Coated magnets for frag shelf
- Thread starter LeviT
- Start date
Qwiv
Supporting Member
Elleen:
How do you know it was the egg crate. I have seen liverock covered in tanks, I can't blame the liverock. All it is providing is surface area. Egg crate, no matter what it is made of will do that. That does support the porosity of styrene vs. acrylic. Acrylic is not a very porous surface so algae would have a harder time gripping it, but I had a frag tank with acrylic racks made GARF style covered in algae just because the tank was going through a maturity cycle.
How do you know it was the egg crate. I have seen liverock covered in tanks, I can't blame the liverock. All it is providing is surface area. Egg crate, no matter what it is made of will do that. That does support the porosity of styrene vs. acrylic. Acrylic is not a very porous surface so algae would have a harder time gripping it, but I had a frag tank with acrylic racks made GARF style covered in algae just because the tank was going through a maturity cycle.
seminolecpa
Past President
yep
http://www.garf.org/
http://www.garf.org/
Raddogz
Guest
[quote author=Qwiv link=topic=2854.msg37547#msg37547 date=1205447152]
Elleen:
How do you know it was the egg crate. I have seen liverock covered in tanks, I can't blame the liverock. All it is providing is surface area. Egg crate, no matter what it is made of will do that. That does support the porosity of styrene vs. acrylic. Acrylic is not a very porous surface so algae would have a harder time gripping it, but I had a frag tank with acrylic racks made GARF style covered in algae just because the tank was going through a maturity cycle.
[/quote]
It's happened twice where this turf like hair algae sprouted up and went to town in my tank. The first time I built a rather large shelf made of eggcrate and pvc - and the stuff was pretty awful. I tore the pvc eggcrate structure out and it slowly diminished (granted I did make a few changes with skimmer pumps added tang that likes to pick at algae). The second time was when I made a eggcrate shelf rack held by heater holder and suction cups. The hair algae came back like no tomorrow but only on the eggcrate this time around.
Now it could very well be the combination of live rock (they were from other people's tanks although they were all cooked for several months - close to five months) and the styrene.
I have since removed this eggcrate rack.
This is what it looked like not too long after I installed it
When I get home I'll see if I can find an algae encrusted picture of the same rack.
Elleen:
How do you know it was the egg crate. I have seen liverock covered in tanks, I can't blame the liverock. All it is providing is surface area. Egg crate, no matter what it is made of will do that. That does support the porosity of styrene vs. acrylic. Acrylic is not a very porous surface so algae would have a harder time gripping it, but I had a frag tank with acrylic racks made GARF style covered in algae just because the tank was going through a maturity cycle.
[/quote]
It's happened twice where this turf like hair algae sprouted up and went to town in my tank. The first time I built a rather large shelf made of eggcrate and pvc - and the stuff was pretty awful. I tore the pvc eggcrate structure out and it slowly diminished (granted I did make a few changes with skimmer pumps added tang that likes to pick at algae). The second time was when I made a eggcrate shelf rack held by heater holder and suction cups. The hair algae came back like no tomorrow but only on the eggcrate this time around.
Now it could very well be the combination of live rock (they were from other people's tanks although they were all cooked for several months - close to five months) and the styrene.
I have since removed this eggcrate rack.
This is what it looked like not too long after I installed it
When I get home I'll see if I can find an algae encrusted picture of the same rack.
seminolecpa
Past President
porisity? Is that a real word or did you just pull that out of your butt?
Qwiv
Supporting Member
I see what you are saying, but both times you added fresh surface area to your tank in the form of egg crate. Bacteria, algae and hopefully corals are all competing for living space in our tanks. Adding a piece of egg crate is like building a condo in a neighborhood. Someone needs to move in and colonize it. It was colonized by turf algae in your case as it was able to do so faster than anything else. Just from that evidence, I can't blame the material itself as it could have been anything. I have gotten the same effect from adding a piece of rock to a tank that has been sitting out of water for a while. If I add it to a lit part of the tank, it will be colonized by whatever the quickest spreading algae is in the tank. If I add it to the sump, then later to the tank... no algae problems with it because it is not colonized by surface bacteria and all sorts of other things that inhibit the rapid growth of algae. It happens to my DIY frag disks as well.
Inherently egg crate is a great place for algae to grow. Ask waste water folk and they use it all the time. In our frag tanks we put it under light and in good flow. ++ The egg crate provides a good surface for something to grow on as it has a slight texture and lots of surface area. + Unlike liverock, algae eating critters can't live inside the egg crate so competition is lower then on LR. + Snails don't like being on it very much. + Hermit crabs have a hard time crossing it. + Algae eating fish can't access all the places the algae can hide, plus many peoples frag tanks are to small for tangs etc. ++ Frag tanks are often set up very quickly without the cycle processes we put our displays through. I can't blame it for attracting algae, but I can't see facts that support styrene leeching chemicals that promote algae. At least not yet. If I can get my hands on acrylic egg crate, I will experiment with it.
Now if I sound like an egg crate salesman, I can have 10 boxes of egg crate delivered to your house every week for just two easy payments of 49.99 plus s&h.
