Kraylen Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I wanted a frag rack... I liked the idea of the magfloat rack, but 9 times out of 10 it was too ugly looking for inside a display. I figured out a cheaper method that looks a little cleaner involving my best friends.... eggcrate, super glue and dremel. Add a few magnets and some sandpaper and you're ready to start. I also wanted a rack that had two racks. SPS can grow tall in high light with more room while zoanthids and what not could enjoy a little less light underneath and grow out without worry of reaching the bottom of the top rack. We'll see how it turns out. First step... get some eggcrate/light diffuser. You can find it at lowes/home depot I used part of my old top which was white eggcrate I painted black. You can make whatever size rack you want. Next, get some magnets at the hobby store. I was looking for the epoxy coated ones people speak of but I ended up going home with some ceramic ones that were non coated. You need to coat the magnets in something that is tank safe and seal it before you let it sit in your aquarium. It will be covered don't worry Super glue gel, normally does not work on joining plastic to plastic very well but I have a secret weapon... Plastic primer for super glue. Wipe this marker on surfaces you want to bond. It works really well. The kit comes with a small tube of super glue also.. the marker will last you a long time while the superglue will not. Any super glue that is reef safe will work in its place so you really only have to buy the kit once. I also used this in my AC110 mod. You will also need something to cut the eggcrate with. Here is what I cut. The large piece will be the top frag rack(Make sure to cut one extra for behind the tank)... the skinny strip will be the bottom frag rack/brace... and the sides will provide more support for the structure. I made a ladder since the two racks I will be joining together are different depths. Note that I cut the sides supports 1 row of squares shorter than I should have, this was to make the frag rack more compact. Use some 100 grit sandpaper or whatever grit you desire and smooth all the edges out. You do not want to have trouble when you are joining the plastics together. I also did this to remove Krylon fusion paint that I used before to avoid any plastic bonding complication I may run into. When sanding the main basket you may find it difficult to sand if its a big rack. Place your fingers in some of the eggcrate near the bottom and apply pressure when sanding. This will ensure a flat sand and give you a overall better surface to glue. Use the plastic primer marker and throw a heavy layer on ALL plastic surfaces that will be glued. Place the top rack down and put the sides on the way you want them. Note the bottom(top in the picture) of the side supports end piece is shorter than your average eggcrate square... this is because the bottom piece will be running the same way as the top rack so we can put plugs/frags on it.. I cut the extra length off so it will look cleaner when finished. Get your super glue gel ready for some fine bead action. Go slow and run a nice bead with your gel, try to avoid drips because you will need to leave this alone for several minutes while it dries and if you hit the surface you may break the eggcrate into pieces trying to remove it from your work area. Once your first glue sets some of the way you can go back and throw "tacks" over some of the edges for a better hold. Like mig welding After that is set a little, get ready to put your bottom piece in. Prep the area with primer and gel and lay the piece in. This is the critical time where your rack is going to be perfect or crooked. Glue both sides in and use your hands to bend and bond the side supports to the bottom piece. Use some good pressure to get the bond going and make sure you dont glue your fingers to the rack. Its important to make sure your edges are perfect so it looks good in your display tank Threw some more extra gel beads for the heck of it. BAM! Phase one complete. Time to prep the magnets. These things are gonna give you trouble if you are not smart about it These have to be PERFECT in order for this to work. If you know how magnets work they all need to be the same. You can use a set of "dummy" magnets and set it aside marking one end with a marker. Glue your first magnet down and be sure to have the next magnets you put down face the same way by using the marked magnets next to you. It is very important you prime the magnet side you are gluing to the rack. The primer will absorb into magnet very fast. Run a bead like you see here. Start gluing magnets onto the back of the rack. Check every one before gluing it with the dummy magnets! Spread them out far apart so you get the best support. You can use any size magnets, but I'm still trying magnets out seeing which is best so I did a mix of both. Use the last piece and make a back support for