Fragging Racks for Fun

[kmcmurtry]

So I finally finished a DIY project - it only took me 4 days, lol. I know most of you could whip this out in 5 minutes. However, we had zero materials and few tools. $5 for a 1/2 inch bit to make the holes in the lexan (I think it was $6 for 2 12" sheets), $4 for super glue, $6 for a scoring tool for the lexan, $10 for 2 algae magnets (Wal-mart - next time I might order some smaller magnets online, but these do the trick.). I probably could have purchased one at Elite or online for $20-$30 but I was able to fit quite a bit of holes in it and now I have the stuff to make more on the cheap which is cool. It'll be fun seeing how many of these I can wedge into the 90g now. Fellow noobs: don't be afraid to try it. And I did pick up a pack of acrylic plugs at Charlies just because I was there and they looked handy - eshopps brand. They are lightweight, so they will kind of want to blow away in the current if you have a light frag like a pair of zoa polyps, but I redirected all my flow to get around it. I think I might pick the ceramics next time just for that reason, but all the acrylic looks cool.

I stayed up WAY too late re-fragging all my stuff (OK, I got 5 hours sleep). Zoas I had previously attached to shells and rubble were rehomed to their new fancy plugs, because my crabs keep remodeling, and I hate permanently gluing in my DT - I can't commit. Also, I kind of did buy this little tank as a frag tank although it is too deep by most standards.

I might try to build a stand next that houses many layers at different levels, maybe staggering the width of each tier so that everybody gets light. If you've ever tried one, let me know what happened with it. It would be good to get some suggestions/ideas. I know Elite has the black one you hang in the corner and swing the arms out to get all the frags light, but I'm thinking a little bigger like to replace my current rock pile (in my 30g) - maybe like a cupcake stand, pyramid shaped? I also see a lot of eggcrate racks like this, especially at my LFS's, but I'm not an eggcrate fan.

Anyway, I feel proud that my spouse and I built something together without wanting to stab each other in the eye sockets by the end. Or rolling him up in a rug. I've seen one lately at ARC and as soon as it's half-off day...LOL.

 

[KhensuRa]

Wow nice job!!! Looks like I might have to follow suit and make me one. Looks way nicer then the eggcrate one I use. What kind of bit did you use to drill?

 

[kmcmurtry]

Oh man, now you're asking for it, lol. Ummmmm, the kind that is flat and comes down to like 3 points on the end? Kind of looks like a trident? LOL. I just learned the difference between phillips and flathead a couple years ago.

Just so you know how knowledgeable I am with tools, Boogie sold me a light the other day and I spent an hour smashing the bejesus out of all the legs on it with a hammer, muttering to myself, until my husband walked up behind me and said "you know those are allen head screws, right?" No kidding, all I had to do was loosen those and the legs would have moved, but the screws were so tiny they looked like they were the ends of some kind of fixed studs or something. Thank the gods I didn't bust the light. The hammer is always unfortunately my tool of choice.

 

[kmcmurtry]

also, the yellow stuff on the inside of the magnets is bugging me but I guess I could buy some replacement stuff and glue it in

 

[KhensuRa]

Oh man, now you're asking for it, lol. Ummmmm, the kind that is flat and comes down to like 3 points on the end? Kind of looks like a trident? LOL. I just learned the difference between phillips and flathead a couple years ago.

Just so you know how knowledgeable I am with tools, Boogie sold me a light the other day and I spent an hour smashing the bejesus out of all the legs on it with a hammer, muttering to myself, until my husband walked up behind me and said "you know those are allen head screws, right?" No kidding, all I had to do was loosen those and the legs would have moved, but the screws were so tiny they looked like they were the ends of some kind of fixed studs or something. Thank the gods I didn't bust the light. The hammer is always unfortunately my tool of choice.

Hahahahaha!!! Wow you must be my wifes twin... So it was just a normal drill bit then I bet, not a special one for lexan. So did you go with lexan for any reason?

 

[kmcmurtry]

yeah, a normal bit because we had a screaming baby when we went into HD and my husband has a limited tolerance for shopping, even at hardware stores. I kept saying we needed to find a special bit marked for acrylic, and he just plucked it off the wall and said this'll work. Of course, I kept nagging because that is how God made me, and forced him to look at 50 more, but we never found one for just plastic, we ended up with the same one he picked anyway, and the stupid thing worked fine, which now reinforces him being right, dang it.

We picked the lexan because HD had small sheets for cheap and we could just score them down the middle to make 2 frag racks each and because we have nothing suitable for ripping larger sheets (table saw I am guessing?). I am guessing there are more cost effective measures but I suck at saving money, lol. I excel at spending it.

