kimberbee Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 The plan is to go with scape #2, I just need to epoxy it all together, which I am not looking forward to. NanoBox should be here in a couple of weeks, but my tank is still delayed a bunch due to port strikes on the west coast. Otherwise... nuthin new... Link to comment
DurocShark Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 What part of the epoxy are you not looking forward to? Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 16, 2015 Author Share Posted March 16, 2015 What part of the epoxy are you not looking forward to? All of it... It's sticky and it smells weird. I have to use enough that the rocks are secure but not too much that it looks unnatural. Link to comment
DurocShark Posted March 16, 2015 Share Posted March 16, 2015 Two things you can do: 1: Gloves! Cheap latex or nitrile gloves are great. And you should probably have some anyway as some corals can sting. 2: Color your epoxy. Save your carbon fines and put a couple pinches in (not too much) and it'll darken your epoxy making it less visible. I don't worry about epoxy color myself. Eventually it'll be covered in coralline or blocked from sight by corals. You can also add ridiculous colors to it if you want. If you're working with dry rock, you can use a 5 minute liquid epoxy that dries clear. Adding colored mica powder like these: http://www.coastalscents.com/make-your-own/mica-powder.htmlwill let you make it whatever color you like. And the mica gives it a reflectiveness that looks awesome. I use that stuff when I make poly resin blanks for the pens I make. It's safe for the tank and is even used in makeup. If I can put it around my eye (OK, not *my* eye, but you get the idea) without a problem, I'm pretty sure it can be added to epoxy and put in a tank. Link to comment
owenj Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 I'm with you, Kimber, I don't like epoxying anything either. I tried using gloves once to combat the stickiness, but it stuck way worse to the glove than my fingers. Link to comment
metrokat Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 All of it... It's sticky and it smells weird. I have to use enough that the rocks are secure but not too much that it looks unnatural. I pretty much gave up on having nice hands when doing my scape. The gloves that did work somewhat were extremely tight platex brand disposable gloves. But they also stuck to the epoxy and the glue gel. But I suppose some protection was better than none. Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 I moved the rocks around some last night again just to see if I could get them to fit together a little better. I figure that would make epoxying a little easier. I'll probably tackle that chore over the weekend. That way when I get my hands messy (cause yeah, I'm not making a special trip to buy gloves for this) it won't matter much. Dave said my NanoBox should ship at the end of the week so I'm hoping to have it late next week. Still no word on my tank though... Link to comment
seanoli Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 Gloves make it more difficult to really get into the nooks and crannies, imo. I can't wait to see the NB! Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Gloves make it more difficult to really get into the nooks and crannies, imo. I can't wait to see the NB! I'm gonna have to figure out something to do with my light until my tank comes... I can't just not use it!!! Link to comment
gena Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 All of it... It's sticky and it smells weird. I have to use enough that the rocks are secure but not too much that it looks unnatural. I agree! My husband can walk in the door hours after I've been messing with the epoxy and know that I was messing with it LOL. He thinks it smells like burnt hair. I try to wear gloves when I mix small pieces just for attaching coral. Gloves would be a pain with as much as you'd need for rocks. Sheesh...hope you get an update on your tank soon! What's the holdup? Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 Sheesh...hope you get an update on your tank soon! What's the holdup? The dock strikes on the west coast ports that ended a month ago. Apparently there is still a backlog of cargo waiting to be unloaded. I guess fish tanks didn't make it to the top of the priority list ahead of edibles/perishables... Link to comment
