And so it begins

[hotdog83]

It isn’t too difficult to do that with light dry rock, Steenvas putty and some AF stone fix, I did it on my reef, about 18 months old now:

 

[Baz]

Great start. Good luck with the tank.

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

Hi all so progress is really slow but that is how it is.

Any recommendations on what size acrylic to use for the floating reef I was thinking 200 long by 150 wide in 5mm acrylic. Any recommendations on where can I get that will bend it for me?

I'm still in 2 minds about this I love the concept behind it but is it worth it in the end won't I be wasting a lot of real astate in the tank.

How will this scape affect me keeping BTA in the tank?

Thanks for the comments and advice

 

[Muzwaid karim]

Hi boet.
Use a heatgun or a hairdryer to bend it.

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

Perfect will try it thank you

 

[brentch]

Muzwaid is right, just try ensure you don't overheat the acrylic as hotspots start to bubble and become quite brittle. It's actually quite easy. It bends nicely over the edge of a table or sharp 90 degree edge. You can heat it up and let the weight of the acrylic bend the piece as it softens. Cell cast acrylic is slightly more rigid and might be better for your build than the cheaper extruded stuff which is not as rigid.

 

[sharktail]

The best is an stove element or bar heater element.

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

So I'm finding it extremely difficult to scape the nano no matter what I do it just does feel right. I saw this on a tank that I'd for sale on Gumtree but can't get hold of the owner and I really like it.

Any suggestions the thing with the floating reef is I'm not sure if bta will work. I want to have bta in this tank that is a non negotiable item for me.

 

[hotdog83]

It can definitely work, this was a small nano with a bubble tip I had a few years ago, the corals and nenny fills up the space, so just scape keeping that in mind, and adjust once you have corals and the nenny in there, it will look completely different and give a different effect than just rocks

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

So I'm just going with the first idea of a floating reef got my acrylic today and can't wait.
Might have gone overboard went with 8mm thick

 

[hotdog83]

Awesome, better thicker than needed, I always bump stuff when working in a tank, that should survive any bump.

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

What is the best silicone I can use to stick the acrylic the the glass. All the manufacturers make the same claims.

 

[Muzwaid karim]

What is the best silicone I can use to stick the acrylic the the glass. All the manufacturers make the same claims.

Bostik marine silicone works great.

 

[hotdog83]

I never had luck with acrylic sticking to silicone, it always peels off, doesn’t seem to stick properly like it does on glass.

 

[gaboon]

Would it not be better to drill some biggish holes on the bottom section so detritus doesn't settle?

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

Yes will be drilling the holes over the weekend before I glue it to the back of the tank.

 

[gaboon]

Cool, looking forward to see how this turns out

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

Did some major cleaning yesterday took all the pumps and equipment apart cleaned it with viniger and put it back together

 

[Pieter Geldenhuys]

After that was done I drilled the holes in the acrylic. I decided to drill a whole lot of smaller holes Im scared that live stock end up underneath the rock and dies would be virtually impossible to get the out then

Then it was time for the glue I really hope this works and stays in place

Just to be sure I put the tank flat on its back and very gently and carefully added some weight on the ledge.
I hope it was a smart move

Let me know what you guys think.

I'm still very concerned about the holes and detritus build up

Thanks

 

[Muzwaid karim]

This is really gonna be a beaut . Following closely.