Well I "played" with the rock last night. I put all the rock out on a blanket in the floor and started just placing them and seeing how well they "Lock" together. It's shocking just how tightly they do lock. I tried several different "structures" but I always kept coming back to an "ATOLL" look. So I decided to "go with whatever my inner reefer told me" and built a tentative ATOLL for this tank. Here are a couple of variations of it . . .
"Moose Head"
"Mount St Reefer"
After I sat back and looked I decided to opt for "Mount St Reefer" and secure it for transport from one room into the other. I didn't realize how difficult it would be to carry a "noodle like" rock structure through the house, lift it OVER the top rim of the tank, reach down into the tank and place it on the bottom without breaking the rock, tank and my back! Whew I wish I would have the foresight to have gotten that on video :LOL:
Front Shot
Corner Shot
Top Shot
Of course I'll tidy up and snip the cable ties to clean things up. I'll probably also add some EPOXY in strategic areas (plate for one) just to firm up the structure. I also have some TONGA Branch I'm going to look at incorporating into the tank IF it looks pleasing to my eye
Also it looks like I'll be moving this tank from my mom's house to my brother's house. Since his wife passed away I've been staying there and he asked me to just move in. We've reconnected and had such a good time for the last couple of weeks. So I'll test out my "structure" by moving it a couple of miles up the road! Should be FUN!!
A smarter person might have placed the tank on the floor and done the final rock work IN the tank but that's not the case here. Being a "Smarter Person" apparently wasn't an option LOL!
Honestly I didn't even intend to get so much of it done last night. I just sat down and when they started locking together so tightly I was like "Let's see what we can come up with.. and KEEP it!" So there ya have it! Tonight is "Operation Tank Move" lol
I really like that rockwork, Al! I remember playing with the rocks I got from John, so easy to work with. Actually, I started out with something that looked a bit like yours(besides the tank footprint difference), and then put a "bridge" across the sides to make my little cave.
Hey, sometimes it's more fun to not be a "smarter person"! There are lots of things I look back and think, "Why did I do it that way?!?!", but it doesn't matter when it's all said and done!
Moving in with your brother sounds like a good idea. (I'm a firm believer in family) and this way you boys can have the whole house as one big man cave. LOL
Moving in with your brother sounds like a good idea. (I'm a firm believer in family) and this way you boys can have the whole house as one big man cave. LOL
By the way, once you get going you may find some helpful RSM stuff in our Stickies thread. To avoid the page filling up with stickies we moved a lot of those formerly stickied threads into one stickied thread:
No Terry didn't get to it last night. I'm finalizing "permission" before I haul it across town LOL! I'm still waiting on the final "word" from my brother lol