diy ornaments

[spiral_72]

I'm still searching, but thus far I have come up with almost zero. Are
there any articles on DIY aquarium ornaments, rock sculptures, object
ect. I have found one that used large dia PVC, but that's not really
what I had in mind. Thanks all!

[[email protected]]

styrofoam is commonly used with epoxy sealants to waterproof it.
www.netmax.tk (also a poster on use groups) has some information, look
in the right frame of the page for links. I know there are some good
sites with pretty detailed lists of materials etc. jsut keep googling.
These tanks can be quite gorgeous. I am in the midst of sculpting
extruded foam insulation for a paludarium.

[spiral_72]

It's frustrating. I know there must be information all over the net.
It's just a matter of finding the right keywords I guess.

I found one guy, made a mold in sand with a real rock and poured
concrete/sand in the mold. Cool I guess, but concrete contains
limestone. Limestone does really interesting things to the pH and
hardness of your water. Not good.

I'd be interested in seeing pictures if you have any. Extruded foam
huh? How bouyant is the stuff? ---> How tough is it to keep submerged?
I know foam comes in many densities, but styrofoam is like 80% air.

[spiral_72]

You da' MAN! (woman?) :)

...... all that searching and our very own NetMax has all the info.
Thanks!!

[Koi-lo]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
ups.com...
Limestone does really interesting things to the pH and
> hardness of your water. Not good.
===================
It's great for stabilizing PH and for fish that like hard alkaline water. I
have it in all my pools and ponds. Sometimes in my fishtanks as well. It's
not real attractive though.........
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Gill Passman]

Koi-lo wrote:
>
> "spiral_72" > wrote in message
> ups.com...
> Limestone does really interesting things to the pH and
>
>> hardness of your water. Not good.
>
> ===================
> It's great for stabilizing PH and for fish that like hard alkaline
> water. I have it in all my pools and ponds. Sometimes in my fishtanks
> as well. It's not real attractive though.........

It has to be said that this all depends on the fish - if they need hard
water and high pH it's great....I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
wouldn't use it in any of the others...but I will say that it looks
attractive in this tank and suits the fish perfectly

Gill

[Steve]

Gill Passman wrote:

>
> It has to be said that this all depends on the fish - if they need hard
> water and high pH it's great....I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
> wouldn't use it in any of the others...but I will say that it looks
> attractive in this tank and suits the fish perfectly
>
> Gill

What's ocean rock? Is it like those famous white cliffs you have in England?
Steve

[CanadianCray]

I have seen Texas holey rock referred to as Ocean Rock. Usually its like
Texas holey rock with just smaller holes.
"Steve" > wrote in message
. ..
> Gill Passman wrote:
>
>>
>> It has to be said that this all depends on the fish - if they need hard
>> water and high pH it's great....I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
>> wouldn't use it in any of the others...but I will say that it looks
>> attractive in this tank and suits the fish perfectly
>>
>> Gill
>
> What's ocean rock? Is it like those famous white cliffs you have in
> England?
> Steve

[NetMax]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
oups.com...
> You da' MAN! (woman?) :)
>
> ..... all that searching and our very own NetMax has all the info.
> Thanks!!


If you like that one,
http://www.2cah.com/netmax/diy_projects/sculptures/sculptures.shtml wait
until you see the new one I'm working on now. I took a 6 foot extruded
styrofoam billet and carved it down to a 'rock' wall full of hidey holes
for the fish. It is now 58" long and 20" tall. I just finished painting
it (took 16 colours to get the sedimentary layer-look), and I bought more
epoxy this morning, so the sealing begins this weekend.