your frag rack. Repeat the previous steps for gluing and make sure you put the magnets on the right side! Use super glue and coat everything you see on these magnets. Blow on the side of the magnet that will be against the glass to flatten the glue and provide better magnetic support. Don't be afraid or ashamed about using a lot of glue, no one will see it and you gotta seal these magnets. There we go... an example with a fallen soldier too see what it looks like! I took it a step further and dremeled out the sides of the rack under the top where the side support is. I was thinking about it and realized I lose 2 rows of plug space to the sides! Cant have that Testing, looks on so far... Finally, you can get the light you deserve! My 55 gallon is kinda tall so Im constantly building my rock work higher and higher. Now I can just move my rack around. Also, the purpose of being a dual level frag rack was so that SPS on top can get the light it needs, while lower light lovers or new stuff can be shaded underneath from being up close to the light. I mixed it up with stony plugs and plastics. I used the plastic for an example of how you can pout half the slot on the edge of the rack and get more room out of it! Example of the bottom rack in action! Link to comment
Kraylen Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Thanks man, it works really good also. Link to comment
lajz9 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I'm sure. Concept is great with the corals that need more light on top and lower light on the bottom. Link to comment
Kraylen Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Chris Marks was asking for DIYs so I figured I'd create some stuff! Link to comment
CL_ Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Nice rack! I'm surprised that you didn't give it another coat of paint after you sanded it. Link to comment
mkregs Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Nice write-up Kraylen! Good job. Link to comment
Diatome Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 I like the design. Just wondering why you didn't use a black epoxy or even plasti-dip for the magnets? Some of the local reefers have had the magnets exposed after being in the tank for some time, with just super glue, so many switched to a black epoxy for more durability and the look with black egg crate but the old hands have had the best luck keeping the magnet seeled with plasti-dip. Link to comment
Yamato Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 excellent write up. Thanks for doing the work. Link to comment
Kimberly63 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Looks really good but I know that superglue will slowly dissolve away in saltwater. At least it happens in my tank. Wonder if you could cover the magnet in that reef putty stuff that hardens? I don't think it dissolves over time. Link to comment
ohio reefer Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 THats pretty awesome! i especially like your choice of drinks. you start off with Capri-sun than as the project goes on you upgrade to Modela Negra----yum Looks great! Link to comment
bruce922 Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Nice work. I really like the design! Bruce Link to comment
Kraylen Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 Looks really good but I know that superglue will slowly dissolve away in saltwater. At least it happens in my tank. Wonder if you could cover the magnet in that reef putty stuff that hardens? I don't think it dissolves over time. Coralfix, not super glue. The reef putty was considered but would have to be applied too thick to seal the magnet.. which would result in no magnet. Make sense? I was considering painting it black, but since it is going to be inside my tank it will be covered up in no time. This was constructed with stuff I had lying around... simple. Link to comment
The Propagator Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 ALL YOUR PAC MAN GHOST TINS AND STRAWBERRY KIWI CAPRI SUNS ARE BELONG TO ME !!!! Link to comment
Kraylen Posted June 5, 2009 Author Share Posted June 5, 2009 hhaha, I will overnight ship them to you! Link to comment
kamikaze_fish Posted June 5, 2009 Share Posted June 5, 2009 Kudos man. Very nice work. Link to comment
tyty22 Posted June 7, 2009 Share Posted June 7, 2009 very nice diy you could probably coat the magnets in silcone too. Link to comment
disaster999 Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 should of paint the whole thing black after you built the rack, wont be left with those scuffed up racks with white plastic showing. oh well..its gonna get covered anyways. Link to comment
The Propagator Posted June 8, 2009 Share Posted June 8, 2009 hhaha, I will overnight ship them to you! Link to comment
Kraylen Posted June 8, 2009 Author Share Posted June 8, 2009 Goto gamecrazy, they have pac man ghost candy tins Link to comment
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