The major bio-filtration media in use by marine aquarists, whether they keep a reef or fish only system, is probably live rock and for good reason.

Premium live rock is rock that has been fairly recently harvested from around the reefs, meaning it is ‘rubble’ rather than hewed from the reef itself. This rock has growths of all sorts which could be of interest to the aquarist. Unfortunately, live rock needs to be cured after import which simply means that all the dead and dying organisms on and in the rock have to be removed, meaning that pollution will not occur in the aquarium. However, for the most part there are tougher organisms that do survive and they could make an appearance in the aquarium, this appearance could be months after the rock has been introduced. Live rock can also harbor unwelcome organisms, such as the aquarium weed aiptasia, an anemone that could become a real nuisance without controlling attention.

In addition to natural organism introductions with the rock, it is very decorative. Reef and fish only aquarists are able to construct a very interesting and decorative structure which suits livestock very well.

The next great attribute of live rock is mentioned in the first paragraph – bio-filtration. Living organisms in the aquarium will literally be poisoned unless there is some means of negating the toxic substances that they produce. The two major toxins are ammonia and nitrite, and a much less dangerous one is nitrate. Dwelling on and in the live rock are oxygen requiring bacteria which convert the toxin ammonia to the toxin nitrite, which is then converted to nitrate. Bacteria living within the rock also require oxygen but find it hard to obtain, therefore they extract it from the nitrate which breaks the nitrate down releasing the residue from the aquarium as gas. The process from ammonia to gas release is known as the nitrogen cycle.

Live rock is a great commodity for the aquarist, providing the major and essential job of bio-filtration and also doubling up as decoration. The rock must of course be present in sufficient quantity to deal with the bio-load present, which is created mainly by fish.

There’s only one problem and that is cost, it’s expensive, particularly the premium grade. It’s expensive to air freight rock. This cost could be controlled up to a point by using base rock as the lower part of the rock structure and premium grade for the surface – but it is still expensive.

One way of avoiding this cost is to create live rock, which isn’t difficult. What is required is inert porous rock, that is, rock that is known to be free of any substance that could be harmful in seawater and also porous. This type of rock is often available in local fish shops and at a very much lower cost than the live variety. It isn’t any use purchasing solid non-porous rock. The second requirement is that there needs to be as much rock as would be used if the live variety were bought, which should ensure that the amount of bio-filtration media will be adequate.

If necessary the rock is thoroughly rinsed before it is placed in the aquarium to form a structure as required. The aquarium is then filled with seawater (note the net gallonage for future use) at the required specific gravity (SG) and heated to the design temperature. Seawater circulation should also be turned on. At this stage there isn’t any need for lighting. The seawater should be left to settle down to the required parameters. Check the seawater SG once it has heated up as temperature could affect it.

Once the seawater is at the required SG and temperature attention can be given to processing the rock. Anyone who has ever used a canister filter for bio-filtration will be aware of the process. A commercial maturation fluid is obtained and added to the seawater at the amounts given in the instructions. Test kits for ammonia and nitrite are also required, and the seawater should be tested in accordance with the instructions. Eventually the ammonia reading will disappear, followed by the nitrite reading. Once the aquarist is sure the reading remains at zero for both, the rock can be considered to be initially mature, that is, there is an initial population of bacteria to deal with toxins.

A test should now be done for nitrate; a level will probably be clearly seen. This nitrate should be reduced by a seawater change until it is as low as possible or preferably undetectable.

Slow stocking can now commence, turning the lighting system on of course. It is important that ammonia and nitrite tests continue, if there is any indication of either ammonia or nitrite stocking should cease until the reading(s) are zero again and remain so. The bacteria need to adapt to the increasing bio-load and must be allowed the time to do so.

Eventually of course the aquarium will be stocked as required. The bacteria population is able to stabilize and after a further say three months can be considered as fully mature. Routine seawater changes, as with any system, need to continue as does testing.

