New frag tile system

[bonarjoseph]

Why don’t you just 3d print the plugs instead of messing with concrete

Could also tint them

Not sure on how to do it, 100% reef safe. I’ve heard black concrete dye is just iron oxide. I gotta ask my brother, he is a civil engineer and is also my partner in this project/ idea

 

[SantaMonica]

Black could be Bone Black or Carbon Black pigment. White could be Titanium Dioxide.

 

[bonarjoseph]

vinegar wash discolored some, but this is something like 500 frag plugs

 

[ElvisReef]

Good Afternoon

greetings from a new hobbyist
i love the idea , would like the see if i could get the file so i can try some of these. i really trying to get into coral and this seems like a neat idea

 

[bonarjoseph]

Good Afternoon

greetings from a new hobbyist
i love the idea , would like the see if i could get the file so i can try some of these. i really trying to get into coral and this seems like a neat idea

So long as you don’t give out the file, print in a reef safe material, and post updates . Heads up, the most expensive part is the ecotech frag plugs(they are directional).

 

[nano reef]

You um genius! lol I just cant get over this idea! I have one question: How do you keep the rubble clean underneath where the tiles are placed?

I set up a 20L sumpless frag tank and I used a lot of rubble and bio balls ect for surface area. Its a ***** to keep clean! I am wanting to pull alot of it out but have no idea what would happen if I remove it. Since I set it up I saw quite a few sumpless frag tanks with very little rubble or surface area!

I am wondering if I can just some baskets maybe. I tired crushing up bioballs and that didn't go to well! Plus still PITA to keep clean! Especially with a Molly in the tank!

 

[bonarjoseph]

You um genius! lol I just cant get over this idea! I have one question: How do you keep the rubble clean underneath where the tiles are placed?

I set up a 20L sumpless frag tank and I used a lot of rubble and bio balls ect for surface area. Its a ***** to keep clean! I am wanting to pull alot of it out but have no idea what would happen if I remove it. Since I set it up I saw quite a few sumpless frag tanks with very little rubble or surface area!

I am wondering if I can just some baskets maybe. I tired crushing up bioballs and that didn't go to well! Plus still PITA to keep clean! Especially with a Molly in the tank!

They don’t sit all the way down, they have like 2-3mm to sit on the frame itself. As for your bioball situation, fluval makes sturdy bioball/ceramic pellets that come in a cloth Bag. I like to keep mine in the display, in a high flow area.

 

[SantaMonica]

Next iteration... illuminated plugs.

 

[bonarjoseph]

Next iteration... illuminated plugs.

Actually it’s more of an actual frag plug, I can post pics. We did a a cost analysis from the consumer end and decided we can make it cheaper for the consumer. We made the plugs bigger and redid the legs to work in rock work as well and egg crate. We are also trying to get the top to be machine level by casting the plugs upside down

 

[bonarjoseph]

The price will still be 10$ for 100 plugs but it’s going to be 2-3 times bigger. We are also planning on using metakoalin as a viscosity modifier to get better details in the legs ( the silica and alumina oxide bond with oxygen and hydrogen making them cure faster) ( https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/art...cluded,replacement for artificial coral reefs) we potentially also want to “dope”the concrete with magnesium and strontium to speed up growth( https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925857424000600 )

 

[nhbegli]

any suggestions to build on this

this is the egg crate version

and this is the eco tech based frame.

The idea is to create an interchangeable tile to allow for coral to encrust and grow straight across, and avoid it growing downward.(slowing down growth) I ultimately believe this will save time by giving coral an adequate surface to grow between growing out and harvesting frags .

Dude the egg crate version is extra genius. Nice going!

 

[Heres_doe_]

The price will still be 10$ for 100 plugs but it’s going to be 2-3 times bigger. We are also planning on using metakoalin as a viscosity modifier to get better details in the legs ( the silica and alumina oxide bond with oxygen and hydrogen making them cure faster) ( https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlehtml/2024/su/d3su00330b#:~:text=Hence, it can be concluded,replacement for artificial coral reefs) we potentially also want to “dope”the concrete with magnesium and strontium to speed up growth( https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0925857424000600 )

Great price. As this hobby is way to expensive already.

 

[bBurn18]

Nice idea!

I'd suggest an option that the 4 base legs can snap off if needed for flat/easier placement on rockwork. Maybe this is already possible?

 

[bonarjoseph]

Nice idea!

I'd suggest an option that the 4 base legs can snap off if needed for flat/easier placement on rockwork. Maybe this is already possible?

The legs are pretty fragile due to them being small, I think it should be fairly easy to snap off

 

[reefdev Verified Admin]

bump