Aquascaping with Eggcrate...aka the Coral Couch

[jimsflies]

The frag shelf has had a couple versions already. Originally, my idea was to use vertically mounted eggcrate on a magnet to provide more efficient use of the area on the back glass. Mounted on a magnet, a coral can easily be moved for fragging and cleaning. As seen here with a monti cap growing on it:

Then Beakerbob came up with the more popular horizontal version. This one has a lot more usefulness for propagation and acclimation. It also turns out to be very good for sick corals due to the rolling flow that they get as flow swirls back off the glass. Here's a link for the DIY: http://www.michiganreefers.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24297

Here's a photo:

Turns out however, that frags shelves can be a boon and a bane. You see, they are so convenient that they easily fill up, then you end up with more, that fill up, and before you know it the sides and front glass have so many shelves that you can hardly see in the tank anymore. (Bob...feel free to post a picture of your display tank. )

So, I have been on a mission to clean up the appearance of my reef and not have any frag shelves on the front or sides of my tank. In the course of this mission, I had an epiphany: if frag shelves are basically always in the tank, then why do they need to be movable? The solution was so simple...skip the magnet and glue the eggcrate right into the rock work. After all eggcrate is the ideal material to securely (well fairly) hold our precious frag plugs, it also provides an open matrix to provide good flow that is necessary for health and growth.

Obviously this is not a hard DIY project. You just need to get a small piece of eggcrate. I used black. I started with 3 squares wide and cut it down to 2 squares wide were the live rock has a little nodule (this gives it a bit more surface area to adhere to). Then goop on the super glue gel and allow to cure. My shelves are all fairly secure. As long as I don't bump them too hard they should stay put. Eventually coralline will encrust and help hold them to the rock even better.

And so, here it is, my latest reef innovation...the fusion of eggcrate and rock work...the coral couch (name I think was originally from Todd Cherry):

One of the shelves sporting my acans from the Trop:

You hardly can see it, but the green acan and the small frag next to it are on an IES:

There are three in this pic:

 

[Saltysteele]

Good point, Jim. I was just thinking the other day to maybe put a long piece from one side of my tank to the other, bridging the gap (i've got a "crevice," with a pile of rock at each end).

I've glued my frag plugs to my egg crate racks, which keeps the turbos from knocking them off, but it doesn't keep the turbos from knocking the whole rack over.

 

[blkicebullys]

Can we see a full tank shot?

 

[TyreeUM]

coral couch..thats funny

 

[jimsflies]

Can we see a full tank shot?

I'll try to take a new one. But here is one from a few months ago:

 

[jimsflies]

The above picture also includes a few other coral couch types. Another techique involves using a piece of existing branch rock and securing the eggcrate using zip ties. The eggcrate was cut to form around the branch rock's features so that it looks more "natural".

Ready to put back into the display:

Placed in the display, waiting to be filled:

A few minutes later, it's already filled:

 

[Saltysteele]

looks great, jim! i remember seeing your branch rack at the other forum.

it's a great way to get that "shelf" going, where you can have your higher light corals in the rack, and the corals that prefer shade under them.

btw, i see a lot of corals that i really like in those pix! any chance of letting me come over, and let's say, you go get some beers for 10 minutes or so? :snicker:


btw, i have been contemplating a system of putting egg crate under the sand, for frags like acans and such that you can place on the sand, but haven't worked out the kinks yet. it's got to be able to allow the sandsifters to clean under it (snails and such)....... hmmm.....