Even my non-fish friends are impressed (or just humouring me while
becoming further convinced of my eccentricity ;~). I've taken a few
pictures along the way, so if it works out, I'll put them up on the site.

ps: in regards to your question, 1 cu.ft. of extruded polystyrene
(styrofoam, and you wouldn't use expanded styrofoam) is 1.5 lbs, or about
60 lbs lighter than the cu.ft of water it displaces, so this is your
buoyancy factor. So far, silicone seems to have held it down without
problems (not too surprising, considering silicone holds more weight over
a smaller surface when holding a tank together), but I think proper
surface preparation is key.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Charles]

On Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:54:11 -0500, "NetMax"
> wrote:

>"spiral_72" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>> You da' MAN! (woman?) :)
>>
>> ..... all that searching and our very own NetMax has all the info.
>> Thanks!!
>
>
>If you like that one,
>http://www.2cah.com/netmax/diy_projects/sculptures/sculptures.shtml wait
>until you see the new one I'm working on now. I took a 6 foot extruded
>styrofoam billet and carved it down to a 'rock' wall full of hidey holes
>for the fish. It is now 58" long and 20" tall. I just finished painting
>it (took 16 colours to get the sedimentary layer-look), and I bought more
>epoxy this morning, so the sealing begins this weekend.
>
>Even my non-fish friends are impressed (or just humouring me while
>becoming further convinced of my eccentricity ;~). I've taken a few
>pictures along the way, so if it works out, I'll put them up on the site.
>
>ps: in regards to your question, 1 cu.ft. of extruded polystyrene
>(styrofoam, and you wouldn't use expanded styrofoam) is 1.5 lbs, or about
>60 lbs lighter than the cu.ft of water it displaces, so this is your
>buoyancy factor. So far, silicone seems to have held it down without
>problems (not too surprising, considering silicone holds more weight over
>a smaller surface when holding a tank together), but I think proper
>surface preparation is key.


I had envisioned a backdrop rather than something on the bottom of the
tank. I bought one once, spent a long time fixing it up, it had been
damaged, then found I couldn't get it into the tank due to the cross
member at the top on the tank.

I thought a couple of bad words, then threw it away.

[Koi-lo]

"Gill Passman" > wrote in message
.. .
I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
> wouldn't use it in any of the others...
==============
What is "ocean rock?"
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Gill Passman]

Koi-lo wrote:
>
> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
> .. .
> I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
>
>> wouldn't use it in any of the others...
>
> ==============
> What is "ocean rock?"

Another name for Ocean Rock would by holey limestone. Generally you will
see this type of rock in Marine Tanks - it is often sold as "living
rock". However it is also sold dried out and it is this that I have in
the Malawi tank. It has the advantage of being full of little holes as
well as the larger ones giving plenty of hiding places for fry and
larger fish alike.

Gill

[2pods]

"Gill Passman" > wrote in message
.. .
> Koi-lo wrote:
>>
>> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
>> .. .
>> I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
>>
>>> wouldn't use it in any of the others...
>>
>> ==============
>> What is "ocean rock?"
>
> Another name for Ocean Rock would by holey limestone. Generally you will
> see this type of rock in Marine Tanks - it is often sold as "living rock".
> However it is also sold dried out and it is this that I have in the Malawi
> tank. It has the advantage of being full of little holes as well as the
> larger ones giving plenty of hiding places for fry and larger fish alike.
>
> Gill

Would this be Tufa rock ?
Full of holes, quite crumbly, and keeps my tank's pH up a treat ?

Peter ( shortly to be known as Noah if my tank struts and clamps are not
delivered soon)

[Gill Passman]

2pods wrote:
> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
> .. .
>
>>Koi-lo wrote:
>>
>>>"Gill Passman" > wrote in message
.. .
>>>I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
>>>
>>>
>>>>wouldn't use it in any of the others...
>>>
>>>==============
>>>What is "ocean rock?"
>>
>>Another name for Ocean Rock would by holey limestone. Generally you will
>>see this type of rock in Marine Tanks - it is often sold as "living rock".
>>However it is also sold dried out and it is this that I have in the Malawi
>>tank. It has the advantage of being full of little holes as well as the
>>larger ones giving plenty of hiding places for fry and larger fish alike.
>>
>>Gill
>
>
> Would this be Tufa rock ?
> Full of holes, quite crumbly, and keeps my tank's pH up a treat ?
>
> Peter ( shortly to be known as Noah if my tank struts and clamps are not
> delivered soon)
>
>

They are different but I guess the usage is much the same. Eventually
got a hit on google that shows pictures. Check out:-
http://www.trilcot.com/rocks.htm

Hope you get the tank sorted soon

Gill

[[email protected]]

can't wait to see some pictures!

