Psychlist1972

Thought I'd post some pictures of the tree root that I'm putting together to go in my 55g tropical tank. This is supposed to look like some sort of generic tropical tree. The long root is what will divide the sand part of the tank (around the roots) and the eco-complete part (to the left of the roots).

I started by making a pattern. During actual construction, I deviated quite a bit from that, but it helped me size the main parts.

From there, I cut the foam with a knife, then shaped it with a Stanley sureform rasp and a hot wire foam cutter. Those are the same things used to shape foam for use in model railroad scenery, in case you ever want to look for tips outside aquarium stuff. My son was more than happy to help me cut foam

I then coated the thing with cement. I was dumb about it and got regular concrete with tons of stones (aggregate). After the first coat, I went back to the store and found the patching cement in a bucket and used that for the next coat.

I still have one more coat left to do. I'm debating on coloring this one. Any idea if the iron oxide-based cement pigments will be ok to use?

This will go in front of the filter and heater. One reason I made changes to the design was to ensure that I didn't block circulation around the back wall.

Pete

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bolivianbaby

Looks great! Your "little helper" is a little cutie.

MissMTS

Wow! Looks like a cool project

Tony G.

this is really cool! i will be sticking along to see how this goes

matt6765

Wow looks great

Psychlist1972

Thanks. I'll definitely post some more pics.

Anyone have any knowledge of the concrete pigment? Do you think the iron oxide pigment will be ok? I imagine so, but wanted to know if anyone had any adverse experience with that stuff in a tank.

Pete

Psychlist1972

Latest shot. I put on the last coat of cement + cement dye (a mix of oxide red and black) tonight. Hopefully this all survives being submerged

Pete

Attached Images

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Tony G.

it looks great pete! cant wait to see it in the tank! which tank is it going in?

Psychlist1972

Thanks Tony

This is going in a 55g tropical tank. I'm moving everyone out of a crowded planted 10g into that 55. The cement tree here was the main thing holding it up.

After it cures for a week, I understand I'll need to soak it in the bathtub and/or hose it down to try and leach out the things that change the water pH, so that's next on the to-do list.

The other new 55g is down in my home office, and has my goldies and plecos in it. It's their upgrade from a 20g.

Pete

aquarist48

It looks great Pete. I have no clue about the pigment.
Ken

suemvb

It looks great. You did a great job with the colors, it looks very natural. You should make a bunch of them and post them in the the buy sell trade section.

gremlin

You may want to consider some type of a cement/concrete sealer. Our first pond (I was very young) did great for a number of years, but then started to leak - the cement was deteriorating from the constant exposure to water. It was basically a hole dug in the ground and lined with cement. You may want to check with whatever they use to seal the cement for swimming pools. Or at the very least, something like Thompson's Water Seal. I built a small waterfall out of flat stones and used cement to hold it together. It only lasted about 6 months before the cement was crumbling away from the rock where the water ran all the time. The outside that stayed dry was fine. I did another project - a "birdbath" out of colored cement over foam. I coated it with the Thompson's water seal and it lasted a couple of years. I redid my aviary and ended up selling it to someone who wanted it for their aviary.

Psychlist1972

Thanks all.

@gremlin I'll look into that, as it's a really good idea. Unfortunately, most exterior grade finishes work well because they have some nasty things in them that both help retard growth of mold, and also keep the finish itself intact. Non-film finishes tend to leach oils. Film finishes (except maybe marine varnish) would eventually break up and flake when kept under water.

Woodworking is one of my hobbies

I'll see what they use to seal swimming pool cement. Definitely a good idea.

Pete

Psychlist1972

Actually, what may work is an underwater clear epoxy finish. Most marine finishes for boats are white, but there should be some underwater-approved clear ones out there. If I can put it on thinly enough, it might work out nicely.

This thing will have the HOB filter return spilling over the top, so I'll run into similar issues as the waterfall.

Pete

Psychlist1972

For reference for other folks who may stumble across this. This product looks like it might do the trick.

http://www.jamestowndistributors.com...pid=754&NEXTAG

System Three Clear Coat Epoxy. Not super cheap, but cheaper than pool epoxy paints which sell for around $100-$140 in their smallest quantities (and are opaque). Plus, this finish goes on thin, which is important here.

Epoxy finishes are generally considered safe once cured into a hard plastic. Varnishes are something I can't vouch for in this context

Pete

Psychlist1972

Anyone local to MD want this for their own tank? It would probably cost too much to ship.

Pete