Mr. Microscope's 25 Gallon Cube

[Sir Patrick]

Looking forward to seeing the rockwork wet!!

[2pairs]

Great rock work, this is going to be sweet.

[Mr. Microscope]

I placed an order with Tap Plastics last night. I'm getting a 13" x 13" sheet of 1/2" thick acrylic for the base and three feet of 3/8" fiberglass rod to piece together the rockwork. I was going to go with acrylic rod, but read on another pillar building thread that fiberglass rod holds up better than acrylic. I'm not super worried about strength because the rocks I got practically piece together on their own, but there is one on top that will be doing some acrobatics. Plus, I want this thing to be solid. I can't tell how many hours I lost completely restacking rockwork in my pico after I decided to move something, "just a little bit".

[Badfish]

Sound like a good plan, I'm dig'n the scape. Have you given any thought to drilling holes for plugs? I did that to my rock and it makes placing frags so easy.

[2pairs]

Sound like a good plan, I'm dig'n the scape. Have you given any thought to drilling holes for plugs? I did that to my rock and it makes placing frags so easy.

I think drilling holes ahead is a great idea!

[Mr. Microscope]

Sound like a good plan, I'm dig'n the scape. Have you given any thought to drilling holes for plugs? I did that to my rock and it makes placing frags so easy.

I've considered that, but I'd like to avoid the appearance of any plugs in the display. I was thinking about using a diamond coated saw blade on a dremel to remove the stubs and trim away excess round edges. Then, I'll wedge the coral in best I can to avoid an unnatural look.

EDIT: The more I think about it, the more that idea is scaring me. Maybe I'll drill after all. ...

[Badfish]

Here's how my drilled frag rock came out; I was happy with it. It was worth the trouble, no more having to pick up knocked over plugs from the sand.

[Mr. Microscope]

Here's how my drilled frag rock came out; I was happy with it. It was worth the trouble, no more having to pick up knocked over plugs from the sand.

Nice! That's going to make an awesome zoa garden! Thanks for the inspiration. What sized drill bit did you use?

[Mr. Microscope]

It Begins!



I'll also be drilling today. Wish me luck! I'm planning to drill a practice hole or two on my old picotope first.

With luck, this thing will be wet in a few weeks!

[Badfish]

Good Luck, and I used a 1/2" mason bit on the zoa rock.