Crazy idea?

[russianmd]

The back of my 120 AGA reef-ready (with two overflows) is mostly covered with coralline algae. On one overflow, I have GSP that I think will go all they way to the top of the tank before the year is out.

On the other overflow, I have an orange monti cap that will probably cover it within a couple of years.

So here's the idea: I was thinking of gluing frag disks with zoas or mushrooms (or both) on the back wall to give it a 'live carpet' look. I know that ShaunW's bottom of the tank looks like that (it's sandless, if I remember correctly). Do you think it's feasible? I'd only take about 1/2" from the depth of the tank (24" now), but I think it would be very cool aesthetically.

Has anybody tried this before?

Many thanks!

 

[jackson6745]

I always wanted to grow GSP as hair on a plastic or glass head:tongue1:

I glue SPS to the back wall all the time. I don't see why you would have a problem

 

[tunicata]

I've seen a few tanks here that have glued the animal straight to the tank instead of rock. Once I saw those tanks I took the idea for my xenia, they had just regrown onto the sand so I wanted to see if they would stay and ...they did.

I used the ICGel and they are spreading out nicely and none of them have fallen. I lost my GSP but would have done it with them too (was trying to get them to do it without my help prior though).

When I feel like not being toooo lazy, I'll get my zoanthids off their rocks (I have 1 flat rock that seems like it'd be an easy job, just can't get myself to do it) and glue them to the wall.

If the xenia stayed, I'd bet the zoas will stay with just glue.

 

[masterswimmer]

I've always thought those mats of whatever coral, polyp, sps always looked great. I wouldn't use too much glue. Just a small dot. Enough to hold it in place. I try not to do too many things to my tanks that can't be undone. The spreading coral would be easy to remove someday, but a heavily glued disk might be difficult. Besides, the spreading coral once established would hold it in place. Then you could eventually just remove the disk altogether.

Geez, i can be quite verbose and say nothing at all :banghead:

swimmer

 

[jhale]

your not crazy. it will work.

how was that Russ?, it took me only 5 words

 

[masterswimmer]

your not crazy. it will work.

how was that Russ?, it took me only 5 words

Good!

 

[russianmd]

Excellent! Frag swap, here I come (and there goes my money! :tongue1

 

[al0ha]

lol thats not a bad idea, i went to buy some xenia from a fellow MR user and the back of his tank is covered in xenia, he told me he was just clearing up his LR and plucked the xenia and threw it to the back and it grew from there

 

[KathyC]

Geez, i can be quite verbose and say nothing at all :banghead:
swimmer

You're so cute Russ...lol

Mountainreef (I still can't get used to that...)... Slama had tons of zoas on the back glass of his 120..and they not only looked great, they grew really well on there. He'd take frags out of the middle of the colonies..and they grew back within a few weeks (it seemed that way anyway..)

I think they look great on there - go for it!

 

[nanoreefer22]

your not crazy. it will work.

how was that Russ?, it took me only 5 words

learn to count that was 6 words :splitspin:shhh:

 

[prattreef]

"Crazy Idea?" Arkady, aren't you the state licensed authority on Crazy? LOL

Seriously, that should work fine. Zoanthids work particularly well.

 

[jhale]

learn to count that was 6 words :splitspin:shhh:

:headache:

 

[tosiek]

Like russ said use a little bit of glue, I can't get glue to stay more than 2 weeks on my glass (ive been testing). Something about the molecules in the glass moving and debonding the glue off the glass surface.

On another note, be careful what you glue to the glass. Randy can vouch for this. We cleaned up Greg's tank and took out the firecoral skeleton that grew ALLL OVER the sides and back. The coral actually morphed the glass surface. You can see growth lines on the glass as well as coral taking dimples of glass as we tried to take it off. Probably the most amazing thing i have seen a coral do inside a tank. Slow growth, pressure, rooting of the coral + time and anythings possible.

 

[MO~IDOL]

Glue worked well for me(zoas, gsp,sps) I also use this...http://cgi.ebay.com/5-MAGNETIC-FRAG...LUGS-DISC_W0QQitemZ130196660085QQcmdZViewItem

 

[tosiek]

how quickly has the coral overgrown onto the glass midol?

 

[MO~IDOL]

It all depends wut u growing. it took about 6 months my 75g back wall was cover with pom pom and gsp and zoas. now only the over flow box r cover with gsp, had to trim the top cuz problem with drain.

 

[russianmd]

Hey, Randy

I see so much crazy everyday, I just need to test my own ideas to see if they are as well (craziness is infectious, you know!. :splitspin

Those magnetic disks look very cool!

 

[russianmd]

Hey, Tony

This makes a fun afternoon reading - for once, about properties of glass, not the stuff we put inside of it!

http://math.ucr.edu/home/baez/physics/General/Glass/glass.html

I love the conclusion