[Flash Wilson]

On 11 Jan 2006 13:19:28 -0800, spiral_72 > wrote:
>It's frustrating. I know there must be information all over the net.
>It's just a matter of finding the right keywords I guess.

I found similar the other day when googling on making rock caves.

--
Flash Wilson - Web Design & Mastery - 0870 401 4061 / 07939 579090
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Work: www.wdam.co.uk Personal: www.gorge.org

[Koi-lo]

"Gill Passman" > wrote in message
.. .
> Koi-lo wrote:
>>
>> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
>> .. .
>> I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
>>
>>> wouldn't use it in any of the others...
>>
>> ==============
>> What is "ocean rock?"
>
> Another name for Ocean Rock would by holey limestone. Generally you will
> see this type of rock in Marine Tanks - it is often sold as "living rock".
> However it is also sold dried out and it is this that I have in the Malawi
> tank. It has the advantage of being full of little holes as well as the
> larger ones giving plenty of hiding places for fry and larger fish alike.
>
> Gill
=========================
Yes,... now I know what you're talking about. It's known where I live as
"live rock." :-)
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Koi-lo]

"2pods" > wrote in message
...
> Peter ( shortly to be known as Noah if my tank struts and clamps are not
> delivered soon)
======================
I had an old Metaframe 30Long split some years ago. You can't imagine the
damage that much water can do! If you suspect your tank is ready to "blow"
I would suggest you empty it as soon as possible.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[spiral_72]

Wow, I'm at a loss for words NetMax. You've done a nice job with the
rock, but you've done an excellent job at documentation! I was
especially interested in the method used to anchor that thing! I'm not
real sure what the "red trims" are for though.

[Gill Passman]

Koi-lo wrote:
>
> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
> .. .
>
>> Koi-lo wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> "Gill Passman" > wrote in message
>>> .. .
>>> I have ocean rock in my Malawi tank but
>>>
>>>> wouldn't use it in any of the others...
>>>
>>>
>>> ==============
>>> What is "ocean rock?"
>>
>>
>> Another name for Ocean Rock would by holey limestone. Generally you
>> will see this type of rock in Marine Tanks - it is often sold as
>> "living rock". However it is also sold dried out and it is this that I
>> have in the Malawi tank. It has the advantage of being full of little
>> holes as well as the larger ones giving plenty of hiding places for
>> fry and larger fish alike.
>>
>> Gill
>
> =========================
> Yes,... now I know what you're talking about. It's known where I live
> as "live rock." :-)

Same stuff but with one major difference..."live rock" is ocean rock
where the organisms are kept alive and, as I'm sure you know, is used in
Marine tanks and is very expensive. Plain Ocean Rock is just the rocks
themselves that have been allowed to dry out thereby killing any
lifeforms - which makes them suitable for freshwater tanks with the
proviso that it needs to be a tank were the fish require hard water and
high pH as it leeches into the water. This is why it works in a Malawi
set up....

Gill

[spiral_72]

I figure it is unlikely that a plant will root in the styrofoam. Ya'
suppose there is a way to grow a low grassy plant on the "rock"? I'm
sure algae would (and will) grow on the structure.............. I'm
planning this thing...... I've got some preliminary drawings! :)