 

[kmcmurtry]

And I like how the lexan was very light, so it doesn't put too much weight on the magnets. I don't think there is a need for the super thick acrylic - just more weighty

 

[Boogie]

[attachment=61072:name]

You got a nice rack

 

[kmcmurtry]

Also, I think on the next one I will make some bigger holes because I have run into some larger-than-1/2-inch frag plug posts which is annoying. Wish they were standard. And maybe some really big holes for those aragonite pyramid-looking plugs which are super thick.

 

[kmcmurtry]

AH YES! Exactly! thanks Boogie

 

[KhensuRa]

Since you are now a pro, here is some good reading.

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2002-04/jg/index.php

 

[kmcmurtry]

LOL, luckily I am married to a pro. Some good tips in there, thanks!

 

[KhensuRa]

Good_greef inspired...

Made a prototype acrylic frag tray, got a couple ideas while doing it to make them pretty.

I bent the edges up so flat frag tiles don't slip off when snails attack.

[attachment=61078:name]

thanks for the idea K.

 

[kmcmurtry]

Awesome! Now mine is going to need some updating with new and improved "KhensuRa Flange"

 

[kmcmurtry]

Another member asked specifically how to make the rack, so I am adding some instructions here as I can't find the original site I used for this build:


Home Depot has a small section in the back where they have various sizes and types of clear acrylic sheets. The ones I bought were Lexan and the sheets were only like 12 inches long, but a good thickness, maybe $3 a piece and every sheet can make 2 racks. Also, you may want to buy a scoring tool in that section that will help cut it unless you have a dremel or something. Just take one end and score the last half inch off. You will use this thin strip of 1/2 inch by 6 inches or so later. Score it into like 4 equal pieces. Now, get some cheap algae magnets. Cheapest I found was Wal-mart. Little no-name 2 inch algae magnets in the pets section. They're $5 a piece and you need 2 for each frag rack. Now, take the little lexan strips you made, and take the inside half of your magnet (the one that is supposed to go inside the tank to clean the glass), and super glue that strip you made lengthwise to the top of the magnet. This is because, if you notice, the magnet has a sloping edge, and if you put the frag rack right on it, it wouldn't be level. The little strip helps it even out. The strip should not go all the way to the inside edge of the magnet (inside edge being the lip part with the fuzzy stuff on it). Do this to both magnet sets (MAKE SURE you are gluing the right side of the magnet pair, lol). Let that dry for like 10 minutes. Now take your big lexan sheet and score it lengthwise like a 1000 times and snap it in half. Take a chunk of wood like a piece of 2x4 and set it on a workbench or on the floor with the lexan on top. You will need a 1/2 inch bit on your drill - in the thread there is a pic of the bit we used - it worked well and was cheap. Drill as many holes as you like, using a frag plug as reference to know how far apart - the nice thing is you can drill them wherever you like and stagger them to fit a ton. Then take that over to the magnets and put the ugly side of the lexan down, the one where you can feel the tops of the holes are rougher? You can sand that but I didn't see a reason. Any sanding you do on acrylic becomes a chore as you have to dial down the sanding paper until you buff out all your marks.

Now, one magnet gets glued to the underside on one side and the other goes on the side directly right or left of that one, so that you can hang it on one corner of the tank. I like to stand by the tank and visualize the best spot before I glue because you want to pick a side where you have some flow or else it will collect dust and algae. And once you pick which side the magnets are going on, it can really only go a couple places unless you hide it in the back of the tank. Let this dry for another 10-15 minutes. Have more patience than me, lol. One I made this weekend fell apart in the tank and I had to dry it and start over. Also, I highly recommend Loctite Gel Control. I tried this with regular super glue and it took waaaaay longer to hold. In the thread, another member was inspired to add a flange to the top of his so the snails didn't take frags with them over the edge.

FYI - you can do the same with eggcrate - I just chose this because I thought eventually I will have to take it out and de-algae it, and the clear acrylic may be easier to clean in the long run. Also, I liked the clear vs. opaque aspect. It seems to blend in more with the whole tank and the snails like to cruise on it.

If you're considering something like this, take my word for it - coming from someone who can screw up anything given enough time and glue - it's easy. And once you have all the tools, it's not that expensive. I plan on trying some staggered triangle ones later for my back corner, like a cupcake tier.

 

[Cake_Boss]

For those who are "frugal," lowes(I'm assuming HD does this also) sells the scraps from the cutting customers leave. The price depends on the person you ask, it can be anywhere from $0.25 to $2. All depends on who you ask ($0.25 @ greeley, $2 @ loveland)

 

[kmcmurtry]

ooooh, awesome comment! Thanks for the info