DIY 150 gal. Aquarium Background Part 9

In this installment I have dry fitted the rocks into the aquarium in their final placement. I marked the locations of the duel Emperor 400 intakes and cut out each rock that fit around the intake. I have found that this step is best done after the first coat of concrete has been done. The handsaws still easily cuts through the first layer of concrete and the foam. The first layer of concrete gives a lot better idea of how the foam actually sits together. I also carved out a channel large enough for the heater power cord at it’s largest part (more than likely the actual plug) to pass through behind the rock. It is important to make a channel large enough in the back of the rock in case the heater fails, and needs to be replaced. I ran it from there through the channel made for the filter intake minimalizing the amount of cutting needed. Some rocks also needed trimmed on the bottom in order to set level making more surface area for the silicone to adhere. This process took about 5 hours and is very important because once the second and third layers of conrete are added modifying the rock would be difficult and would require that any trim work be re-concreted. More to come soon.

Other articles you might like;

• Is These Pellets Healthy + More Qs-?
• Would This Hurt The Guppy Fry?
• 90g Reef Aquarium Setup Day 5
• Ideas On Fish For Freshwater Community Aquarium?
• Work Experience Melbourne 2011?