Wait a minute though; we’re supposed to be creating live rock which should be able within reason to deal with nitrate. So it will, in time. It takes longer for the nitrate reducing bacteria population to establish, and once it has the nitrate should be controlled. Relative to live rock and nitrate what does ‘within reason’ mean? It simply means that if the aquarium is often overfed and the toxin reducing bacteria produce a lot of nitrate, and the aquarist is missing routine seawater changes, the nitrate could be too high for the bacteria to control.

Ok, so now we have an aquarium filtered by live rock. What about the natural growths that could occur (though not always) with natural live rock? These will obviously be absent as the rock was initially dead. With both the fish only and reef system, if the environment is of high quality it shouldn’t be long before encrusting algae’s make an appearance. In a fish only system it could be necessary to seed with a small piece of rock from a friend’s aquarium that already has encrusting algae on it. In a reef system, when the aquarist introduces corals they will usually be attached to pieces of natural rock. These rocks should contain organisms that should seed the other rocks provided a high quality environment is maintained. Before long the previously dead rocks should look completely different – just like natural live rock.

So for a considerably reduced price live rock is achievable. What the aquarist needs to provide is some patience (required by all marine aquarists) and considerably less money. There is great concern about the future of the wild reefs and concern has been expressed about the impact of live rock collection, so the aquarist who produces his/her own will be assisting with reef protection.

Glass is the material usually targeted when DIY is involved. However, is it possible to use acrylic? The answer is ‘of course, provided there is sufficient information to do it properly.’

So the link given will permit this ‘do it properly’ to be achieved. The link is to an expert website where the subject is understood thoroughly.

Here’s the link:

http://www.sdplastics.com/acrylic.html

(Aquaristsonline.com does not have any contacts, personal or commercial, with the link given)

Even an aquarist with a reef aquarium could be able to maintain a sufficient calcium presence by the use of commercially produced additives or even by routine seawater changes. The former options would usually apply to small aquariums and perhaps those containing soft corals only.

The larger aquarium, particularly one that houses SPS (small polyp stony) corals, is more than likely to find that routine seawater changes do not maintain a high enough calcium level. The use of commercial additives will maintain the level but the ongoing cost is likely to be prohibitive. So what’s to be done?

There are ways to automate the provision of calcium, and one of these is the calcium reactor. This works on a simple principle, and that is that if calcium rich media is placed in a chamber where the pH is low (slightly acidic) then the media will dissolve.

In the calcium reactor aquarium seawater is slowly moved through a chamber by a pump. Inside this chamber is the media. Also fed into the chamber is carbon dioxide, which reduces the pH causing the media to slowly dissolve. The seawater is then re-directed to the aquarium carrying with it the additional calcium.

The device needs to be a little more complicated as the carbon dioxide has to be fed into the chamber at a fairly precise rate which requires a control valve. Also, the output from the device, the seawater returning to the aquarium, needs to be controlled. These controls are necessary so that in the first place the media dissolves to a sufficient extent, and secondly so that the aquarist has control over the speed of delivery of the enriched seawater. This allows more precise control over the level of calcium in the aquarium seawater.

The trouble is, a good reliable calcium reactor is not a cheap device. (Is anything I hear someone cry?) If the aquarist is not sure of his/her DIY skills then the device is still worth the price as it saves time and labour with additives, in the long term probably costs less than using additives, and affords a better way of continuously feeding calcium to the aquarium to maintain the selected level.

If the aquarist is reasonably good at DIY, or knows of someone who is and who is willing to undertake projects out of interest, then a home built device is a definite possibility.

The link provided gives good detail on material requirements and procedures with lists, instructions and pictures. There are even suggestions where the materials could be sourced. If DIY is being considered, do not be initially put off by what appears to be fairly complicated – when studied for a while it isn’t.

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/articles/DIYCalciumReactor.htm

The skimmer is a hang-on type which fitted except that the outlet, which flows down a flat surface, was not long enough. Anyway, the supplied flat plate outlet wouldn’t go down into the aquarium as the side-strap got in the way.

