Material for frag rack

[Isoprene]

I am plumbing in a 30 gallon frag tank to my 55 DT, I am doing sps frags and lps frags with 4 bulbs of T5. I was wondering, if I cant get my hands on some acrylic for cheap what is a good alternative to use for frag racks? Im looking to save money and not leech any silicates into my water. Any ideas are welcome, thanks!

 

[planereefer]

You could try the egg crate in the lighting department of lowes or Home Depot. Your LFS might even have some.

 

[Dsdaley77]

I use egg crate. Works well, perfect sized holes (multiple sizes to choose from), and you can build whatever size/shape you want and seems to be the standard for people that don't want to buy racks of fidget with acrylic

It took me awhile to figure out in my noob days what egg crate was but now I love it.

 

[Isoprene]

I heard this stuff leeches silicates and phosphates like mad?

 

[cdness]

I use Eggcrate too. All you need is a bottle of super glue, used Mag Float, and a piece of eggcrate. Glue it all together and let it dry. I then soak my eggcrate in a good vinegar solution to strip it from contaminants. Never had an issue with it.

 

[Dsdaley77]

I have seen no issues in my water and see it in every fish store I go to, and in every online picture of coral for sale Personally never heard of the phosphate /sillicate issue but I guess it's worth some research

 

[Dsdaley77]

I use Eggcrate too. All you need is a bottle of super glue, used Mag Float, and a piece of eggcrate. Glue it all together and let it dry. I then soak my eggcrate in a good vinegar solution to strip it from contaminants. Never had an issue with it.

Seems like that would solve any contaminant problem.

 

[Isoprene]

alright, thats good enough for me and yeah i see it online all the freaking time too. I think ill try soaking it in vinegar like you said. Cheap fix, thanks guys.

 

[MikeB]

We used egg crate but go tired of algae build up and they were hard to clean. We switch to using The Blue Go Frag Racks. You pay a little more up front but in the long run they will save you time and money.

The Blue Glow

 

[Isoprene]

Those look nice but i dont think they fit in my 30 gallon to be honest, i need something a little less wide.

 

[planereefer]

The only leaching I've heard of with the egg crate was with the black egg crate stuff.

 

[jgraz]

I built this with some 1/4' acrylic from Lowes and some threaded nylon rod and nuts that i got from Mcmaster-carr. I built this to fit nicly in a 20 high while leaving a bit of room around it on the bottom glass. This also filled out a 10 gallon tank perfectly. It was super easy, no leaching from the white eggrate and fully customizable, and cheap especially when compared to those found at Blue Glow.

 

[jgraz]

The only leaching I've heard of with the egg crate was with the black egg crate stuff.

I have heard and experienced just the opposite. the black does not leach and the white will. Plus the black will look much better.

 

[Isoprene]

jgraz, mind sending me some more info on how you did that and how much, im really interested, that looks EXACTLY like what i am trying to accomplish. Like exact amount of acrylic you bought and how you did the threads etc..please

 

[jgraz]

jgraz, mind sending me some more info on how you did that and how much, im really interested, that looks EXACTLY like what i am trying to accomplish. Like exact amount of acrylic you bought and how you did the threads etc..please

Just get the acrylic at lowes. I used 1/4" and recommend that since it will hold up better under the weight of plugs and stone. I got it cheaper cause I talked them into selling some scrap that they had but it was not easy to get them to sell it, I had to go up to the store manager. I think they sell good size pieces for $33 that sould be enough for a nice size rack. The nylon rod I got here McMaster-Carr I don't remember the size I got though. Get nuts to go along with it. The rods I got are thick but they didn't need to be. You might be able to find these local to you to avoid shipping. The place I linked is local to me. You might try grainger or even any local hardware store even.

Basically all I did was cut the the pieces to the size i was looking for. Lowes will do this for you or if you have a table saw that would work too. I layed out the hole locations with a dryerase marker. Then drilled all the holes. This was the hardest part, get a piece of plywood and lay the acrylic down on top. That will help keep the acrylic from chipping the underside. Drilling a pilot hole with a small bit will help keep the bigger bit from walking on you. I just used a regular wood bit since that what i had laying around. You have to go slow enough to not break out the hole but fast enough so that your not melting it. In hind site I may have done this in a container of some sort and had water in it to help keep things cool. After i drilled all the holes i used a scrap piece of acrylic with a flat edge to scrape all the burrs off. That way I didn't have to use sandpaper and was able to keep the clear look.

Shelves: just use the rods to hold the shelves. Use the nuts to hold it and another nust to secure it. that was really all i did for that. Just cut them to the length you want. Its really fully adjustable you just need to adjust the nuts to raise or lower.

Im sure there is a easier more effecient way of doing all these things, I built this during hurricane Sandy and was running in and out of the house to avoid dying LOL. But I think it came out rather good. I have since taken down the frag tank and have this just sitting around waiting for my next frag tank.

As for the cost, I think this cost me about $30 but I got the acrylic cheap. I'd be willing to bet though you could easily make a shelved system to fit a 40 breeder for about $50 if you don't get crazy buying special tools.

 

[Isoprene]

Awesome! def doing it, thanks!

Just get the acrylic at lowes. I used 1/4" and recommend that since it will hold up better under the weight of plugs and stone. I got it cheaper cause I talked them into selling some scrap that they had but it was not easy to get them to sell it, I had to go up to the store manager. I think they sell good size pieces for $33 that sould be enough for a nice size rack. The nylon rod I got here McMaster-Carr I don't remember the size I got though. Get nuts to go along with it. The rods I got are thick but they didn't need to be. You might be able to find these local to you to avoid shipping. The place I linked is local to me. You might try grainger or even any local hardware store even.

Basically all I did was cut the the pieces to the size i was looking for. Lowes will do this for you or if you have a table saw that would work too. I layed out the hole locations with a dryerase marker. Then drilled all the holes. This was the hardest part, get a piece of plywood and lay the acrylic down on top. That will help keep the acrylic from chipping the underside. Drilling a pilot hole with a small bit will help keep the bigger bit from walking on you. I just used a regular wood bit since that what i had laying around. You have to go slow enough to not break out the hole but fast enough so that your not melting it. In hind site I may have done this in a container of some sort and had water in it to help keep things cool. After i drilled all the holes i used a scrap piece of acrylic with a flat edge to scrape all the burrs off. That way I didn't have to use sandpaper and was able to keep the clear look.

Shelves: just use the rods to hold the shelves. Use the nuts to hold it and another nust to secure it. that was really all i did for that. Just cut them to the length you want. Its really fully adjustable you just need to adjust the nuts to raise or lower.

Im sure there is a easier more effecient way of doing all these things, I built this during hurricane Sandy and was running in and out of the house to avoid dying LOL. But I think it came out rather good. I have since taken down the frag tank and have this just sitting around waiting for my next frag tank.

As for the cost, I think this cost me about $30 but I got the acrylic cheap. I'd be willing to bet though you could easily make a shelved system to fit a 40 breeder for about $50 if you don't get crazy buying special tools.

 

[Dsdaley77]

I think I might just build one also since I have about 6 sqft of acrylic laying around. Do you think there would be issue using the nuts and bolts like you find on a toilet seat, aren't they plastic or something? I've seen some other types nuts and bolts at my local hardware store too, I think I need to go for a drive lol

 

[jgraz]

I don't see why they wouldn't work. To be honest this was one of the more satisfying DIY's I've done especially after pricing out the blue glow racks.

 

[jgraz]

Oh yeah pics when your done. I definitely want to see the outcome.

 

[Isoprene]

will do