Lets Get Cheap!

[davidblackson]

who has ideas on collecting finding, diftwood, cool looking rocks, sand. where can you get theses without paying top doller and of course whats safe whats not. or anything else that looks cool and works well when it comes to aquascaping, becouse my 5ft of pleasures coming, i just cant afford to put anything in it lol

and i would also like to ask is it ok to put a tank with half a ton of water onto of my draws? or will a proper cabnet be essential thanks alot. Now lets see who can get cheap!

 

[shelaghfishface]

go to the beach ( not sure about sand) but rocks and stuff yeah- think it may be against the law to take anything tho so it will need to have legs to get to the car
i have had some fantasic bits of wood from the beach, few cycles in the dishwasher ( with no chems) and they are fab


edit** you will need to test the rocks to make sure they are safe for the tank using vinegar- pour on a bit and if it fizzes,its not safe if it dont it is

make sure there is no hangover with the tank, and stand on the drawers and jump and dance about, if they are ok, then should be... thats if your NOT a lightweight

 

[drufly]

i work on a building site which is mostly slate(rock) ground and got about 30kg of the stuff for caves. Its not like roofing slate more the resh dug up stuff. I just washed it all steeped it for a few days and hay presto free ornamental rock for all the fish to hide in.

 

[shelaghfishface]

second thoughts.. i think i would go for having a stand built, then you have a place to put the filter and your bits and bobs, and it WILL be safe,no lying awake listening for creeking noises

 

[chesterscot]

i think you can use dead oak leaves and stuff

 

[drufly]

Or waking up with a swimming pool in your lounge lol.

Im getting a friend to make me a stand for a 240ltr tank. he's a welder, if you know anybody that does welding say to them. Just remember to tell them the estimated weight. Im sure it wouldnt cost an arm and a leg.

 

[minxfishy]

All my rocks are 're-claimed ' from my local stream - I got down with buckets and me and my son go rock fishing.

As for the tank on some draws, well it would depend on how solidly built the drawers were. If its just your usual self asembly stuff that breaks at the drop of a hat, then no I wouldnt risk it. Its always safter to have something purposely built for a tank.

 

[shelaghfishface]

yeah agree.. whats those words my mum said when she caught me using a cheapy lightbulb once??? false economy hmmm, on a more grande scale in this case

 

[Honeythorn]

Yep, if your chest of drawers is from Ikea or is flat pack in some other way, or made of chipboard covered with veneer ect, DON'T put a tank on it. those things are pretty flimsy and will not hold the weight of a tank. If your chest of drawers are made of solid wood ( most old ones are ) like pine, oak ect, then as long as they are sturdy and don't wobble or move at the joints or legs it should ok. My 30 gal is on a four foot solid pine desk for example.

If in doubt, get a stand. Many fish stores have a tendency to sell tanks and stands separately ( even when they match and are supposed to be together ) so you could buy just a stand on it's own.

 

[Dave Ehl]

i built one for my 6ft tank. i'll try to post my plans for it.

 

[jourdy288]

i think you can use dead oak leaves and stuff

Just be sure to avoid pesticides.

 

[mark.w.jones]

If you have a lot of large rocks / slate to buy then garden centres are good VFM. The often have bulk stacks of the things and if you are buying a couple they are much cheaper than the stuff from your LFS. Obviously the vinegar test above needs to be done and they will need very careful cleaning but may save you a bit. Pond dechlorinator and media for pond filters is often sold in much bigger quantities but can be easily cut down to fit a tropical set up and is much cheaper.

 

[Jules H-T]

This is for a 500L tank? You're a brave man putting that on a chest of drawers. Pinch to a pound says it collapses before the tank is full.

 

[Spishkey]

DO NOT put it on a chest of draws, my god that is an accident waiting to happen. when we filled our 500L we had to stop half way as the stand we thought was cracking. it was in fact the tiles underneath the stand splitting!!
so after some modifications all went well, but a chest off draws, not even an old fashioned oak one would hold it im sure (unless it was super duper strong reinforced thing which im guessing it is not?) our stand has vertical/horizontal/diagonal support beams everywhere due to the enourmous weight, and dont forget once its full it will have at least 50kg of substrate (minimum to cover a very thin layer on a 6ft tank) not to mention rocks etc. you're talking 500kg of water weight alone...

 

[tenohfive]

Its easy to make a stand and even easier to tart it up to make it look smart.

Make your stand however you choose, add some wood undercoat (grey looking stuff) then pick up a couple of cans of spray on granite effect paint - about £8 each from hobbycraft if I remember rightly.

Did that for the tank for my community tank and it fits right in with the rest of my (pretty modern looking) flat.