my new baby... AKA The Café

[Lost in the Sauce]

I can be pretty good at analysis paralysis, but at least I'm aware of this...
Your point about acrylic tolerance being tighter is a valid one that I should consider.

I will be looking into glass as well now.

By AIO, I mean that the small compartments are all joined with a long, thin back compartment similar to the "sump" compartment in back or side of an AIO tank. I would be creating the AIO portion of the tank in the build. If I used the 30-breeder, I would buy one long panel to portion off the back 3.5"X36" and buy 4-5 divider panels about 12" long by 9" tall to compartmentalize the larger front portion of the tank. The long panel needs overflow into the back compartment from the small front compartments.

Hope that makes sense. I appreciate all the advice so far and hope that @fishguy242 doesn't mind my "intrusion" in his thread.

No I get what the AOI is. A few companies make AOI drop-ins that are prefabricated and you put in different size aquariums. Many people create that AOI chamber custom. I wasn't sure what your plan was. Now I understand you will be creating the AOI chamber.

One thing to think about when using acrylic is you are going to need to perfectly cut 90° angles on three sides. You will essentially be chemically welding together two solid surfaces. If your internal panels are 91.5° and 87.5° corners, two sides won't be where you need them to be. With glass, that ain't no thing jelly bean.

 

[GHOSTLY]

you don’t need a saw to frag zoas…?

But if they grow onto the rock then you do

 

[fishguy242]

watching wind die ...slowwwly... was hoping to light fire rt after dark...but here's some fire...;Woot @F i s h y...

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

But if they grow onto the rock then you do

A Sharp woodworking chisels of tool grade steel at least, will pare off 1/16" of any semi porous live rock I have encountered. Pulled shrooms off of about every rock in my tank. Controlled 2 hand cuts.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

Well, thanks again @Eagle_Steve , ATO gets me thinking about other types of containers for compartments! I'll look into this.

How do you recommend building a diy ATO for $10 each?

In for this as well..

Give me a bit to deal with the nems in treatment, the new nems and the nems coming out of treatment. Too many 40 breeders lol.

Basically usb powered pumps. Bag of float switches. Pieces of scrap acrylic and some old phone chargers or if tanks real close, a larger 5v power supply.

 

[BeltedCoyote]

@GHOSTLY

See what lost said. I know my little zoa frags I was given were all on little bits of rock. One I actually snapped on accident but the zoas are still here

Another thing to think about. Zoas are soft. Soft enough you could tear them apart by hand if you wanted to. You’re talking about either a hand saw or band saw. Think about it like a zoa is wet cardboard and stony corals are wood. That cardboard will be shredded beyond reason if you take a saw to it. Same goes for zoas. But if you’re that concerned about it just keep your zoa frags on frag plugs. When they over grow it? Use a razor to cut out the frag plug and you’re good to go

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

A Sharp woodworking chisels of tool grade steel at least, will pare off 1/16" of any semi porous live rock I have encountered. Pulled shrooms off of about every rock in my tank. Controlled 2 hand cuts.

I've actually got a few I need to frag off of a rock I want to take out the frag tank. I'll just bring it into my shop and make a video of it probably tomorrow. How you hold the chisel and present it to the rock makes a difference.

 

[fishguy242]

new fragging attempt ... ACRO STAX..as i break em off ,i have been laying them on top of each other in crotches...

;Facepalmi'll get white pics tomorrow...

 

[BeltedCoyote]

new fragging attempt ... ACRO STAX..as i break em off ,i have been laying them on top of each other in crotches...

;Facepalmi'll get white pics tomorrow...

I don’t suppose you know what type of acro that is? I mean trade names are cool but I’m a nerd. I want the species…

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

new fragging attempt ... ACRO STAX..as i break em off ,i have been laying them on top of each other in crotches...

;Facepalmi'll get white pics tomorrow...

@LRT

Why didn't we think of this? Standard Supercropping... We're dumb.

And we also don't have acro colonies for which to practice plant training techniques on.

 

[Eagle_Steve]

new fragging attempt ... ACRO STAX..as i break em off ,i have been laying them on top of each other in crotches...

;Facepalmi'll get white pics tomorrow...

They will graft and grow. Trust me lol.

 

[shadow_k]

@GHOSTLY

See what lost said. I know my little zoa frags I was given were all on little bits of rock. One I actually snapped on accident but the zoas are still here

Another thing to think about. Zoas are soft. Soft enough you could tear them apart by hand if you wanted to. You’re talking about either a hand saw or band saw. Think about it like a zoa is wet cardboard and stony corals are wood. That cardboard will be shredded beyond reason if you take a saw to it. Same goes for zoas. But if you’re that concerned about it just keep your zoa frags on frag plugs. When they over grow it? Use a razor to cut out the frag plug and you’re good to go

Since my rocks are no longer concreted together I simply take the rock out and use a nice scalpel for my zoas works like a charm

 

[BeltedCoyote]

Since my rocks are no longer concreted together I simply take the rock out and use a nice scalpel for my zoas works like a charm

that’s how I’ll do it when my zoas have taken off enough to necessitate fragging.

main point of that ramble was: saw bad. Don’t saw.

 

[fishguy242]

I don’t suppose you know what type of acro that is? I mean trade names are cool but I’m a nerd. I want the species…

acropora FlorSteveous...

 

[shadow_k]

that’s how I’ll do it when my zoas have taken off enough to necessitate fragging.

main point of that ramble was: saw bad. Don’t saw.

I see a lot of people using saw bands for LPS ….
Sps fish kinda make frags for them lol

 

[Eagle_Steve]

 

[GHOSTLY]

@GHOSTLY

See what lost said. I know my little zoa frags I was given were all on little bits of rock. One I actually snapped on accident but the zoas are still here

Another thing to think about. Zoas are soft. Soft enough you could tear them apart by hand if you wanted to. You’re talking about either a hand saw or band saw. Think about it like a zoa is wet cardboard and stony corals are wood. That cardboard will be shredded beyond reason if you take a saw to it. Same goes for zoas. But if you’re that concerned about it just keep your zoa frags on frag plugs. When they over grow it? Use a razor to cut out the frag plug and you’re good to go

I should try that. My zoas are super hard to get off though

 

[Joe Glass Cages]

am just going by what i have and seen.
hang tight ,before i ruin your night.
@Eagle_Steve
@Joe Glass Cages
@Lost in the Sauce
@Lowell Lemon
thoughts ?? Thanks guys...

Lets all rock-it for @fishguy242

 

[BeltedCoyote]

acropora FlorSteveous...

so one of the stags? Second guess is bottle brush but doesn’t seem to fit

 

[Lost in the Sauce]

They will graft and grow. Trust me lol.

I have seen a few acro bonsais done like this into incredible shapes on IG