# DIY cork stucture



## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Here is my DIY cork structure that I have been working on for the past 4 months. 

My lighting is 2x T5HO 24 watt 6 inches above the tank

pressurized co2 using co2 mist method 

Substrate inert black sand

Tank size standard 29 gallon

EI fertilizer dosing


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

The last photo is the most updated one. Tell me what you guys think.

So far the only have rcs in the tank.

The plants are HC, HM, Rotala Rotadafolia, (one more in the center of the tank but the name is escaping me at the moment. 

Also like a new plant enthusiast I have changed which plants i have in the tank numerous times. However, I've finally stopped tinkering and have just been letting my plants grow in now. 

Any advice would be much appreciated.


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## ferretowner96 (Apr 20, 2010)

Wow! That is BEAUTIFUL! I have a question. How do you get the cork to stay down? Is it just like other driftwood, where you have to keep it underwater for like a month, or do you have to hook it to something? It is really pretty! When my dad was a kid he said he used cork for fishing bobbers, so I was wondering if it is buoyant enough to do that, how would you get it to sink in your tank? Sorry for so many questions lol I LOVE your tank!
Thanks,
Rick


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## mrchach (Sep 8, 2010)

nice how did you carve your cork?

looks great btw


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

actually i had to silicone the cork to the tank itself. It was pretty easy. I really want to try and track down some xmass moss to put on the cork and get it to grow however because of the weather i've been unable to find any.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

mrchach said:


> nice how did you carve your cork?
> 
> looks great btw


actually all i did was just rip it up with some pliers. The cork is just the bark of a tree in Spain so all i had to do was cut pieces and rip them a bit with some pliers to make it look messier.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

does anyone have any suggestions of plants i should add? or maybe move some? 

I want to put some taiwan moss coving the cork in the corner or the piece in the center and I already got some pheonix moss that i want to cover the cork in the center of the tank. Do you guys have any other suggestions on what i could do to make this scape look better? I really want to get more depth in the tank and i'm not sure how to do this.


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## mistergreen (Dec 9, 2006)

nice. I have cork in my tank too but floating. I put plants in there like a floating raft. It's been months and months now and the cork hasn't disintegrate. It's pretty water resistant and will float forever.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

did you ever attach moss to the cork? how did you do this? push pin?


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## Kibblemania1414 (Feb 1, 2011)

wow! that's nice!! i like the cork on the side. nice!!


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## TRD_Power (Aug 6, 2010)

You just gave me my newest tank idea! Great work!


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

here are some updated photo's. The second picture is off my HC pearling.


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## Gatekeeper (Feb 20, 2007)

Fantastic. Where did you get the cork?


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

herpsupplies.com it's a online company in Florida.


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## EntoCraig (Jun 7, 2010)

very creative idea. thanks for sharing.


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## misfit36 (Feb 21, 2010)

very cool. i was actually thinking of trying a cork/moss island. thanks for the inspiration.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

Looks great. You should grow some Fissidens on the piece on the left.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

that's actually what i'm trying to do right now.


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## sewingalot (Oct 12, 2008)

Ever get the fissidens in the tank?


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

yeah i do. It's now located on the cork in the center of the tank on the ground. I'm using push pins to hold it there but so far it's not attaching too well to the cork.


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## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

How'd I miss this? 

Awesome looking tank, definitely digging the creative use of the cork.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Thanks i should put an updated picture because i have a ton of moss you gave me in the tank now.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Hey Rock...could I contract you to create a LEDGE like the one you have that I could use large magnets to secure to the glass?

COST?


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## bobbydog (Mar 21, 2011)

i was wanting cover the whole of the rear of my 4' aquarium with cork,but it was gonna be too expensive.I was wondering if there is another ,cheaper, way achieving a similar effect? anyone?


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

JasonG75 said:


> Hey Rock...could I contract you to create a LEDGE like the one you have that I could use large magnets to secure to the glass?
> 
> COST?


Yeah just let me know i can help you do that. However, if i might make a suggestion i would use suction cups instead.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

bobbydog said:


> i was wanting cover the whole of the rear of my 4' aquarium with cork,but it was gonna be too expensive.I was wondering if there is another ,cheaper, way achieving a similar effect? anyone?


