Thank you so much for recovering the lost footage, and putting this video together. I know it is very time consuming and tedious making videos, so I appreciate the effort. This is my favorite reefing channel! I can promise you get a like 👍 from me, on every one of your videos. Keep up the great work my friend. We appreciate you! -Dave
Another great video mate! keep them coming, looks like you got the footage you lost, it's always a bit of a worry, I hope those storms have given you a little bit of a break, I look forward to seeing the next one 🙂
Hey Jason, I actually re-edited all the original footage from my phone! Good news is that whilst waiting for the new computer, I kept on building and filming, so I should be back on track with regular updates. Just came back from fishing Scissortail Sargeants for the new tank. Managed to catch 5 on a size 20 fly hook!
@@australianaquarist Nice! I was up the mountain the other day and got a chance to film some Southern Purple Spotted Gudgeon on fry in the wild, there was a few of them all in the same area, a bit of a hard slog in the heat and humidity but was worth it when I got into the cool water, was pretty cool to see, next time your up we should go for a drive up to one of these places, you would love it, the botanicals match your outdoor tank 🙂
Great video mate. There's very few good Australian Aquarium videos on here but I reckon you've set the standard for all those who come after you. I love your focus on the native fish too! Keep them coming.
Yes!! Coming very soon. I currently have a pair sifting sand in their aquarium, which I picked up from the store last week. It’s taken about 3 months, of waiting for Cairns Marine to collect inshore
Hey Adam, Curious, what made you choose to use Boatcote first instead of just using the Aquacote alone? Putting together a plan for a 2400 x 1200 x 1200 tank and trying to work out the entire materials list. Cheers mate!
My understanding is that polyurethane alone is not 100% waterproof. It is resistant to UV light and wear , which epoxy is not. However to properly seal the timber , you need to apply the epoxy. I chose to use Aquacote over the Botecote because I wanted the ability to paint a background for the tank. Although you can tint epoxy, the water based Aquacote is a lot easier to use for blending the colours in an artistic way. For a straight , one coloured tank, just use the Botecote, and apply a minimum of 3 coats. If you wish to colour it, use solvent based pigments (Boatcraft Pacific also supply these).
@@australianaquaristYou mate as always are a bloody legend. Thank you for the tips. The 3 botecoat would better suit as I am just after a black! Much appreciated there mate.
What do you feed your trevally and snapper in your estuary? Im just wondering if I can feed frozen and nori in the morning and 2 cycles of a mix carnivore and herbivore pellets through an autofeeder. I only have time to feed once in the day so dry foods are very convenient for me. Cheers
The trevalley won’t touch pellets, but the snappers will. The trevalley eats any meaty seafoods, as well as live ramshorn snails and some kangaroo at the dogs dinner time. Neither eat nori
Sorry for all the comments mate but im wondering about cost differences between fiberglass, epoxy and polyeurathane vs liquid rubber and fiberglass. How much did you use for your tank? - Maybe i'm an idiot but I can't find the coverage on their website. Thanks
@@australianaquarist Oh, its all good man, just worked it out and have decided on liquid rubber reinforced with fiberglass fabric due to cost and flexibility. Thank you though and I will stop trying to pester you in the comments. Great videos
Happy to help where I can. Don’t be shy of asking. There is some confusion , especially in the USA about epoxy vs fibreglass. They are two completely different things , yet Americans refer them as alternatives to each other. What Americans call fibreglassing, is actually wetting down with resin ( which is epoxy) , then laying the fibreglass mat or tape, and then building further layers of resin ( epoxy) over the top. I think they reserve the term epoxy for when it is used independently of fibreglass. I’ve used a liquid rubber pond sealer in the turtle tank, over the epoxy timber, as more of a uv barrier. I would stress that surface preparation and surface cleaning would be extremely important. Unlike epoxy , rubber membranes won’t impregnant into the surface grain of the plywood, so rely on adhesion entirely. The botecote goes about 3m 2 per litre, and the Aquacote goes about 10m2 per litre. I used to go heavy with the botecote, pouring it on. I have found that I can use a tight foam roller and go a bit lighter, and just build the layers up. It uses a bit less
Do you think I could get one of these done for around (preferably under) $1000 nzd? The one that im building will be around the same dimensions just 50 cm tall and it will have 2 windows and braced similar to the one you have outside. Thanks
The cheapest way to do a wide and shallow tank, suitable for stingrays for example, is to use plywood as the base, and glass around all sides. That is, if you have a source of cheapish glass. My first tank was 7 x 4 and 600mm high, with a wood base and glass all around. The glass was from a 7 x 2, and a 4 x 2 tanks I stripped apart. By doing this you minimise the cost of the epoxy. Basic costs for 8 x 4 x 500-600mm high tank are: - 2 x sheets of 15 mm ply $200 - epoxy $200 -$300 - silicone $120 - glass? - if glass all around, can get glass strips cut for euro and cross braces $200 Aluminium woukd be similar cost. But that’s an 8x4. I think my tanks in the past have been around the $3000 mark
@@australianaquarist yeah thanks man, would aluminium be safe for saltwater if sealed properly or will it oxidize eventually and get covered in salt creep like it has on your reef tank?
@glub9075 ohhhhh I assumed you were talking about fresh. That’s a no to aluminium over salt. I haven’t as yet decided how exactly to brace my new tank. The one major downside to my method of construction is that you are forced to use a material other than glass as the bracing, as glass won’t adhere strongly enough to the sealed plywood rear. Traditional plywood tanks have timber all around, including the front ( with glass cutout) and a plywood top/ brace. They are ugly however. That’s why glass all around, with plywood base is good. The plywood base is cheaper than glass, and you can use glass strips. I’ll have to use either powder coated steel/ aluminium or polished 316 stainless steel for the bracing. Either way it’s going to be a little pricey, but I can weld the frame myself.
I cannot get my brain around why you don't use fiberglass and only resin. Resin by itself has almost no strength and can get scratched very easy, exposing the wood underneath .My two cents as an ex boatyarder. Btw ..wear a mask. Those fumes are no joke😊
My experiences ( not necessarily fact!!), is that fibreglass is a structural component, used to provide strength to joints at risk of opening outwards. Like an internal 90 degree one. I can see , from a boat building perspective, that increasing the physical structure of the epoxy with fibreglass, would be valuable in areas subject to abrasion such as boat hulls. I’ve never had anything in an aquarium, including large driftwood pieces, capable of ripping through the layers of epoxy. However, I have applied additional protection with polyurethane over the epoxy, in this marine build, because of sea urchins grazing. I haven’t had them breach epoxy in previous tanks, however I had access to the polyurethane and thought it would also be a good way of getting a decorative background also.
