I'm doing it for a 40 breeder, but I'm trying to make it as thin as possible as to not cut down the gallons too much. As far as longevity I think its pretty good. I know foam will last forever (which is why you shouldn't put it in landfills), and I can't imagine that cement or the epoxy would break down that fast either.
biggest thread on this website
- Thread starter freash_water_monster
- Start date
On 08/03/10 TAL a member had a thread on DIY backgrounds and it had 2 interesting ideas:
Cave Grotto Aquarium Background (DIY DECORATION PROJECTS)
YouTube - how to make a DIY aquarium background PLEASE RESPOND
You might take a look. The one used gutters to make caves.
Cave Grotto Aquarium Background (DIY DECORATION PROJECTS)
YouTube - how to make a DIY aquarium background PLEASE RESPOND
You might take a look. The one used gutters to make caves.
Yeah, whenever I make it out today to go shopping I'm going to be out twenty dollars already for glue and foam. I think I should be able to do the whole thing for under 60 dollars though.
Whaaat?!? He's cutting with an exacto right on his hardwood floor?!?
I've done tons of reading about this in the past few days but never even thought to go look on youtube from someone doing it. This helped me out a LOT; thanks for the link. It also answered my question about concrete and pH, so knowing I only have to fill the tank up about 8 times (ugh, 320 wasted gallons of water) makes me feel better. I thought I was going to have to do this over the course of months.
I'd seen that blog about the raingutter grotto, and I think the most interesting thing about that is that it's just held on with zip ties. I'd like to figure something like that out for whatever I end up doing. I think rather than making something that fish can get behind though I'm trying to make something to hide my equipment, then rely on plants for fish cover.
I just need to figure out now if I'm going to leave a small chamber behind everything for my intake and heater, or if I'm going to leave gaps for them like the guy in the video did. I started a thread on this project here if you guys want to follow the progress.
Whaaat?!? He's cutting with an exacto right on his hardwood floor?!?
I've done tons of reading about this in the past few days but never even thought to go look on youtube from someone doing it. This helped me out a LOT; thanks for the link. It also answered my question about concrete and pH, so knowing I only have to fill the tank up about 8 times (ugh, 320 wasted gallons of water) makes me feel better. I thought I was going to have to do this over the course of months.
I'd seen that blog about the raingutter grotto, and I think the most interesting thing about that is that it's just held on with zip ties. I'd like to figure something like that out for whatever I end up doing. I think rather than making something that fish can get behind though I'm trying to make something to hide my equipment, then rely on plants for fish cover.
I just need to figure out now if I'm going to leave a small chamber behind everything for my intake and heater, or if I'm going to leave gaps for them like the guy in the video did. I started a thread on this project here if you guys want to follow the progress.
I would get four to start with and see if you end up with a pair. If one set pairs off, get rid of the other two. If none of them pair off, get rid of three of them and keep your favorite. If you don't, you'll end up with World War III in your tank. Also, as we've said before, get rid of the pleco and clown loach! They're going to outgrow your tank. You aren't doing them any favors by hanging onto them.
I measured my tank, and I need a three inch thick chunk to fit my powerhead behind. That means if I made a 36x3x17 piece and put it in there, it would only take .3 gallons gallons out according to Calculating Aquarium Volume - The First Tank Guide - How Can I Figure Out How Much Water My Fish Tank Holds?. That would be the thickest it would be, so I'm not going stress out too much about how much it's going to decrease my tank's water volume.
Personally, I liked the magnet idea you mention, Ryanoh. I use magnet closures on the necklaces I make and I have found some that I can not pull apart with my fingers - I have to slide them - with difficulty. And they are small. I would find some really strong magnets in pairs about nickel size and embed them in the Styrofoam. Maybe six?? I have not done this, but I am a DIYer from way back!
I did the calculations with what volume would be left in the tank, which would be 36x17x15, 15 being 18-3. That gave me 39.7 gallons, which is a .3 loss from 40.
I did it the way you did it and got the same answer you did though.
I'm going to to find out exactly how much I'm losing when I fill the tank up the first time anyways, so there were just estimates.
Back to the video, do you think I could continually rinse the thing in the bath tub rather than filling and emptying my tank?
Thanks OC, there's a Michael's near here, so I'll check that out.
I did it the way you did it and got the same answer you did though.
I'm going to to find out exactly how much I'm losing when I fill the tank up the first time anyways, so there were just estimates.
Back to the video, do you think I could continually rinse the thing in the bath tub rather than filling and emptying my tank?
Thanks OC, there's a Michael's near here, so I'll check that out.