Cork comes from Spain. I'm surprised you don't have a cheaper way of obtaining it. I would look around the cork wasn't too expensive but the shipping was a lot.


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## JasonG75 (Mar 1, 2011)

Rockhoe14er said:


> Yeah just let me know i can help you do that. However, if i might make a suggestion i would use suction cups instead.


Tell me how much the cost would be + shipping...I don't have the time to build it right now.


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## Wasserpest (Jun 12, 2003)

Looks nice, but keep in mind that cork does disintegrate (slowly) under water, and eventually the adhesion will fail and they will float to the surface. It will also add some organics to the water, initially no problem if you keep up with water changes. After a while... you will find out.

That's the main reason why we don't see that many tanks with cork inside.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

i know a couple of people that have had cork in the tank for 2 years and it's still holding strong. I'm sure it won't last forever but by the time it fails i'll probably be sick of it and want to do something new.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

For the last 2 weeks or so I have been making DIY CO2 setups out of old wine bottles we have around the house. 2 of the bottles were from 1994 and they had natural cork in them. Well when I took the corkscrew to them both of the corks disintegrated. Not sure how or why but they did.


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## bobbydog (Mar 21, 2011)

Only trouble with cork out of bottles is that i would have to become an alcoholic to get that many corks....Mmm ill start right away.:thumbsup:


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

bobbydog said:


> Only trouble with cork out of bottles is that i would have to become an alcoholic to get that many corks....Mmm ill start right away.:thumbsup:


HAHA. well worth it.


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## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

FWIW...

I was a bartender at a white-cloth restaurant to pay my way through grad school. Know how many natural cork bottles I opened in a night? Oh...and if I had a wedding to work...forget it. 125+ people drinking wine through the night = a lot of corks piling up.

Befriend a bartender...if you know one great. Or you can just stop in somewhere for a few drinks and talk to them. I had customers ask me to save corks for various craft projects ALL the time. Nothing wrong with some creative recycling roud:


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## jahmic (Jan 30, 2011)

tuffgong said:


> ...when I took the corkscrew to them both of the corks disintegrated. Not sure how or why but they did.


Those corks need humidity to maintain a seal in the bottle and stay in one piece...which is why most people store their wine "in the cellar". Alternatively, you can also store your bottles on a rack so that they're horizontal and the wine is reaching the cork. That keeps the cork moist and the bottle sealed. Turn them every few months or so that the wine "stays fresh"...if you live in an extremely dry environment, you may still get some air in the bottle, turning it keeps the wine closest to the cork fresh, which means the bottle is less likely to go bad.


Sorry for the derailment...back on topic now please :icon_smil


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

no worries. I think cork is a great it's a material that can create very different aquascapes without having to try and find the perfect piece of driftwood you can design it yourself. So far the integrity of the cork is still strong. I have egg-crate behind all the cork structures to aid in the stability of the cork. I hope this helps prolong the life more. 

now i'm off to the bar to befriend a bartender.....lol


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## gene4christ (Oct 25, 2008)

Must say that looks very nice ! Hmmm ???? ding ding cork tubes now there's a spot to hide those other tubes and things :bounce: Yep looks very good .

Gene4Christ


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Here is an updated photo. I'm not 100% sure i like the taiwan moss or the weeping moss in their area's. Does anyone have any suggestions of other plants i should try? or area's of the tank i need to work on? Sorry about the photo being a bit blurry.


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## tuffgong (Apr 13, 2010)

Fissidens Fontanus would look nice in the back left corner.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

tuffgong said:


> Fissidens Fontanus would look nice in the back left corner.


Actually i am thinking of replacing the taiwan moss for more fissidens. I just need my fissidens to grow in more.


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## swoof (Jun 30, 2010)

any updates?


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

not much has changed because i've been finishing my LED fixture to get a much better distribution of light over my tank.


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## audioaficionado (Apr 19, 2011)

Natural Cork Tile- ZooMed

Natural Cork Tile- ZooMed 

Natural Cork Flats - ZooMed

I'm thinking if you got some peeled bark off local trees and thoroughly painted it with clear epoxy on all sides, it should work well too.


