DennisP Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 Jen has kindly supplied me with a tank. Good condition and clean. A quick, (better than last picture), design I have in mind is... Sorry, its kind of hard to see but still. The tank is 62 x 30 x 35 (approx.) The terrestrial segment will be constructed out of polystyrene and then covered in gravel, earth, and maybe peat for a natural look. Challenges ahead of me... - The actual sculpting of the polystyrene - Background - Filter. Ideas - The land sculpting shouldn't be too difficult as it will be smooth, but it is still something I haven't done before.. - The Background! I think I will do this out of polystyrene as well, but, because it will be very visible and detailed, I have a feeling I will Stuff it up lots - Tips would be appreciated. :lol: - Filter... As there is not much room for a filter (or heater), I have thought that I could cut a small 4cm x 4cm underneath the land polystyrene. It will probably go around a corner or something for water flow, and have a power head in the middle. I could put some small filter media in there too for the bacteria and maybe a small heater If it fits. I'm sure I could find some small netting that could cover up the inlet/outlet and then cover it in gravel. Do You Think This Is Possible?? As for flora and fauna, That is still weeks away so I'm trying not to focus on that for now. But I have some ideas... I will keep this updated (with photos) as I go. :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 well with the poly you will probably have to glue sheets together to get the shape that you need ,you can use aquarium silicone to do this i would integrate the background into the land piece and make it as one piece that will make it more natural in the end. to cut poly use a sharp stanley knife carefully with the blade most of the way out to shape it there are many tools you can use a lot of different kitchen utensils work well . you can also use rasps and surforms and if you are careful a heat gun. i have a heat gun you can borrow and i have somewhere a small rasp i found really helpful as one end is curved (it may take me a while to find it in my hgarage though i also have a lot of dark brown acylic house paint and some lighter stuff for dry brushing which i have used on my backgrounds so i know that they are safe to use . you are welcome to use this too. i would suggest hollowing out the poly into a shape to hold soil where you plan to plant your plants , the bigger the better as more soil will mean healthier plants . once carved use paint straight on the poly and when still wet sprinkle sand and gravel in differet areas to add texture this can be painted over again when dry to help hold it in place and use the other colours dry brushed on to add interest and high lights. is the filter you plan on using an internal one? if so you could cut out a gap in the corner of the tank to fit it in and build the side of the poly around it so that it can still be removed but has a removable poly lid or similar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted May 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 This is very helpful. I might take you up on that offer! The filter I plan on making entirely from scratch. Only using a small power-head for water flow. I will make some designs soon. As for the background, I will integrate it with the land. I will use the same piece, or make sure they fit together perfectly but then separate it to make it easier. This is my idea for the filter. FTS to show you where it would go... And this one is more detail. . The yellow (if you can see) texture would be that wool sorta stuff so the power-head stays cleanish. The PH = powerhead... The black texture(s) would be different filter media. Would this even work?!?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spoon Posted May 4, 2010 Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 if its sort of a tunnel it mite be hard to get at to clean replace media ect . i have a small external canister filter that the pump is broken on it you are welcome to have it and just use your pump inside the tank to pump water through it i think the pump im using on it at the moment is 200lph a slightly bigger pump would be better perhaps 400lph or 500lph. it would just tidy it up and then you could perhaps have the water trickling down into the tank over yout rock work also all the necessaary pipework could be pre-plumbed into the poly so its hidden , then you would just need to find somewhere to hide the heater! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted May 4, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 4, 2010 I'd make it so the media can just slide out. The heater is still optional, as I think I'll just use mountain minnows. They are easy to look after, small, and don't need a heater. The power-head is what will make or break this idea. Anybody got one? :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DennisP Posted May 5, 2010 Author Report Share Posted May 5, 2010 I went to mitre 10, and they kindly gave me 2 1.5m long blocks of poly. So now I have plenty for mistakes :lol: This is my first design, and I think It should look good once painted. They background (in the water) I think is going to stay pretty vertical. Now I need paint, and pebbles. I can get a little sand from outside or something. I am thinking I want those tiny little, round boring grey pebbles. I remember I used them at school many times when I was little, I think it is also in the sand they use for sandpits. Anyone know what I'm on about. I think they will be the best choice. Because they look natural and don't draw too much attention. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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