Foam Rockwall w/ built in refuge for a 26 gal bowfront

[sam.basye]

I have finally decide to create a build thread! It took some convincing, but here I am.

I recently just finished the foam rock wall in my 26gal bowfront I acquired for cheap off eBay about a year ago. The tank has been in storage for months until recently; now that I have a place to set it up. I started the hobby with freshwater tanks in my college dorm room and have since added saltwater to the list for about a year and a half now. My first fish were two Atlantic Killifish (small bait-fish found fighting the waves as they wash up in SC - about 2” long). I have had a couple of Pico tanks with various types of corals and inverts. My current setup includes a 5 gal tank with a green chromis, pistol shrimp, Clibanarius vittatus hermit crab, a dwarf hermit (tan w/ orange joints and zebra eye stalks), a speckled olive snail I never see, mithrax crab, small white whelk and a small orange giant horse conch, (both of which will not make it to the bowfront as they kill all other snails), a red mangrove propagule and coral which include: neon green torch, baby neon green hammer, orange tube coral, reddish montipora spongodes, green digitata, green/purple stylophora, and two different types of green star polyps.

The first order of business for the build was to design the wall. I wanted to cover the entire wall and the intake on the Tetra 30-60 HOB filter I had in addition to some of the sides. The plan was to conceal everything so that I is clean and natural looking. I bought a mini skimmer a while back so I incorporated it into the design as well.

The wall is made of eggcrate, black pond foam, lace rock, zip ties, shells, and contact cement covered with beach sand from Clearwater, FL.

I started building the wall this past summer and the project kind of got put on hold for a while. I first measure the tank and cut the eggcrate to fit. I drilled holes in the rocks were they would be zip-tied to the eggcrate and then foamed around them. I used both Beckett pond foam and Touch ‘n foam landscape foam, both performed equally well. I threw on some crushed lace rock after application, but only a little stayed put.

The foam was applied in random patterns to prevent “lines” and unnatural looking rockwork. After about 10-15 minutes, the top of the foam has dried with a skin-like layer. That is when I would press the foam to release the air and prevent unappealing glossy black bubbly looking foam. The foam at this stage can be pressed out to a thickness of about ½” to ¾” or left alone to about 1 ½”. If the foam gets on anything it’s not supposed to, probably won’t be able to remove it. If you foam the eggcrate on top of a trash bag, it won’t stick to it, it will stay sticky.
The foam that spread through the back of the eggcrate was cut flush with my dremel after it was completely dry. The foam can be cut and chunks can be torn out for a more natural look. I only did this when it had folded over when pushing air out or had big round blobs.

I didn’t take into consideration that the top of the tank has a plastic lip and of course… the wall didn’t fit anymore. I had to break the wall in half to get it to fit and force it together once inside the tank. I then re-foamed the seam and any other gaps or holes that I saw. I had to cut down the foam at the outflow of the HOB filter to prevent bubbles and I cut teeth into the over flow area.
I opted to cut a small piece of acrylic to super glue beneath the left outflow (right side has the carbon and floss, Left side just has floss so it flows more). Left side is where my mangrove propagule will live. The water flowing over the top of the wall was causing bubbles to shoot into the water-no like. So the piece of acrylic solved the issue. The low flow side just runs over the edge of the wall and down.

I decided that I didn’t want Snappy, my pistol shrimp, burrowing under the foam wall and living in the back so I siliconed the edges and the bottom of the wall. The wall was such a tight fit and the use of silicone keep the wall from floating.

This left me with about a 2” gap behind ¾ of the back wall. The skimmer is situated in the center of the back all with the heater to its left and the HOB filter to the edge. The intake tube extends down into the center of the “built-in refuge” against the back of the foam wall. I have an under-cabinet fluorescent tube fixture that will be mounted behind the tank for the “fuge”. Undecided of its contents as of now however…

I had to build a 2x4 extension to the cabinet it would be sitting on as it was not quite big enough for the tank.
The sides of the tank where the eggcrate shows through will probably be covered with some form of window tint to black it out, yet still be removable.

I modified the fluorescent lighting hood by removing the fixture and splicing a 12v dc fan to work with the existing light switch on the back. The light is a Current USA Orbit Marine LED. It is slim and should function for what I’m going to keep. I liked the ramp timer feature that it comes with. It fits nicely inside the hollowed out hood and is fairly bright.

