Dirt4dinner's new display Refugium!! PICS!

[Dirt4dinner]

FINALLY FINALLY FINALLY! It's done. This is a 15 gallon acrylic tank with two bulkheads drilled and mounted in the back wall up near the top corners, I foamed the back wall and one side wall, and plumbed it to the main tank. It's fed with a Rio 1100 from the sump through a flex house and through one bulkhead. Then it overflows through the other bulkhead back into my sump via PVC pipe. Came out pretty good. In the picture where the display tank is seen, you can see one HUGE whitish rock in the left center...that rock is going in the refugium in the morning. It has been hanging out in my display getting some coraline and microstars. I am going to put a Mantis Shrimp in the refugium along with a variety of planted macros. More photos when I find a Mantis Shrimp! Enjoy, and ask questions if you have any.

[graphixx]

good lord, its about time!!!! tyler, that turned out pretty damm nice buddy. that will look awesome once you get some stuff in there. THUMBS UP

[jojo22]

Ok why do you have to go and make more projects for poor old Joe???? LOL

Looks SWEET bud!

[Dirt4dinner]

It was a LONG project! I was building on a budget!!

Tank w/ bulkheads = FREE
Odyssea T5 fixture (with only 1 working bulb) = FREE
Sand = FREE (traded for half tub of Kalkwasser)
Foam = 2 cans for $15
PVC = laying around from other projects FREE
IKEA shelf unit = $80
Ikea baskets to hold/ hide my fish stuff (thanks to wife) = $40
One big chunk of LR = $30 on sale
Minmax stain = left over from tank staining FREE

TOTAL COST = $165

[Reef_Angel]

I'm glad you told me about this Tyler. It sure does look great. I don't think I've ever seen a tank that utilizes the back wall and side wall, but what a nifty idea. Are those walls expensive? What a great way to help hide the bulk heads! Great work! Nice talking with you tonight! ....Angel :angel1:

[jojo22]

Any build pics buddy??? Or is my mind not working due to lack of sleep??

[Dirt4dinner]

The "walls" are just covered with sealant foam out of a can, I used 2 cans and it was about $15 for the two cans. Just to warn anyone attempting this...it's NOT as easy as you might think. I had a lady help me locally who did her refugium in this manner. You have to wear plastic gloves, and the stuff is so INCREDIBLY sticky that it can be very difficult to work with. However, the results look amazing when covered with coraline! Not to mention Pods are in heaven with all those hiding places. My recommendations is buy an extra can or two and practice on a piece of plexiglass until you get the results you want...then do your tank.

I didn't take any build photos. There wasn't much to it. The tank came pre-drilled and ready to go. I just had the foam done, but I didn't take photos. Then I bought the shelf from Ikea and made my wife stain it...she wasn't happy about doing the staining and I think the camera may have got me injured! I will take more photos as it progresses though!!

[jojo22]

Did you just not foam around the bulkheads or drill passeges for them??? does the foam sit directly on the glass or is that a false wall???

[Dirt4dinner]

the foam goes right on the tank! It comes out like a big snake, then you let it expand a bit, then you start breaking it up by poking it and moving it around. As it starts to harden you pop any large bubbles and when it gets a little harder than that you smash it down to make sure it sticks to the tank and to give it a "natural" rock texture. It was pretty interesting to watch her do the work...it's all about timing, as it is to sticky to work with part of the time and then to hard to do anything with after awhile. You have to be quick!

We put blue painters tape over the bulkhead openings and then just didn't put foam right across them. Let's put it this way though...those bulkheads are NEVER coming out!!!!

[Whoyah]

Lookin good Tyler. I really dig the foam walls. I am going to try that on my 38 soon. Can I get the dimensions of the area you covered with foam and how much left over foam did you have??