“Hmm” I thought, engaging super Do It Yourself brain cell.

After doing a few measurements I went to the LFS and had some bits of glass cut to act as barriers to seawater. When these were supplied I siliconed them into place on the side brace on each side of the skimmer outlet and also behind it.

Then I obtained some rigid plastic and cut a piece of the correct length to reach the seawater after bending over the side strap. Easily done, however I was left with a length of straight plastic when I needed a bent one.

A piece of cardboard was obtained and bent to the angle required. Then I got my blow torch out (normally used for plumbing) and carefully heated the plastic at the bend point, with the plastic over the edge of a piece of thin metal. This was the part where I thought the plastic would be ruined. But no, keeping the flame of the burner away from the plastic I managed to bend it correctly. Now it was cup of coffee time – very pleased.

The old plate outlet was cut off leaving only a fairly short flat piece close to the skimmer, and the new plate was then glued to the remaining part. When the glue was fully set, the skimmer was switched on and everything worked, with the returning seawater going into the aquarium silently.

I realized that this run of seawater over the flat plate would be a good air/water interchange and so be useful in ensuring a good oxygen level. The original need though was just to get the seawater back into the aquarium properly and quietly.

The return plate sits close to the bank of fluorescent tubes, and what I hadn’t considered was algae. This began to develop on the plate and I managed to keep the plate clean for quite a while as part of normal maintenance.

I noticed that the algae developing was not the green and hairy stuff but much darker, wiry and short. So I stopped cleaning it to see what developed.

The algae developed all over the slope of the plate and as said was the short dark wiry type often called turf algae. I kept a very close eye on it but it didn’t get out of control. In fact, once it had got to 1/4″ or thereabouts it didn’t get any longer. There wasn’t any die-back either. The alga hasn’t entered the aquarium area at all.

The photo I’ve taken is rather ‘blue’ probably because it was taken directly beneath the fluorescent tubes which include actinic types.

The aquarium has been running for a bit over six years and the skimmer the same. There has never been a problem generated by the algae on the skimmer return plate.

I do seawater tests for nitrate and phosphate, and these are usually done monthly. The tests indicate zero, though of course with hobby test kits it is better to say ‘undetected’ as the kits are not of a scientific standard. The algae on the skimmer outlet plate must be finding nutrients of some sort to survive, so perhaps there is a very low presence of nitrate and/or phosphate. The seawater flow is clearly to its liking and there must be a high oxygen presence.

Algae scrubbers are a well known method of nutrient control. The modern type is the sump which is planted with Caulerpa macro algae. They are bigger than my little algae covered plate!

I never intended to have an ‘algae scrubber’, but have now got one of sorts. It is very small but nevertheless will be doing something towards maintaining seawater quality.

Marine aquarists have a lot of scope to demonstrate their skills with DIY. For example, some construct their own filters, protein skimmers, lighting hoods and aquarium stands etc. Some make the aquarium itself.

The lighting for a reef aquarium is very important for the health of the corals. Failure to provide proper lighting, both intensity and spectrum, is the road to failure. Different coral groups require different intensities of light. Where the aquarist requires intense light then metal halide systems are often chosen.

The aquarist could consider DIY for the metal halide system. There isn’t a requirement to be a qualified tradesman, just a need for a basic capability and the care to complete the job. With electrical items of course the aquarist needs to be aware that electricity and misuse are dangerous. Having said that, there isn’t any reason why a DIY project cannot be completed in this area also. However, if there is doubt, don’t attempt it. If the job is in progress and there is doubt, obtain qualified advice.

As already said, all the DIY aquarist really needs is the guideline and advice to follow. So below is a link which provides that. Using a search engine on the internet will no doubt find more sources.

There is another way for a DIY project to commence, though this one is even easier because the parts don’t have to be searched for. This method is called ‘retrofit’ and there are kits available that provide all the parts and the instructions for construction. They are very straightforward.

