Another option to add color/texture to the pvc would be using aquarium grade silicone and lightly coating them in that then covering in coco fiber and letting it setup. It’s very common in vivariums to use ropes and doing this to make vines. You could also use larger diameter ropes and make large vines in this way.
Also, awesome aquariums everyone. I’ve had freshwater tanks for years but have never tried saltwater yet. I’m always up for aquarium talks too ha ha
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That’s a great idea with the cork bark specially if you want something to be able to crawl in the channel. I wish I would have thought of something like that when I kept D. Auratus.
I’m leaning toward just using PVC at this point. I’ve got a decent amount of boa constrictors now so saving time just wiping stuff down when cleaning will help me out a ton.
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Nice, I started off with a 8g and sometimes really miss my nano sized tanks. So easy to work in/on but then harder to keep stable as things happen fast.
I’ll look for that video, I’d love to see it. Thanks!
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I did something like this when I kept dart frogs, when I made a false background out of pond foam, silicon and coco fiber. It worked very well but I didn’t have to clean in there with the isopods ect. I know myself and I need to keep it easy to stay on top of or I’ll slack.
I loved planted tanks, specially some of the nano low tech planted beta tanks I had. Much easier and more relaxing than a reef tank. I tried some higher tech co2 planted tanks and in all honestly that was harder for me than reef tanks.
Amazing input everyone. Hopefully I’ll get some free time to play around with this a bit. I’ll post pictures if I do
One thing I thought about was Krylon Fusion. People swear by that for painting pvc in reef tanks. Some even have it submerged with no issue but that seems a little risky to me. Not sure if I want to try that as I haven’t seen it used in the herp hobby much.
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Innovative marine makes gorgeous tanks. Reefing is definitely addicting! Lol
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Lol I can’t watch this thread. I had a bunch of reef tanks with fish and some fish only tanks for years as well but it is so consuming and so much money. They are truly amazing though!
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The good thing nowadays is they make everything that big tanks have for nanos. I have a ATO system, UV, skimmer, and a reactor. Just ordered a IM filter roller, as I hate filter socks and it will be so easy. Sorry, I know this is a reptile forum, last one about reef tanks, I promise!
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I hear that! I’ve thought about giving up on it a few times due to those same reasons. Most recently, the power bill 
If anything is going to be the nail in the coffin for my reef, it’ll be that alone!
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That’s true! Gadgets for days for all sizes now haha
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I didn’t know he made larger ones! I have a couple of his perch mounts for tub enclosures, and his stuff is quality. Is it custom then? Or does he actually have stuff on his website?
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I don’t know 'nothin about reef tanks or fish but what i do know is that is a dam gorgeous tank.
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Thank you very much! I really do miss it.
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The more I look at your tank the more I’m impressed. Beautiful powder brown tang, fox face, multiple chromis/anthias. Are those Tunze power heads? Beautiful grafted monti cap as well, love the orange leptoseris. I used to grow that mystic montipora like crazy! Lol
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Thanks man! The powder brown is the boss for sure. It took him a long while to accept my last additions, scopas tang and fox face. Honestly I only added the fox face to take some heat off the scopas tang. I ended up with a small mirror from the 99c store taped to my tank for about a month and that’s finally what got the powder to forget about the newbies. Just went to war with his own reflection, haha.
They are Tunze 6105s. I use 3 of those and fight a gyre style pump on the other side. All plumps at 100% random pulses, the fish really gotta work in there.
The montipora are awesome but the encrusting one may be a regret in a barebottom tank. I’ve got a different version, I think superman or something in the back left corner that’s already get on the rock and going up the back wall. About ready to take a putty knife and see if I can’t pop it off, donate it to a LFS or some new reefers in the area. You can see it better in this picture. I really need to get some new photos of the tank, it’s starting to grow pretty well now.
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Thats how the sohal tang was, the boss with tendicies to murder anything added to the tank. We had a beautiful blue hippo tang but that thing would constantly remove glued frags that disrupted its swimming pattern, it was truly unbelievable. Thats the beauty about bare bottom, those montiporas will easily come right off. I used to use a credit card and cut/frag them off the glass and cut perfect squares, it looked pretty cool. I miss it man, you can’t tell can you…?? Your tank is really popping with color, excellent growth too. I loved the gyre powerheads, can’t have to much flow when it comes to SPS
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Haha, I get it! Some days I love it. Others it just seems like so much work and money, I’m tempted to “take a break”. See, I can’t even say quit 
It’s looking good right now minus some algae but I’ve never minded algae being present honestly.
The bummer is the tank manufacture, CDA, did a PVC sheet insert on the bottom that is kind of textured so those suckers really grip on there! I guess it is so you don’t have to worry about the weight of the rocks. Normally I’ll paint the bottom side of the tank white to reflect light back up and look more natural but didn’t have that option here.
I did it on my previous system and it worked great for keeping the bottom side of acros healthy and even colorful. This tank was 48x24x15" A 120g cut down shallow. I drilled it to be a peninsula style tank, originally meant for a planted tank. I wish more reef vendors used clear silicon, it looks soo much cleaner to me. This was a UNS brand tank, they mitre cut the glass which is awesome. It makes it so you can’t mess up the seem while cleaning and the silicon stays clear looking.
Once it filled in and I was about to transfer to my current system. Unfortunately lost most of these colonies to some kind of contaminant. I’m guessing bad salt but not sure.
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Those colonies were insane man! That tank was perfect, super clean. Ive always used red sea brand salt and the one time I switched I had issues. That stress I don’t miss at all. I agree with you, never minded algae being present in the tank. Having a reflective bottom definitely helps the under side of those SPS, many people disagreed but you can literally see the results. I alwas wanted to use white starboard but never did it. Once you have a reef tank we become a different breed, lol. We take breaks, but never “leave” the hobby. Those vortec’s were nice too. Seriously though, unbelievable color in those colonies man.
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Thanks! I do miss that tank. It was super healthy but extremely easy to work on being so shallow and a peninsula. True, if I take a break it will only last as long as I can avoid a tropical fish store or forum, haha.
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These are beautiful!
I’ll never deal with salt water because I only have a single brain cell and I’m not sure I could handle it, but one day I hope to create a luxurious blackwater betta tank for a happy healthy betta from a breeder (sorry petstore bettas, you make me sad) and maybe even an axolotl one day!
I love looking at these tanks!
You guys should make a thread for ‘using glass aquariums for actual aquariums and not reptiles’ or something, maybe other people have fish to show off!
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