[Elaine T]

spiral_72 wrote:
> I'm still searching, but thus far I have come up with almost zero. Are
> there any articles on DIY aquarium ornaments, rock sculptures, object
> ect. I have found one that used large dia PVC, but that's not really
> what I had in mind. Thanks all!
>
If you're after a planted backdrop, you can also do interesting stuff
with cork. Mosses, ferns, and anubias can be attached to it. I've
never tried it myself, but here's a few links.
http://www.aquabotanic.com/dutchsecrets.htm
http://www.ntnu.no/~foksen/Aquascaping.htm
And here's one where the cork comes up and out of the tank.
http://www.malawicichlidhomepage.com/professionals/blu_and_verde1.htm

--
Elaine T __
http://eethomp.com/fish.html <'__><
rec.aquaria.* FAQ http://faq.thekrib.com

[sew crazy]

just mesure the glass and phone a local glass company for cut-to-size prices
,,,
you will be amazed at how cheap it is to replace the glass ...

"NetMax" > wrote in message
. ..
> "spiral_72" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>> You da' MAN! (woman?) :)
>>
>> ..... all that searching and our very own NetMax has all the info.
>> Thanks!!
>
>
> If you like that one,
> http://www.2cah.com/netmax/diy_projects/sculptures/sculptures.shtml wait
> until you see the new one I'm working on now. I took a 6 foot extruded
> styrofoam billet and carved it down to a 'rock' wall full of hidey holes
> for the fish. It is now 58" long and 20" tall. I just finished painting
> it (took 16 colours to get the sedimentary layer-look), and I bought more
> epoxy this morning, so the sealing begins this weekend.
>
> Even my non-fish friends are impressed (or just humouring me while
> becoming further convinced of my eccentricity ;~). I've taken a few
> pictures along the way, so if it works out, I'll put them up on the site.
>
> ps: in regards to your question, 1 cu.ft. of extruded polystyrene
> (styrofoam, and you wouldn't use expanded styrofoam) is 1.5 lbs, or about
> 60 lbs lighter than the cu.ft of water it displaces, so this is your
> buoyancy factor. So far, silicone seems to have held it down without
> problems (not too surprising, considering silicone holds more weight over
> a smaller surface when holding a tank together), but I think proper
> surface preparation is key.
> --
> www.NetMax.tk
>

[NetMax]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
ups.com...
>I figure it is unlikely that a plant will root in the styrofoam. Ya'
> suppose there is a way to grow a low grassy plant on the "rock"? I'm
> sure algae would (and will) grow on the structure.............. I'm
> planning this thing...... I've got some preliminary drawings! :)


Actually I used to have Java ferns creep along the styrofoam wall. Because
of the epoxy sealant, it's just a very coarse hard surface.
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Daniel Morrow]

Bottom posted.
Charles wrote:
> On Wed, 11 Jan 2006 22:54:11 -0500, "NetMax"
> > wrote:
>
>> "spiral_72" > wrote in message
>> oups.com...
>>> You da' MAN! (woman?) :)
>>>
>>> ..... all that searching and our very own NetMax has all the info.
>>> Thanks!!
>>
>>
>> If you like that one,
>> http://www.2cah.com/netmax/diy_projects/sculptures/sculptures.shtml
>> wait until you see the new one I'm working on now. I took a 6 foot
>> extruded styrofoam billet and carved it down to a 'rock' wall full
>> of hidey holes for the fish. It is now 58" long and 20" tall. I
>> just finished painting it (took 16 colours to get the sedimentary
>> layer-look), and I bought more epoxy this morning, so the sealing
>> begins this weekend.
>>
>> Even my non-fish friends are impressed (or just humouring me while
>> becoming further convinced of my eccentricity ;~). I've taken a few
>> pictures along the way, so if it works out, I'll put them up on the
>> site.
>>
>> ps: in regards to your question, 1 cu.ft. of extruded polystyrene
>> (styrofoam, and you wouldn't use expanded styrofoam) is 1.5 lbs, or
>> about 60 lbs lighter than the cu.ft of water it displaces, so this
>> is your buoyancy factor. So far, silicone seems to have held it
>> down without problems (not too surprising, considering silicone
>> holds more weight over a smaller surface when holding a tank
>> together), but I think proper surface preparation is key.
>
>
> I had envisioned a backdrop rather than something on the bottom of the
> tank. I bought one once, spent a long time fixing it up, it had been
> damaged, then found I couldn't get it into the tank due to the cross
> member at the top on the tank.
>
> I thought a couple of bad words, then threw it away.

