a danger.



Beautifull tank, except why do we see that sewer pipe again, ( Foam, super glue and a few rocks) hides this thing in no time and you still have the flow,



Because of the lack of levels this guy is condemned to have his coral on the lowest levels without ever reaching high enough to either get to the light they require or to hide that back wall if he wanted too. It makes for a very flat look almost desolate or after a storm in the sea. Some of his corals are very beautifull too.






Need i say more

[Mudbeaver]

A personal choice and i personnaly bought

Here what it look with stuff in it to give scale , because on a picture we can't juge of the crevasses size or how they actually will fit in are tanks, so with familiar object in it we have a better scale of the panels ,i know it looks funny but it gives an appreciation of whats possible with those things.







Details

[Mudbeaver]

Thickness; one reason for their thicness i've red is that, they are 30% porous therefore they absorb water more than dry rock and contribute to bacterial colonisation.









Flat back





They will fit on back wall that i wont have to clean up and most of all reduce the footprint of my rockwork in the tank and giving me lots of swimming and grazing room for my fish ; its a win win. I still will have to put some rocks but not as much and i'll wont have to do any special aquascaping this time. These panels are perfect they give plenty of levels to put corals at any heights i desires.

The back of these panels are totally flat. Which bring me to the fitting. Since i don't want any dead spots and accumulation of debrit; even in small quantity; i'll silicone seal these completely on the back and foam the sides to ensure no water goes in the back and imprison any small amount of debris that i can't get at. I don't intend to redoo my tank in 4 or 5 years, and the day i want to redoo it i'll have a job anyway in front of me regardless.





Bottoms; they can stand on their own







I'll have a nice back wall free of maintenance, art deco, ready to receive corals, at any heights, no sculpting necessary for me, plenty of swimming room for my fish, and better flow in the tank.

[Dapg8gt]

What are the name of those panels? They look nice is it ceramic? Cost? I want the back wall look without the foam..

I check your thread at almost every update=) it gives some nice examples for everybody. I still haven't set up my new tank yet(finally just got the last of my equipment) and have prob close to 250lbs of live rock brewing away in a brute that i need to scape and I will use the tools you have given the thread in my project.. Hoping the artist in me comes out for that one project cause it usually doesn't show up very often =)..

[Mudbeaver]

Originally Posted by Dapg8gt

What are the name of those panels? They look nice is it ceramic? Cost? I want the back wall look without the foam..

I check your thread at almost every update=) it gives some nice examples for everybody. I still haven't set up my new tank yet(finally just got the last of my equipment) and have prob close to 250lbs of live rock brewing away in a brute that i need to scape and I will use the tools you have given the thread in my project.. Hoping the artist in me comes out for that one project cause it usually doesn't show up very often =)..

You would be surprise sometimes at what you could do.
Now thos panels are ceramic made in Germany, they are very expensive, usually, $ 17/ lb, and i got them for $ 3/ lb. i bought 10 panels for my 2 tanks that i'm starting soon. For obvious reason, they'll take about 60 % of my rock volume away from my sand bed, so less detritus trapping, more swimming room for the fish, more grazing room for the fish, using an entire panel usually unused ans wasted . My bacterial count will be higer because these panels absorb 30% water, they're very porous. They do NOT leach any chemical of any kind, these are not ordinary ceramics, these are made specifically for aquariums, the manifacturer wouldn't be in business long if he didn't adress these problems.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OPl7R2JKQ-A&list=PLk_Pw-jAYdFdfdxt3LnuihwIJUGqREF5K&index=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfBDajiCegU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfBDajiCegU


This is the video about those panel made in Germany

[Mudbeaver]

This is the ceramic panels potential




10 months later



Unfortunatly he chose black sand which in my book does not bring the colors out of the reef, but to each is own.... here's a few article about those panels.

http://www.reefnews.eu/tag/reef-ceramic/

http://www.riffkeramik.de/

[Mudbeaver]

Brainstorming





How easy its is to hide a pipe , very easy; Super glue, foam rocks, done no more pipe + your frag will take over in a few months.I would use pond foam, the black foam UV resistant, fish safe, waterproof. You don't have to sand it will be taken over soon enough by the corals and coraline, but if you want to hide the foam; its resin + sand coating and you'll have a crust it wont show. The foam is "GREAT STUFF™ POND & STONE. at Home depot. green can






















GREAT STUFF™ POND & STONE


GREAT STUFF™ Pond & Stone is a polyurethane-based foam adhesive designed for use in water features. By expanding to fill gaps and cracks, it works as a water-resistant sealant to help direct the flow of water in waterfall, pond and streambed construction to go where you want it to go, not under or behind rocks. The foam is black to blend in among the stones and shadows. It cures in 8 hours to create a water-shedding bond for stone, rock, masonry, concrete and most other building materials. It's perfect for water features from fountains to koi ponds because it's safe for fish.