Before the aquarist starts it is necessary to research the intensity of lighting that is required, that is the power (watts shown by a ‘W’) of the bulb(s). This intensity depends on the type of corals to be kept and also the depth of the aquarium. This applies whether the lighting is a DIY project, a ‘retrofit’ kit, or ‘off the shelf.’

http://www.personal.psu.edu/sbj4/aquarium/mh/mhlighting.html

• The current financial climate is one that springs to mind. It is a lot cheaper to build your own than purchase ‘off the shelf’
• The challenge and satisfaction of designing and building your own stand
• The actual enjoyment of doing a bit of do it yourself

From a personal point of view I believe that I am a mixture of the above. I like to save a bit of money where I can, I like the challenge and I enjoy doing it.

There are some people who are capable of building things without the need for plans or looking at ways in which other people have built similar items however I believe that it is a good idea to see how other people have done things. There may be a better way of achieving the same result. An example that springs to mind is the creation of an aquarium stand for an in-wall aquarium – does this need to be made from wood – it could be made from builing blocks, metal etc.

Anyway for this reason I thought it might be useful to create a list of website resources where information on DIY aquarium stands can be located. Some of these site detail plans to build your own stands, others detail how the owner of the site actually built their stand and others simply give ideas.

I hope that you find this list useful. If you know of any other sites which provide this type of information which is not listed either let us know so that we can add it to the list or leave a comment below so that others can benefit from it.

Anyway on with the list…

DIY Aquarium Stand Calculator

Building An Aquarium Stand

75 Gallon Aquarium Stand

Aquarium Stand Plans – Cost Associated eBook

How To Build An Aquarium Stand

Building An Aquarium Cabinet

Building Your Own Stand Calculator

Build An ADA Style Aquarium Stand

How To Build A DIY Aquarium Stand

Build A Strong, Inexpensive Aquarium Stand

Aquarium Stand Construction

Custom Tank Stand

DIY Aquarium Stand – First Ever Woodworking Project

DIY Tank Stand

Building An Aquarium Cabinet

Tips For Creating A DIY ADA Stand

Constructed DIY Aquarium Stand Projects

DIY Oak Aquarium Cabinet

Easy, Inexpensive DIY Aquarium Stand Project

DIY 2 X 4 Cabinet Frame

Double 55 Gallon Aquarium Stand

DarkDep’s DIY Sturdy Tank Stand And Canopy – Part 1

DarkDep’s DIY Sturdy Tank Stand And Canopy – Part 2

DarkDep’s DIY Sturdy Tank Stand And Canopy – Part 3

DarkDep’s DIY Sturdy Tank Stand And Canopy – Part 4

Building Your Own Aquarium Stand For Tanks 10 To 125 Gallons

Build Your Own Aquarium Stand For Tanks Up To 500 Gallons

Build Your Own Aquarium Stand For Large Tanks

All protein skimmers work on the same principle and manufacturers do not have any secret methods. What they do have is the expertise and mechanization to mass produce. There isn’t a need to buy a commercial unit however, provided the aquarist has some confidence in his/her DIY ability, and also has access to the required materials. Most have this access nowadays, if not locally through the internet.

If the aquarist takes a little time and carefully looks at a protein skimmer in a shop or at a friend’s it will be seen that they are basically simple. Seawater is moved from the aquarium and through a bubble chamber where the DOM is removed and collected in a cup. The method of moving the seawater and creating the bubbles vary.

This is not an attempt to advise that commercial products are poor – many are very good indeed and do the job well. However, they’re not the cheapest devices on the market! A basically competent DIYer can save money and still have a skimmer that does a good job, and also have the pride of ‘I did that.’ Most aquarists go for the commercial products and fair enough, but some…well, why not?