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## AirstoND (Jun 17, 2011)

Have you thought of using a sky blue background


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## kcirtappatrick (Mar 16, 2009)

very nice


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

AirstoND said:


> Have you thought of using a sky blue background


That's a great idea. Too bad I already painted the tank but I wish I thought of this


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## JamesHoftiezer (Jun 29, 2003)

Wasserpest said:


> Looks nice, but keep in mind that cork does disintegrate (slowly) under water, and eventually the adhesion will fail and they will float to the surface. It will also add some organics to the water, initially no problem if you keep up with water changes. After a while... you will find out.
> 
> That's the main reason why we don't see that many tanks with cork inside.


I kept my larger logs in the tanks for several years without visual disintegration. After a year or so they softened just a little but never lost shape.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Here are some updated photo's. i do have a bit of stunting which i'm still trying to figure out. Let me know what you guys think and if you have any suggestions that would be great.


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## [email protected] (Nov 7, 2010)

The cork looks awsome.

Speaking of cork, i do have some laying around behind the garage.. Hmmm


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

You should def.ly update with the new look of that tank with all the different plants you have going now! Its looking GREAT!


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Thanks a lot Andrew I'll put up a new pic sometime soon.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

Trim the weeds back and keep them trimmed, or add more CO2. If you effectively double the plant biomass, but keep the CO2 the same or just enough for the low biomass, then after the plants grow more....you will run at a deficit.


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## plantbrain (Dec 15, 2003)

JamesHoftiezer said:


> I kept my larger logs in the tanks for several years without visual disintegration. After a year or so they softened just a little but never lost shape.


I got about 10+ years out of most of the cork I used in the 1990's.


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## xxbenjamminxx (Aug 8, 2011)

I really like this. I am thinking about ordering some of the cork tubes listed on that herp site, then cutting them in half lengthwise and using them to cover up the intake tubes, heaters, etc.... in my tank. Im hoping it will give that trees in the background look while hiding the unsightly equipment at the same time. Only thing I have left to figure out is how to adhere this to an established tank.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

xxbenjamminxx said:


> I really like this. I am thinking about ordering some of the cork tubes listed on that herp site, then cutting them in half lengthwise and using them to cover up the intake tubes, heaters, etc.... in my tank. Im hoping it will give that trees in the background look while hiding the unsightly equipment at the same time. Only thing I have left to figure out is how to adhere this to an established tank.


I cut the logs in half. I'm not sure how you'll be able to add this to an established tank unless you attach it to some heavy rocks to weigh it down. I siliconed it do the tank.

Here is an updated picture. Everything looks great. No stunting and pretty much no algae except some some gsa on the glass and some older plant leaves.

I started dosing micro's every day with iron to see if that can help bring out the reds. I still want to make my rotala sunset even redder.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Here are some updated photo's i've sold a lot of my rotala sunset and other plants so i need a lot more growth. I also included my newest plant erio kimberly.


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## sketch804 (Mar 2, 2011)

Everything is looking great as it seems to always be! keep it up! damn that HC grew back in no time, you weren't kidding about how fast it grows for you!


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## lochaber (Jan 23, 2012)

xxbenjamminxx said:


> Only thing I have left to figure out is how to adhere this to an established tank.



I haven't tried this myself, so I'm not sure how well it would work, but 2 things come to mind right away.

First would be to try and use that epoxy-putty stuff they sometime use for corals (may be able to find a less expensive DIY substitute, but I'm not familiar enough with it to make any recommendations).

second (and more complex) would be to make an 'insert' by siliconing the cork to a piece of slate/glass/tile that would then sit against the glass of the tank. This would allow you to work with silicone and the cork in a dry environment, but you would have to make sure that the piece was adequately weighted to offset the cork's buoyancy. and it still wouldn't address the issue of attaching it to the main tank.


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Yeah i know a few people that have just siliconed cork to some slate and that kept it right in the ground. It's a great material especially for mosses.


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## newbieplanter (Jan 13, 2013)

Very nice looken tank!


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## Rockhoe14er (Jan 19, 2011)

Here is an updated picture. It's been a long time since i've updated this thread


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