Inherently egg crate is a great place for algae to grow. Ask waste water folk and they use it all the time. In our frag tanks we put it under light and in good flow. ++ The egg crate provides a good surface for something to grow on as it has a slight texture and lots of surface area. + Unlike liverock, algae eating critters can't live inside the egg crate so competition is lower then on LR. + Snails don't like being on it very much. + Hermit crabs have a hard time crossing it. + Algae eating fish can't access all the places the algae can hide, plus many peoples frag tanks are to small for tangs etc. ++ Frag tanks are often set up very quickly without the cycle processes we put our displays through. I can't blame it for attracting algae, but I can't see facts that support styrene leeching chemicals that promote algae. At least not yet. If I can get my hands on acrylic egg crate, I will experiment with it.
Now if I sound like an egg crate salesman, I can have 10 boxes of egg crate delivered to your house every week for just two easy payments of 49.99 plus s&h.
Qwiv
Supporting Member
[quote author=Gomer link=topic=2854.msg37574#msg37574 date=1205453178]
Given that algae can grow on glass, silicone, and acrylic, I don't think the slight porosity difference is the factor. If you get it on the styrene for porosity reasons, then the tank rock should be swarming with it.
[/quote]
It is a factor. Ask someone with an old acrylic tank. When it is brand new you can clean the panels so easy. It is covered in diatoms mostly that just wipe off. Old tanks with scratches get covered much easier and by more difficult algae to remove. All the little cracks give turf algae little hand holds and they can now claim space only surface algae like diatoms could have lived before.
Given that algae can grow on glass, silicone, and acrylic, I don't think the slight porosity difference is the factor. If you get it on the styrene for porosity reasons, then the tank rock should be swarming with it.
[/quote]
It is a factor. Ask someone with an old acrylic tank. When it is brand new you can clean the panels so easy. It is covered in diatoms mostly that just wipe off. Old tanks with scratches get covered much easier and by more difficult algae to remove. All the little cracks give turf algae little hand holds and they can now claim space only surface algae like diatoms could have lived before.
Gomer
Guest
I'm not saying it isn't a factor. Just saying if the small difference in porocity between acrylic and styrene is the reason for a lot of algae, then don't you think that the rocks would be covered in it? Doesn't get much more porous then live rock.
I know it is still young, but given Eileen's account of her styrene adventures, I'd expect to see more algae on mine then what I do. This egg crate has been in the tank for about 1month1week.
I know it is still young, but given Eileen's account of her styrene adventures, I'd expect to see more algae on mine then what I do. This egg crate has been in the tank for about 1month1week.
G
GreshamH
Guest
An easy test is to put an acrylic EC and styrene EC into the same tank.
Qwiv why don't you belive the release for styrene to be P04 based and not leachable back into the water?
Qwiv why don't you belive the release for styrene to be P04 based and not leachable back into the water?
LordHelmet
Supporting Member
When I made my first frag rack I had tons of algea growth on it in a matter of days under t5's. I removed it in a few weeks because it was an ugly eye sore.
My current rack is under a 14k 150w mh and like gomer the rack is pretty bare. Water quality is pretty much the same.
My current rack is under a 14k 150w mh and like gomer the rack is pretty bare. Water quality is pretty much the same.
Qwiv
Supporting Member
[quote author=GreshamH link=topic=2854.msg37852#msg37852 date=1205600029]
An easy test is to put an acrylic EC and styrene EC into the same tank.
Qwiv why don't you belive the release for styrene to be P04 based and not leachable back into the water?
[/quote]
I just haven't seen the hard evidence. I am not saying it isn't true, but for one styrene does not contain phosphates in a pure chemical state unless specifically bound.
An easy test is to put an acrylic EC and styrene EC into the same tank.
Qwiv why don't you belive the release for styrene to be P04 based and not leachable back into the water?
[/quote]
I just haven't seen the hard evidence. I am not saying it isn't true, but for one styrene does not contain phosphates in a pure chemical state unless specifically bound.
LeviT
Guest
[quote author=Qwiv link=topic=2854.msg37481#msg37481 date=1205391103]
Tap plastics sells a resin that will do the job.[/quote]
[quote author=Mr. Ugly link=topic=2854.msg33954#msg33954 date=1203128829]
I'm just gonna stick the magnets inside some plastic bottle caps and pour some 2-part casting epoxy inside the caps. Got the epoxy at TAP Plastics a long time ago.[/quote]
Norm and Qwiv, can you guys suggest a product and any appropriate curing needed? I called tap and they couldn't suggest anything that would be fish safe.
Tap plastics sells a resin that will do the job.[/quote]
[quote author=Mr. Ugly link=topic=2854.msg33954#msg33954 date=1203128829]
I'm just gonna stick the magnets inside some plastic bottle caps and pour some 2-part casting epoxy inside the caps. Got the epoxy at TAP Plastics a long time ago.[/quote]
Norm and Qwiv, can you guys suggest a product and any appropriate curing needed? I called tap and they couldn't suggest anything that would be fish safe.