Idea for Faux sand bed. Envirotex Lite high gloss finish.

[mattjk]

Originally posted by clown2be
I have a 30 gal cube I have been trying to decide what to do with. this is looking good. I can't wait until you get the e-mail back from manf. to see what they have to say about being toxic for Salt Water Tanks. Really like this thread. What gave you this idea?

This.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...56#post2806856

and then someone made one out of starboard.
http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/sh...hlight=acrylic

but due to the bracing on my tank, there is no way I could fit a large piece of starboard in my 60 gallon.

[TangTied]

well, i go to UCR during the school year but i'm in garden grove for the summer. Oh, and i'm a bio major who's probably not gonna make it and if he does will become a vet

(Off subject, but well worth mentioning)

Paul,
If you've never taken advice from a complete stranger please do so now:
Pull it together NOW while you still can, otherwise you will end up having to go back to college at the age of 40 like me (pretty pathetic) I am finally starting graduate school in the fall to complete my MBA, but believe me...its only out of necessity, tenacity, and the well-being of my family; nothing to do with intelligence or luck.

If you don't complete college AND get your master's degree (not just a bachelor's), you'll regret it for the rest of your life...I SWEAR TO THAT...TRUST ME!

No one told me these things when I was your age and now I'm paying for it...literally. I wish I had a mentor at the time to light a fire under my a _ _ life would be so much easier!

Sorry about the rant. you'll see what I mean...someday
Good luck!

[tptp279]

haha... yeah, i know, i just can't pick the major i really want. Bio major and becoming a vet is what i really want, but all those bio kids scare the daylights out of me with their 4.0's and what not, only reason why i'm afraid, but i know, i'm gonna be going to both UCR and RCC next year to gain enough credit to graduate early and go to graduate school, thanks though

[TangTied]

Word of caution:
plan your graduate study early (school choice/registration process), because everything is EXTREMELY competitive. not to scare you, just to warn you that you should plan early and get you applications in early
I have a 3.9 GPA and I still could not get into UCLA, USC, or UCI
Have to settle for Claremont or CSULB...haven't decided yet

I'd have to say that "community service" and other volunteer work is very important...as well as "references" when it comes to being accepted by a school of your choice.


mattjk: sorry to highjack your thread, man...all for the greater good!

[TangTied]

BTW:

It's a tiny little tank... less than 1 gallon. I can bring it by

I assumed that this is only a prototype and that your gonna do this to your main tank aren't you???

[mattjk]

yup, 60 gallon clear for life acrylic.

[trmiv]

How tough is it? What would happen with like 100 pound of LR stacked on it, only hitting in a few places?

[Reefer_BC]

Does this stuff actually paste itself to the bottom of the tank though? If it does, is there any way you can think of doing this without having it permanantly stuck to your bottom?

[AEALOVESHERGIRLS]

I would imagine if you put saran wrap on the bootom of the tank, and then poured it on top of the saran wrap, it would come out. However, you'd have to remember it would be one solid piece, so if you did want to take it out, it would be impossible to do so in one piece because of the brace on the top of the tank, as well as the ridges on the top of the tank. However, if you did it in sections, say 4 inches wide by 24", or however deep the tank is, I would think you would be able to slip the individual pieces out.

Good luck, it looks nice. I would just never do it myself because I place a lot of corals in my sand as well as clams. Also, I have a mandarin and I need the sand for the pods. But, I do think it looks very nice!


Amanda

[mattjk]

It's really tough. I don't think it would have any problem holding up rock.

[PaintGuru]

My only issue would be that once you put it down you can't take it out easily. I would probably do it on top of some piece of rigid plastic (starboard, thick acrylic, etc) so I could remove it if necessary. Looks much better then my PVC glue/sand method that I did.

[aquariumclown]

Maybe you can make these boards in pieces. That way you can take it out easily.

[Algae Blenny]

This is cool. Did you ever get an email back about whether it was safe or not?

[eums]

what about also using polyester resin (the FDA approved type) or epoxy vinyl ester (like "HETRON 922" its suggested for marine applications and Meets FDA regulation Title 21 CFR. 177.2420 )? or what about using the normal home depot resin thats used to layupfiberglass or the glassing resin thats used in surfboards.

soooooo many choices, i would like to use the hetron 992 made by ashton chem ( i think ) but i have no idea where to buy it. would probly have to order it and pay a hazmat shipping fee.

[chin_lee]

MattJK
Did you get any kind of reply from the manufacturers? Very interested in this setup.

[kbreese]

Yeah this is a great idea, now its just a matter of finding out the best resin to use.

eums, those sound like some great options.

[kbreese]

eums, you were close, but the company is actually "Ashland" and it looks like their general purpose 8425 resin is the one recommended for marine applications. The 922 has better corrosion resistance, but not positive it would be safe for aqaurium??

-Hetron® 922 Superior corrosion resistance to strong acids &
bases. Inherent toughness and high elongation. Vinyl Ester Class1,25 or less Orange

-Aropolâ„¢ 7334 Excellent corrosion resistance including solvent
resistance. IsophthalicPolyester Class 1, 25 or less Green

-General Purpose 8425 Good corrosion resistance. Good for marine, waste water, etc. applications. Polyester Class 1, 25 or less Yellow

[kbreese]

I think that Ashland stuff isn't really available to general consumer's unless you want to buy a 450g drum of it. I can't find it anywhere in consumer portions.

Here's another FDA approved resin, but it's like $25/gallon:

http://www.mertons.com/Epoxy/polyest...ophthalic.html

[kbreese]

I just went and bought this envirotex b/c it was the meast easily available. I bought the 32 oz kit which was $22.95 at "Micheals" craft store. Pretty darn expensive so I hope it covers the bottom of my new 29G. I am going to do it today. Hopefully it will come out good@!

Matt, did you ever do your bigger tank?

[Anthozoa]

Hey make sure to let us know how it goes, are you using it right on the bottom of the tank or on a starboard material? I'm going to order my starboard this weekend and I hope to go with the faux sand bed as well.

[kbreese]

Here are some pics shortly after I did it. It is going to need to dry like 3-4 days. After that i will dump off any excess sand. Or else i may just buy some more and pour another coat on top (just the shellac, no sand). That would also help smooth it out. There isn't as much excess sand though as you'd think as it feels pretty firm to the touch already.

[Anthozoa]

Looking good so far, I'm thinking now of just putting it right into the tank and not using starboard.

Anybody know how much of the envirotex I should buy for a 120, 48 by 24''? And how do you go about mixing in the sand? Thanks

[mattjk]

kbreese, how's the tank doing?

I have my pico reef up and running. The faux bed looks fantastic.

[gho]

Pics Matt! We want pics!

[kbreese]

It should be fully cured now, its very hard and just looks like a sand bed pretty much so I am sure it will look nice when there is water in it. However, after all that I may not even be setting up the 29g b/c I think I am keeping the 75g (was originally getting rid og the 75)