thanks kashta, but i actually prefer the others, because they come solid white. (it would be more authentic) plus being porcelain, they would anchor themselves down with/without gravel inside. thanks anyway. i will in fact replace the wire with stainless steel though, thank you for that, i was unaware how metals would react in water.
chinese theme
- Thread starter katuuuz
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thanks kashta, but i actually prefer the others, because they come solid white. (it would be more authentic) plus being porcelain, they would anchor themselves down with/without gravel inside. thanks anyway. i will in fact replace the wire with stainless steel though, thank you for that, i was unaware how metals would react in water.
wow leave it up to you guys to come through with every angle possible! i'm not the most creative guy in terms of building these boxes out of plastics and sealing them (if they were straight folds i could swing it) but i do like the "rice" anchor idea. could you elaborate a little on the actual process you are thinking of? i want it to be like a mound. will gluing all the gravel together look messy? i am willing to try it. i already have a ton of gravel i'll never use i can try with. eh, i guess rice is kinda clumpy anyway right? ((especially when i attempt it))
I like your idea a lot.. would be nice in one of my goldfish tanks. I'd probably make them smaller than life-size, though.
To glue the gravel down, squeeze out a puddle of sealant on whatever you're going to use for the base. Then pile up the gravel (clumpy like rice) and smoosh it down so it adheres. You can add more sealant on the top (probably let the bottom layer dry first) and add more to build up to the height and form you want it in. I think it cures fully in 48 hrs or so. If you leave the edges bare on the base, you could hide the edges with regular gravel when you place it in the tank.
A lot of the terrarium and paludarium folks do this to affix cork bark and other things to the glass for their tanks. This also works to make hidden caves with gravel on top of wood and coconut shells.
To glue the gravel down, squeeze out a puddle of sealant on whatever you're going to use for the base. Then pile up the gravel (clumpy like rice) and smoosh it down so it adheres. You can add more sealant on the top (probably let the bottom layer dry first) and add more to build up to the height and form you want it in. I think it cures fully in 48 hrs or so. If you leave the edges bare on the base, you could hide the edges with regular gravel when you place it in the tank.
A lot of the terrarium and paludarium folks do this to affix cork bark and other things to the glass for their tanks. This also works to make hidden caves with gravel on top of wood and coconut shells.
Haha, I love the idea and I'm glad you didn't go with Japanese theme because it'd be too ironic with sushi being so popular and all
Your tank looks really cute, and the rice box idea is cool. 
But, I wasn't sure how picky you wanted to be about this being "Chinese," or maybe just "Asian," but that red gate you've got is a Japanese object associated with the Shinto religion. It's called a tori, and they mark Shinto shrines. They come in lots of styles. It looks like yours is a replica of this one:
But, I wasn't sure how picky you wanted to be about this being "Chinese," or maybe just "Asian," but that red gate you've got is a Japanese object associated with the Shinto religion. It's called a tori, and they mark Shinto shrines. They come in lots of styles. It looks like yours is a replica of this one:
Your tank looks really cute, and the rice box idea is cool.
But, I wasn't sure how picky you wanted to be about this being "Chinese," or maybe just "Asian," but that red gate you've got is a Japanese object associated with the Shinto religion. It's called a tori, and they mark Shinto shrines. They come in lots of styles. It looks like yours is a replica of this one:
thanks for the information Leah, I never knew what that archway represented. I made the mistake of saying chinese, I meant to describe it as an asian biotope. good eye though!
I've got 2 white clouds and a dwarf gourami in my tank set @ 75ºF which is an acceptable temp for both of them as far as I have found. They are all doing wonderfully in it.
Instead of corys (they S. American) you could get kuhli loaches, they're asian & kinda dragon-y.