gena Posted March 17, 2015 Share Posted March 17, 2015 The dock strikes on the west coast ports that ended a month ago. Apparently there is still a backlog of cargo waiting to be unloaded. I guess fish tanks didn't make it to the top of the priority list ahead of edibles/perishables... The nerve of them!!!!! Fish tanks are way more important than food . I didn't even know about these strikes. Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 17, 2015 Author Share Posted March 17, 2015 The nerve of them!!!!! Fish tanks are way more important than food . I didn't even know about these strikes. I am trying to wait it out because I am getting a deal from and helping support the LFS my BF works for. But they have no ETA at all!! Frustrating! Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 23, 2015 Author Share Posted March 23, 2015 Started epoxying the rocks today so I can get the rocks in a bucket for cycling. I underestimated the amount of epoxy I would need, so I'll have to go over all my joins again with some more. Here's how it looks for now: WP_20150322_003 by kimothy182, on Flickr WP_20150322_004 by kimothy182, on Flickr WP_20150322_005 by kimothy182, on Flickr Also, I think I need one of these red spine, blue spot, electric urchins. Supposedly they give you a little shock... WP_20150322_001 by kimothy182, on Flickr Link to comment
Pinner Reef Posted March 23, 2015 Share Posted March 23, 2015 That urchin is awesome!!! Link to comment
seanoli Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 Love the final scape. It's awesome. The urchin is tripping me out. Get it. Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 24, 2015 Author Share Posted March 24, 2015 Love the final scape. It's awesome. The urchin is tripping me out. Get it. Supposedly they shock you if you touch them... Also, one little quarter-sized urchin was $50!! Seemed a little steep to me. Perhaps another time, and if I can find more info on them. I forget where my urchin is all the time and bump into him while cleaning. As pretty as they are, I don't want anything in my tank that would hurt me! The rocks have been epoxy'd with a second layer for strength. I'll let it dry until Wednesday and then I'll hopefully find a suitable bucket for cycling!!! Who knows when these silly tanks will be in from the docks... Link to comment
teenyreef Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 The scape looks really nice. I've always been too nervous to glue up rocks dry, because to me they always look so different once they're in the tank and under water. But I think they're going to look awesome. You need to drive down to the docks and start kickin' some you know what. Just sayin... Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 My tank is still nowhere to be seen. Dave is still working on my light. I was gonna start cycling my rocks tonight with the water from a water change due for my biocube, but realized my BF has my siphon, so that will get pushed back a day too. Boo. Link to comment
owenj Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 My tank is still nowhere to be seen. Dave is still working on my light. I was gonna start cycling my rocks tonight with the water from a water change due for my biocube, but realized my BF has my siphon, so that will get pushed back a day too. Boo. Link to comment
ninjamyst Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 ur scape is awesome! it's like 3-D. love it. Link to comment
jedimasterben Posted March 26, 2015 Share Posted March 26, 2015 Tell the tank to arrive and Dave to step on it (step on it as in build the light faster, not step on the tank lol) Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 My rocks, carefully "scaped" in the bucket for optimum flow: WP_20150326_001 by kimothy182, on Flickr Water added! Time to start cycling! WP_20150326_003 by kimothy182, on Flickr Link to comment
Arce Posted March 27, 2015 Share Posted March 27, 2015 All of it... It's sticky and it smells weird. I have to use enough that the rocks are secure but not too much that it looks unnatural. Should have used mortar. I did it for my tank, was so easy and the strength it provides is obviously a lot better than epoxy. Also looks more natural once the dry rock gets some color. Scape looks good, gives lots of room for SPS That Urchin is crazy cool! Totally would get one! Link to comment
kimberbee Posted March 27, 2015 Author Share Posted March 27, 2015 Should have used mortar. I did it for my tank, was so easy and the strength it provides is obviously a lot better than epoxy. Also looks more natural once the dry rock gets some color. Scape looks good, gives lots of room for SPS That Urchin is crazy cool! Totally would get one! Mortar... duh! That would have been smart! Upon further research, I think the urchin might be a fire urchin. Seems they can get rather large, and do have a venomous sting. So I won't be getting one for my little 20 gallon. As it is, I always forget to look out for the urchin in my biocube and frequently bump him with my hand during tank maintenance day. Maybe if I ever end up with a LARGE reef tank I would consider. But for now, I'll just have to look and say, "ohhh prettyyy..." from a distance. Link to comment
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