Seeing some of the skimmer plans for the first time can be a little daunting, but they’re not as bad as they first appear. Here’s a link and there is useful information here too in addition to plans:

http://saltaquariums.about.com/od/diyskimmerplans/DIY_Protein_Skimmer_Plans.htm

Though different types of live rock vary in weight, this weight causes transportation to be expensive. In addition, the rock is usually transported uncured, and further cost is added for the curing process (curing is where organisms that are dead are dying are cleared from the live rock so that pollution will not occur).

Another downside to live rock is the collection itself. Hopefully collection is done responsibly and only rubble and other loose rock is collected, and nothing is prised from the reef itself. There are companies that are creating live rock in the wild by leaving non-reef rocks in the sea near a wild reef until the rock is seeded. This has to be applauded, but the cost of transportation is still there.

There is a way that hobbyists can get around the high cost of natural live rock and that is to make it themselves. There are two ways to do this.

The first way involves the purchase of live rock from the retailer. However, the quantity is ¼ to ½ of what would have been purchased if the aquarium were to be furnished with all natural live rock. When the live rock goes into the aquarium, the shortfall is made up with inert porous ordinary rock. Given time, this inert rock will become live – bacteria will take up residence and other marine life will also do the same. It is a very satisfying process but is slow and that certain virtue is required – patience. 6 months plus is the time scale being looked at. If the aquarist is to use live rock as the sole bio-filtration method, for a period care is needed to make sure there is sufficient bio capacity for the livestock. It could be that if the aquarist is concerned about the size of the bio load a canister filter could be incorporated to assist for a while. When the canister filter becomes redundant it can be used for mechanical filtration.

The second way is to make the rocks themselves. This is not as difficult, or perhaps as silly, as it could sound. For this method a link is provided so that the idea can be investigated:

http://www.garf.org

When at the website, expand the ‘How To Pages’ on the left hand side list (click on the + sign). Then click on ‘Aragonite’ or ‘Aragocrete’. A list will appear and a selection can be made.

It would really be good to view a healthy, vibrant fully stocked captive reef and be able to say ‘I made that, entirely, A to Z.’

One of the biggest problems is the pre-work. By this I mean working out what is required in material. Then of course there’s the procedure of actually building it.

Here’s a website that brings all that pre-work on many items together, so that the aquarist doesn’t need to. Plus a ‘how to proceed’ section.

For example, if a stand is to be built, then type in the length, width and height of the aquarium it will support, advise what the aquarium will be constructed of (glass, acrylic etc) and the rest will be done. Advice is given on aquarium glass thickness, and a cutting list for timber provided. Then there is a ‘follow this procedure’ advisory.

There are quite a few items that could be of interest to the aquarist who is into DIY.

Just go to the website given below. On the left hand side scroll down to ‘DIY’ and expand the section. Then pick and away it goes.

http://www.garf.org

A properly researched marine aquarium will run very well with just a fairly small input from the aquarist – routine water changes are an example. There are other simple actions that can be taken that will enhance the health of the reef significantly and at the same time reduce dirt accumulation in, and particularly below, the reef.

The rocks of the reef, particularly if live rock, need good water flow through them for oxygenation and cleanliness. This is well known. The aquarist has probably spent quite a lot of money, again particularly if live rock is used, so a little extra effort for little extra outlay and significant advantage is clearly worthwhile.

Whatever rock is used, when the reef is constructed consider placing it on an elevated base. The rocks should be 1″ to 1½” or so above the aquarium base. If a spray bar is to be used (see below) then ensure the gap is sufficient.

To achieve this obtain some 1″ to 1½” diameter seawater safe plastic piping. Cut the pipe into short lengths all equal to the height of the base of the reef rocks. The aquarist will know where the reef is to extend to in relation to the base area of the aquarium. Place the cut pipes 4″ or so apart in a line at the front and end boundaries of the reef. The pipes on the boundaries should be in straight lines, but do not need to be parallel to the aquarium sides if the aquarist does not want this. Then, again the same distance apart, place short pipes vertically over the whole base of the reef within the boundaries. Now obtain aquarium grade silicone sealant, and carefully fill each short pipe right to the top with silicone. This is very easy to do and achieves two objects – when dry the pipes will not move, and dirt will not accumulate within the pipes. Leave the silicone to dry.