I like netmax's idea though - makes rockwork unnecessary and relieves the
tank from the weight of real rocks plus it is sterile (netmax's fake rocks)
and still provides tons of hiding holes/etc. for fish, etc.. Good luck and
later!

[Koi-lo]

"Daniel Morrow" > wrote in message
...
> I like netmax's idea though - makes rockwork unnecessary and relieves the
> tank from the weight of real rocks plus it is sterile (netmax's fake
> rocks)
> and still provides tons of hiding holes/etc. for fish, etc.. Good luck and
> later!
===========================
But if it's glued on and you change your mind??!?!?!?! I can't see how it
could be removed.
--
Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[spiral_72]

A putty knife

[Koi-lo]

"spiral_72" > wrote in message
oups.com...
>A putty knife
=================
A doubt a putty knife will remove silicone. Also how would you get between
the Styrofoam and the glass to loosen and remove it? Just rip the foam off
and start scraping?
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[NetMax]

"Koi-lo" > wrote in message
...
>
> "spiral_72" > wrote in message
> oups.com...
>>A putty knife
> =================
> A doubt a putty knife will remove silicone. Also how would you get
> between the Styrofoam and the glass to loosen and remove it? Just rip
> the foam off and start scraping?
> --
>
> Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...


So far, I haven't felt any need to remove it, so a little research goes a
long way to making sure it meets your wishes.

Not having any experience in removing one, I can only speculate. I would
first try a hacksaw blade, and run it back and forth under the structure
breaking up the silicone. A putty knife could work as well, but may not
be deep enough (depending on the structure size), and it may have limited
affectivity (should be sharp or serrated). If all else failed, you could
destroy the structure and then clean the residue from the glass, but I
don't think that would be necessary.

Note that for the price of a tank (probably less than the structure), you
might store the tank until needed again, and simply buy a new glass tank.

The new structure under construction is going into a 30 year old aquarium
(old tanks are test beds for my experiments). If it looks good, chances
are, in a few years I'll be more interested in preserving the structure
than the aquarium!
--
www.NetMax.tk

[Koi-lo]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
>
> Note that for the price of a tank (probably less than the structure), you
> might store the tank until needed again, and simply buy a new glass tank.

EEEEEEEEK!!!! You have no idea how expensive they are these days! :-O
But that would be an option.

> The new structure under construction is going into a 30 year old aquarium
> (old tanks are test beds for my experiments). If it looks good, chances
> are, in a few years I'll be more interested in preserving the structure
> than the aquarium!

LOL!!! Gotcha! Right now my oldest tank in use is 18 years old. I
still have two ancient Metaframes out in the outbuilding but the slate fell
out of the bottom of one.... time to either salvage the glass if possible
or take them both to the town Dumpsters.

I remember in the 1960s there were 3D plastic backgrounds that looked like
rock. You taped or glued them to the OUTSIDE back of the aquariums. They
gave the illusion of depth as well as a stone wall. I loved them but
haven't seem anything like them since. I had the natural slate colored ones
for all my tanks back then.
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[NetMax]

"Koi-lo" > wrote in message
...
>
> "NetMax" > wrote in message
> ...
>>
>> Note that for the price of a tank (probably less than the structure),
>> you might store the tank until needed again, and simply buy a new
>> glass tank.
>
> EEEEEEEEK!!!! You have no idea how expensive they are these days!
> :-O But that would be an option.

lol, you forget I worked in fish retail. I know exactly how expensive
they are. You might be thinking of set-ups (with covers, lights, etc).
Just the glass box is relatively cheap. Rarely sold, but available.

