Floating Shelf Aquarscape

Kendrick Brown · Oct 3, 2020

Hey everyone, just wanted to post a new build remodel I just did. Its a fully cantilever floating aquascape that makes a shelf off the back wall. Disclosure I took a lot of inspiration from coral_fish_zoa(his build: https://www.zeewaternieuws.be/2020/06/how-to-make-a-floating-reef-a-tutorial/ ) on instagram(included a pick of his with all the scolys), just refined some things i wanted to improve on for functionality and ease of construction. Made the rock removable so I in theory could tank transfer it, build it out of the tank and take it in and out if need be. Also peg board frag method i half created(maybe??I couldnt find much on it) to my own ideal method- Rocks with thin acrylic rod as frag rubble, then a ton of 1/8" holes that just look like poors and cavities you can just slide the frags into and be done with it. Or move around as the coral requires for looks, flow, light, selling, iodine dips, etc... any reason you dont want them glued. Just a few basic pics, if yal want, lmk and ill do a more indepth how to post/youtube video.

Brittanyjo · Oct 3, 2020

Kendrick Brown said:
Hey everyone, just wanted to post a new build remodel I just did. Its a fully cantilever floating aquascape that makes a shelf off the back wall. Disclosure I took a lot of inspiration from coral_fish_zoa(his build: https://www.zeewaternieuws.be/2020/06/how-to-make-a-floating-reef-a-tutorial/ ) on instagram(included a pick of his with all the scolys), just refined some things i wanted to improve on for functionality and ease of construction. Made the rock removable so I in theory could tank transfer it, build it out of the tank and take it in and out if need be. Also peg board frag method i half created(maybe??I couldnt find much on it) to my own ideal method- Rocks with thin acrylic rod as frag rubble, then a ton of 1/8" holes that just look like poors and cavities you can just slide the frags into and be done with it. Or move around as the coral requires for looks, flow, light, selling, iodine dips, etc... any reason you dont want them glued. Just a few basic pics, if yal want, lmk and ill do a more indepth how to post/youtube video.

This is simply amazing. Your aquascape, your color combo, your water clarity. Amazing.

Karen00 · Oct 3, 2020

Kendrick Brown said:
Hey everyone, just wanted to post a new build remodel I just did. Its a fully cantilever floating aquascape that makes a shelf off the back wall. Disclosure I took a lot of inspiration from coral_fish_zoa(his build: https://www.zeewaternieuws.be/2020/06/how-to-make-a-floating-reef-a-tutorial/ ) on instagram(included a pick of his with all the scolys), just refined some things i wanted to improve on for functionality and ease of construction. Made the rock removable so I in theory could tank transfer it, build it out of the tank and take it in and out if need be. Also peg board frag method i half created(maybe??I couldnt find much on it) to my own ideal method- Rocks with thin acrylic rod as frag rubble, then a ton of 1/8" holes that just look like poors and cavities you can just slide the frags into and be done with it. Or move around as the coral requires for looks, flow, light, selling, iodine dips, etc... any reason you dont want them glued. Just a few basic pics, if yal want, lmk and ill do a more indepth how to post/youtube video.

This is way too awesome! Absolutely fabulous! It's amazing how much space you can reclaim if you want to do something underneath it down the road.

Tankkeepers · Oct 3, 2020

Oh wow that's one of the coolest things iv seen in my many years great work

Weasel1960 · Oct 3, 2020

Totally awesome. I also read the original thread you linked to in your post. What I don’t understand is how you are getting the plexiglass to securely bond to the glass with silicone. Everyh
thing else I have read in this forum says it’s a weak bond. Please explain as this is something I am now considering for my first build.

Kendrick Brown · Oct 3, 2020

Weasel1960 said:
Totally awesome. I also read the original thread you linked to in your post. What I don’t understand is how you are getting the plexiglass to securely bond to the glass with silicone. Everyh
thing else I have read in this forum says it’s a weak bond. Please explain as this is something I am now considering for my first build.

For sure, so that was the one real obstacles i ran into mid build. I watched a video on how strongly different silicones adhered and the ones that were to a scratched/ roughed up surface did best. Ill throw in pictures but basically a combination of a lot of factors that ill list out.
1. The back panel is about 8x11 so even a week sticky factor, it is still displaced over a large area
2. The L shaped acrylic peice holds some rigidity so it doesnt "bend" away from the back wall due to the arm that comes out to support the cantilever design
3. Put that little triangle peice in there to make it even less likely to bend forward(withough even siliconing this would support it, the silicone almost become just a backup/way to keep it up against the back glass tightly)
4. Sanded the whole back side down really heavily, then took a razor blade and scratched it for more abrasive surface to stick to(pictured) holes are just so the silicone squishes through too for extra.
5. Also buoyancy, marco rock off brs would work great, but i actually got a hold of a little pukani which gives it that abstract look. And it only weights i think 7.3 lbs since it is sort of empty on the underside like a bowl. But once submerged in water, the displacement makes it "lighter" due to how porous it is, i would guess its downward pulling force is maybe 3ish lbs, again putting less demand on the silicone.

So ultimately its a combo of all of these that handle it but im super confident long term it will hold no problem.

If you didnt like that though, you could alway instead of doing an L shape, make the back acrylic go all the way up and then have a little upside down j to hook over the back glass of your tank like those things to hang mirrors and accessories off doors if you know what im talking about.

Kendrick Brown · Oct 3, 2020

Like this, just to give you ideas. If you do anything with acrylic(plexiglass) get some weldon 4 and 16, they bond acrylics together on a molecular level so they are insanely strong.

Weasel1960 · Oct 3, 2020

Thanks for the reply, very helpful, opens up all kinds of possibilities for aquascapes.

Pkunk35 · Oct 3, 2020

Dude that is amazing. You have to be at least 1% worried it might fall tho, right?? So sick thanks for sharing.

Kendrick Brown · Oct 3, 2020

Pkunk35 said:
Dude that is amazing. You have to be at least 1% worried it might fall tho, right?? So sick thanks for sharing.

So having had hands on and feeling all the forces in play, i have complete confidence in it. I understand there is a chance the silicone will fail and respect that possibility, but the way the bottom of the back panel is designed, if the silicone (almost an entire 10oz. Bottle) fully fails, the cantilever support will still hold the rock up, so it wont just drop down and say crush a future scoly or other showpiece coral on the sand. Sorry for the horrible picture bellow of when i was test fitting it, but you can see how the weight transfers down the back vertical acrylic and then out through the horizontal acrylic that is all 1 bent peice. And extends past the actual farthest point on the rock itself. Also for reassurance, coral_fish_zoa just had his siliconed up top and it held for 6 months before he took it down to redesign. Little peace of mind.