The next part is to prepare the base that the rocks will stand on. This base will rest on the short pipes already in place. This base is constructed of a white plastic material commonly called ’egg crate’. It has nothing to do with eggs of course! The plate looks like many joined up squares, with the square sides around ½” or so in length. I believe (rightly or wrongly) that the original purpose was lighting diffusion. This material is well known and well used in the marine hobby, and can often be purchased from the local retailer. Obtain an amount, in one piece if possible, that will cover the whole area of the base of the reef. Allow a small overlap to extend beyond the front support pipes. Cut the ’egg crate’ carefully to shape, and avoid any straight ’bits’ left sticking out. If the material is to be cut at an angle, to keep it neat it is best to stagger the cuts by going along the edges of the small squares so that what is left is a neat continuous edge.

Place the cut base on the pipe supports. There isn’t any need to glue it in place, the rocks will hold it still.

If a decorative sand bed is required in the aquarium, then place plastic r/angled edging of sufficient height in front of the outer pipe supports. Silicone this in place, again a very easy job. This edging will prevent sand entering the under rock space that has been created.

The aquarist could stop there but there is one more move that could be considered and is recommended. Though water can move much more easily under the rocks now, the movement will not be large, and dirt can still accumulate. There is a very simple remedy.

Obtain a standard spray bar. Drill holes in the opposite side to the existing holes and the same distance apart. Temporarily remove the rock base support and place the spray bar in position using the sucker cups provided. The holes should point horizontally in each direction. In a standard smaller aquarium the correct position is with the spray bar laying across from front to back of the aquarium, not down its length. In a larger aquarium spray bars can be laid end to end down the length of the aquarium. The spray bar can effectively deal with about 18″ of void on each side.

Fixing the spray bar in position is where some care is needed – it must not come loose when the reef is in position! To do this, take the silicone sealant and put a good large smear on the underneath of the spray bar suckers (make sure the spray bar holes are correctly aligned). Then press the suckers into position. Next, lay a really good amount of silicone all over the top of the suckers, and extending well beyond them onto the glass. Don’t worry, this is not exactly art but will not be seen. Allow the silicone to thoroughly dry.

The final action is to run tubing from the spray bar(s) to where a powerhead will be positioned. A bend can be used if necessary, but ensure this is what I call a gentle bend as a r/angled one will resist water flow. Again, ensure that the tubing is well fastened to the spray bar – wiping the end of the spray bar with silicone sealant will help achieve this. Remember that the powerhead can be put in as unobtrusive a position as possible, but check accessibility. The spray bar can deal with an area around 18″ on each side, this requires a powerhead of 1000 litres an hour or more (264 US gallons or more). This rating is not an absolute but indicates the general flow requirement.

When using a powerhead the only absolute requirement is to put a filter over the powerhead intake for obvious reasons, or the system could eventually fail. A foam overlay on the intake will suffice as long as it is effective and secure. If an internal filter of sufficient power can be fitted, then filter wool could be placed inside this.

The base support can now be replaced (with a small cut-out for tubing if required) to await the aquarist being ready for a tank fill.

Once the aquarium is running the above actions require no extra maintenance, except that the filter material on the powerhead intake must be kept clean, and replaced if necessary.
Depending on the cleanliness of the seawater, once every two weeks, or even less, could
suffice. A quick and easy job.

The DIY work required is not difficult at all, and should present no problems to anyone.

Elevating the reef from the base of the aquarium is worth while. Pumping water under the reef is even better. The base should remain relatively clean with the pumped version, and oxygenated water will move steadily throughout the reef. The plastics used, if any can be seen when the reef is in place, will soon disappear under a covering of coralline algae or similar. I have a pumped arrangement as above that has been in action for 5+ years, and the base under the reef is generally clean, and the reef thriving.