>> The new structure under construction is going into a 30 year old
>> aquarium (old tanks are test beds for my experiments). If it looks
>> good, chances are, in a few years I'll be more interested in
>> preserving the structure than the aquarium!
>
> LOL!!! Gotcha! Right now my oldest tank in use is 18 years old. I
> still have two ancient Metaframes out in the outbuilding but the slate
> fell out of the bottom of one.... time to either salvage the glass if
> possible or take them both to the town Dumpsters.

I remember MetaFrames :o). Right now (that I know of), my youngest tank
is older than your oldest tank. I'm feeling old and will shut-up now.

> I remember in the 1960s there were 3D plastic backgrounds that looked
> like rock. You taped or glued them to the OUTSIDE back of the
> aquariums. They gave the illusion of depth as well as a stone wall.
> I loved them but haven't seem anything like them since. I had the
> natural slate colored ones for all my tanks back then.

I think they are still around and vastly improved. If you google you can
find a variety of backgrounds for the inside or outside of a tank. Not
as cheap as they could be, but the variety has improved and the price has
gone down considerably in the last few years. Our hobby is getting more
mainstream.

Today I found medicated gel, in a tube dispenser to use as fish food.
They has apiciline, penicillin, neomycine etc. Rather a neat invention.
--
www.NetMax.tk

> Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
> Aquariums since 1952
> My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
> NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
> http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
> http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
> ~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[Koi-lo]

"NetMax" > wrote in message
...
> "Koi-lo" > wrote in message
>>
>> LOL!!! Gotcha! Right now my oldest tank in use is 18 years old. I
>> still have two ancient Metaframes out in the outbuilding but the slate
>> fell out of the bottom of one.... time to either salvage the glass if
>> possible or take them both to the town Dumpsters.
>
> I remember MetaFrames :o). Right now (that I know of), my youngest tank
> is older than your oldest tank. I'm feeling old and will shut-up now.

Uh, you didn't come over on the Mayflower did you? Sometimes I feel like I
did. :-) I sold most of my tanks when I left NY over 25 years ago. No one
wanted the Metaframes, old even then, so I packed (fish) stuff in them and
shipped them here. I didn't get fish again until 1986 or 87. I had a few
fishless years.

>> I remember in the 1960s there were 3D plastic backgrounds that looked
>> like rock. You taped or glued them to the OUTSIDE back of the aquariums.
>> They gave the illusion of depth as well as a stone wall. I loved them but
>> haven't seem anything like them since. I had the natural slate colored
>> ones for all my tanks back then.
>
> I think they are still around and vastly improved. If you google you can
> find a variety of backgrounds for the inside or outside of a tank. Not as
> cheap as they could be, but the variety has improved and the price has
> gone down considerably in the last few years. Our hobby is getting more
> mainstream.

I will definitely Google them as I want nice backgrounds when I move the two
55s into this room (large dining room). I make the rounds of all the stores
that carry fish here and have seen nothing like those backgrounds that go on
the outside. I don't want anything taking up space inside the tanks. In
desperation I painted the back (experiment) of one 10g but don't care for
that look either. As for prices going down - HUH? I was just telling my
husband today that the aquarium hobby is pricing itself beyond the reach of
many people. I mean, even a 30L or H with all the equipment you need can
run several hundred dollars. :-( The Marine hobby is really out of sight.

> Today I found medicated gel, in a tube dispenser to use as fish food. They
> has apiciline, penicillin, neomycine etc. Rather a neat invention.

Yeah, I saw that in a fish catalog........
--

Koi-Lo.... frugal ponding since 1995...
Aquariums since 1952
My Pond & Aquarium Pages:
NEW PAGE: Aquariums:
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy/Aquarium-Page4.html
http://bellsouthpwp.net/s/h/shastadaisy
~~~ }<((((o> ~~~ }<{{{{o> ~~~ }<(((((o>

[spiral_72]

YEA!!!!

I run across a 3 by 6 foot piece of extruded polystyrene Saturday. It
was funny how it worked out actually. The family was going to throw it
away. I suppose a rock structure is my next project after I finish the
diy w/d filter.