I also re-purposed a small flashlight by taking out the contents and installing a 3w t10 12w LED that will be mounted to the wall for the mangrove propagule.

I will be adding my mini canister filter to the tank once my current livestock can be relocated to the bowfront. Not sure where the return flow will go as of yet.

As of now, the tank has been cycling with RO water for about a week and I’m about to mix the salt. Next action is to start the cycling with some live rock within the next week and I’m planning on stocking it around the first week of January. This gives ample amount of time for everything to run its course and to not rush anything. I couldn’t be happier with the way the wall has turned out so far.

If there are any questions, comments, or concerns with any part of the build, feel free to ask and I’ll try my best to answer all of them!


Sam

Build Pics - better pics to follow in around 2 weeks when I have my camera.














overflow


outflow

[sam.basye]

skimmer opening




HOB




2x4 brace


filled


detail




running

[AdamNC]

Looks great, only one thing I would have suggested is something I did with my Bearded Dragons cage. She has a 40 gallon with a rock wall and ledges but where the foam connects to the back and side walls I used black silicone sealant so as not to see the foam.

[Michael Hoaster]

Great thread! Your fake wall is gorgeous. Your foam technique is the best I've ever seen! If I ever (god forbid) have to redo any of my wall, I'll be picking your brain!

You really explained a lot and answered most of my questions. But of course I have a few…

Are you modeling a specific reef zone? Do you have a fish list? Do you have any overall goals/philosophies?

I think I'm most jealous of your stylophora. It's my favorite sps coral!

I look forward to more!

[sam.basye]

AdamNC, Great suggestion! I thought about throwing sand on it, but that was after it was dry...

The tank is actually sealed with black silicone so that would have gone well with the setup. Clear is a little more forgiving than black however. Thanks for the input!

Michael, thanks for the encouragement!!

I guess you could say I'm modeling the cheap isles of the pet store? They were my motivation.
My only inspiration was the fact that it conceals the ugly parts of an aquarium: heater, filter, skimmer, etc. without utilizing extravagant plumbing to a sump or refugium and it would add to the cool factor. And no stacking of live rock!

I bought:
1 eggcrate light diffuser at HD - I thought that was expensive at $13
$15 worth of lace rock - I liked the colors and texture -and was on sale.
My first can of pond foam at HD on sale for $5 and shafted myself for 3 more cans at $13-14 each bc I wasn't in any hurry and never found them on sale again.
The conch shells were found by me on the beach and I found the pink barnacles under the sink. lol - Free
Sand from Clearwater, FL - Free
Zip-ties - Cheap
Contact cement -$4-5
Silicone; clear - $4

I like to think that I can build just about anything cheaper than retail, sadly it usually costs just as much or more... but then again, there are bragging rights involved! That justifies it, plus you know how to do it again and what you would do differently.

As for a fish list:
My Green chromis - probably a few more
I'd like a clown pair - to eventually try my luck at breeding them
A tailspot blenny for the personality and for the barnacles to be utilized
A yellow clown goby - why are these like $20 at my lfs??
Me being cheap again...

The first three are definites - anything else is fine with me as long as they are all happy and don't look like little swimming sperm lol (engineer goby)

Oh, and possible a randals goby for Snappy.

Some hermits, snails, too cheap to buy a cleaner shrimp...and the fiancee thinks they're gross...

My number one goal is Not to kill everything. I managed to nuke my tank this summer by not thinking through my philosophy that: 'the ocean, where all my critters I found at the beach came from, probably has better parameters than my tank, after all, God made it...
The water probably did have better parameters than my tank....before the 6 hour drive home in a sealed 2.5 gal bucket in the hot sun in the bed of the truck.... lesson learned

As for philosophies, cheap is the way to go. I know its not a good one, but it seems to be working so far... I think my real goal is to be self sustainable. That's the route I went with my freshwater tank and today, it is maintenance free - minus water changes.

The stylo is a small frag I got for $5

The current 5 gal and all inhabitants.
Center front on main rock

bad pic. Ill post a close up with the light back on the tank. Using a diy LED I made - another one of those projects...

Sometimes it has that neon green tinge on the ends, other times it's all purple.

[Michael Hoaster]

"I guess you could say I'm modeling the cheap isles of the pet store?"