Landscape/hardscape foam filler, sealer and adhesive
Damp and dry application
Adheres to stone and rock
Fish safe
Expands to fill gaps to direct water flow over rocks
Secures stones without mortar
Repairs cracks and holes in trees
Cures in 8 hours
Black colored foam
All-direction dispensing
UL Classified
One 12 oz. can = up to 19 tubes of caulk
One 16 oz. can = up to 24 tubes of caulk

[Mudbeaver]

Originally Posted by Sakura251

wow, you guys got super nice scape.

Thank , their not my personnal scapes they are a collection i have of different ideas i've pick up over the years and to give suggestions to those who are looking for some. Plus i've done some for friends and people who saw mine. I did horticulture courses and landscaping before so i have an eye lol. I've posted threads before about this subject and usually people find it interesting if not usefull. I enjoy making it anyway.

[Mudbeaver]

Brainstorming




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91PhbeSDZa8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6F71wwD3TI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v3sO3UnEr4&feature=c4-overview&list=UUqbiB-FpXQX8nUnL2ckk67g

How to use pond foam for your Reef tank video info. Best info i've seen on the net yet.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqTEmM25XSM

[Mudbeaver]

The overfow boxes left to dry , the forgotten.





One principle;

its not because you have a small tank that you should use small rocks; on the contrary use big rocks, you'll have less aquascape to do. It'll feel more massive, cohesive, fluid, and when you put frags on its wont look like a pile of rubbles. Unlike this image.





Second principle;

Why show off your worst appendix, like the overflow, in this image , the overflow look like a drive-in , we don't look at the aquascape but all eyes are focused on the blue screen soon to be patchy with ugly smears of coraline.
When doing your rock work cover that part as part of your rockwork soon to be covered with corals and it will disapear within the reef like the next picture.




Although not everything is perfect in this tank, he clearly made the effort to hide his overfow box by intergrating it into his scape and being a growing tank when fully grown it will be totally hidden from are eyes. He will also need better flow disposition to clear up his tank....lol i took this picture because its a growing tank and we can still see the overflow box before its cover up.





Super glue and rocks









Rubbles and the 2001 Monolith

[Mudbeaver]

The bonsai concept in a cube

[Mudbeaver]

The armature of the bonsai tree

[Mudbeaver]

The armature and pegging of the tree

[Mudbeaver]

The Bonsai cube





















Video on the Bonsai cube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fs5Kwh7d9zk



If you have any questions or if you want to post your creation your welcome to do so.A few more bonsai videos.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9kM1-w4gm8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nxKbs9-1Fo

[Mudbeaver]

Home made rock shelves

[Mudbeaver]

Since my intent was not to create an aquascaping thread when i started i find the present title of the thread sort of misleading so i'm continuing this thread in this one more appropriately called,

Aquascaping and Rockwork made simple with visual guidelines and videos.

See you here next time. You can post your question there, thanks.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2324171

[Pinkskunk]

Double posts.....

[Pinkskunk]

Originally Posted by Mudbeaver

[SIZE="4





This is the only picture i could find on ; i google image of a screen cover for powerheads ! If you have an example of DIY powerhead net please post it, and tell us how you made it . I don't have one....Yet!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sPwi2QcLKao&list=PLk_Pw-jAYdFeiCiESdu43qWuCFKTbSnlK&index=3


Hi, although this one i found doesnt look as nice and neat as the one you posted but it a starting point.......

http://www.aquariumoverload.com/powe...moneguard.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8tSI2JlCQfs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gDplfbUQtY8&list=PLk_Pw-jAYdFdQJOslBfMfVJP0_GWx-gLV&index=14




A spliting anemone caught on video , frame by frame photography really clear perfect view she split on the glass so we see all her organs become two. Spectacular. Also protecting your anemone.

Hi, although this one i found doesnt look as nice and neat as the one you posted but it a starting point.......

THIS ONE

[orly20]

Old thread but great!

Any updates???