Love it! You and me both! This hobby can get ridiculously expensive. It's up us to draw the line!

I know its too late, but I noticed when I was working on my fake wall that where the foam contacted the plastic trash bag I was using, it was nice and smooth. So I made sure to use it to wrap around the end/edge to hide the eggcrate. Otherwise my wife would have vetoed it! Your solution should work too.

I've found the best deals on fish from the Florida collectors online. Just be sure to factor in the shipping costs. Sometimes your LFS will be cheaper. There is a Caribbean version of that yellow goby for a lot less.

[Lavoisier]

Originally Posted by sam.basye

I like to think that I can build just about anything cheaper than retail, sadly it usually costs just as much or more... but then again, there are bragging rights involved! That justifies it, plus you know how to do it again and what you would do differently.

You may have been able to buy something similar to what you've created but nothing like the quality of what you have done. Great work...really an inspiration. Thanks for sharing and please keep us updated on a great aquarium.

[sam.basye]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Love it! You and me both! This hobby can get ridiculously expensive. It's up us to draw the line!

Don't forget that this line you speak of ^^^ is usually drawn by a woman.

That's right! I felt like a kid at Disneyland/Candy store/getting a free frag: when I wandered and loitered around my LFS and spotted a sale rack. Not just any sale rack, but the mother-load! An employee walked up and asked if I need any help and I said, "I found the cheap stuff!" I might go back to raid it again. I picked up a bottle of Thrive something or other for 99 cents! A new turbo twist UV replacement bulb for 99 cents! Don't have any use for it, but I'll damn-well find something to do with it for under a dollar - back to the diy projects,,,
Not to mention I got a discount for a loyalty program. Paid $7 something for $150 worth of stuff

I'll have to look into the Florida collectors online. I was one myself this past summer. lol

Lavoisier, Thank you and I'll keep it updated!

Couldn't get the stylo to be happy and fully extend but here are some pics of the rest.






diy LED light - not to be used for 26gal


Mangrove propagule - no roots or shoot on top when I found it floating in the ocean this summer. Clearwater, Fl


diy light 'cannon' for mangrove - hollowed out the contents of the flashlight and modded a connector to the 12v converter and a t10 3w led. cord plugs into the base.

[Michael Hoaster]

"Don't forget that this line you speak of ^^^ is usually drawn by a woman."

True That! Our women help us keep our addiction under control. And when you do get stuff, it better have been on sale!

Love the cannon!

[sam.basye]

We need their self control and guidance. Lol

The cannon was the cheapest and easiest diy project yet

I'm lost when it comes to the fuge and mangrove part. What substrate would be the most beneficial for what I have? For the mangrove, it cant be washing out into the tank.

I was thinking the crushed coral and rubble rock for the fuge and maybe for the mangrove part....
Give me some advice.

Also, which macro for the fuge? Chaetomorpha or caulerpa? Or something else??

Added the salt last night!

[Michael Hoaster]

I'm not a mangrove guy, but I don't think they are too particular about substrate. If I was doing it, I'd mix dirt and sand. If you're worried about leaching nutrients, you can just use clean sand, and let it get dirty over time. But, yeah, talk to the 'mangroovers'.

Chaeto and Ulva are the best, in my opinion. They grow fast, so you prune a lot, to export nutrients. Then take the 'prunings' down to your LFS for store credit, and BAM, free stuff! Caulerpa is not reliable as an export fuge plant. It goes sexual and pollutes your tank, releasing all those nutrients it soaked up. They are pretty though, so better in the display, but keep an eye on them.

What are you using to start your cycle? Your chromis? Ammonia (fishless cycling)? Some other ammonia source?

[sam.basye]

Would you put the dirt and sand in the filter compartment with something to weigh it down so it doesn't run out into the tank?

Gonna throw some live rock in there and the bacteria balls I got and see what happens.

[Michael Hoaster]

Sure! Or maybe you could contain it in a plastic container that fits.

Sounds like a plan. So, your rock is uncured? The reason I ask is because you need some kind of ammonia source to feed the newly forming bacteria, whether it's uncured rock, a fish, or a teaspoon of a ammonia.

[Reefer140]

Originally Posted by Michael Hoaster

Sure! Or maybe you could contain it in a plastic container that fits.

Sounds like a plan. So, your rock is uncured? The reason I ask is because you need some kind of ammonia source to feed the newly forming bacteria, whether it's uncured rock, a fish, or a teaspoon of a ammonia.

Yup, also have heard of people throwing in some food or even a raw shrimp in.. Let it decompose which would start the cycle with some good ammonia.. Have never tried this personally, but have been told its provides the same results

[sam.basye]

Ahhh, you people just made me realize I never cycled my first tank...properly.

In the beginning, I had no clue of saltwater procedures. My first two fish, the small bait-fish, and a snail had to be the hardiest fish known to man. They survived my awful care living in a 1/2 gallon betta tank for probably a month until I realized that the water that evaporated didn't contain salt. So I'd refill it with water brought back in bottles from the beach. Must have been some salty nitrate water. I bought them the 2.5 gallon tank and bought rock from the lfs and it grew bad hair algae for a while and I guess I didn't realize it, but that was the cycle.

Now that I am doing things right, I realize the tank cycled on its own and I didn't know it; so I haven't put a lot of thought into the cycling process.


What is the best method? Should I put some cured live rock in there - some hair algae growing on it and let it die off? Don't have any uncured rock. Place the current filter cartridge in the new tank.
Haven't cleaned the canister filter in a month so should I connect it to the tank? It has a sponge prefilter, bioballs and zeolite in it; to seed the tank with bacteria?

[Michael Hoaster]

As far as the best method to cycle, I don't know. Adding cured rock or a used sponge filter will add bacteria, which will help, but you need to feed the bacteria an ammonia source. Your chromis would work, or just fish food. A lot of folks do a fish-less cycle, using household ammonia, so as not to stress (and possibly kill) fish.

Why don't you just ask the interwebs, and decide for yourself. It'll happen one way or another, but most people want to get it out of the was asap, so they add an ammonia source to get the ball rolling.

[sam.basye]

Hmmm. Why don't I just pee in the tank. haha Wrong kind of ammonia I guess.

Better idea, I'll throw the sponge into the filter and some of the live sand into the 'fuge', some live rock in the display and connect my canister filter after shaking it real good. This ought to add the bacteria + the mystery bacteria balls I bought.
And I'll throw in the two snails.
And some fish/crab crap from the sandbed.
Maybe the Chromis - don't really want to lose him though.

[Michael Hoaster]

That's funny, I've had the same thought! You could take a bunch of vitamins first, and 'go' in your tank.

If you put two snails in there with no algae to eat, they'll die and that will be your ammonia source. My point is, adding bacteria will help, but you've got to FEED them ammonia, or the bacteria won't get established.

Most people use damsels, because they're very sturdy and cheap. Plus it gives you something to look at while you patiently wait and wait. Chromis are better, because they aren't so aggressive like damsels. So when your tank is ready for fish, etc., you don't have to remove the lil' b@stard.

[sam.basye]

Well, I put in everything on the list except for the canister filter and the fish. Both of which I think I'll do tomorrow. Checked the Ammonia and its about 0.25 with what I dumped in. Gonna check out the lfs tomorrow for some ammonia.

[Michael Hoaster]

Just get it at the grocery store. With no added fragrance or anything. Google fish-less cycling.

[sam.basye]

Ah, will do. Ill post here a pic when I get it. And where I got it, as it seems to be an elusive sucker.

Thanks for the help!

[Michael Hoaster]

My pleasure Sam. Just don't do fish AND ammonia. One or the other. Your tank's gonna be great!

[sam.basye]

Quick update... The Evolution Aqua PURE marine bacteria balls are still in their original gelatinous form. Like the bobas in boba tea. lol
I assumed they would dissolve, maybe not. Put 2 in the filter, one in display, and one in fuge. All still look the same as when I tossed em in...



Anyone know if they need to be removed or have a service life in the tank?

[sam.basye]

Update on the bacteria balls: Now half the size as when they got dropped in the tank last night. I assumed they dissolved instantly... apparently not.

The only ammonia I could find has surfactant in it..

Looks like in it goes for Mr. Chromi

[Michael Hoaster]

He should be fine. Only one fish. Much more fun to watch than ammonia! My first marine tank was 60 gallons, and I put 10 fish in to cycle. Not smart! 2 survived. Thank goodness, I've learned a lot since then!