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Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 12:56 pm
by devilduck
Just wanted to share my cheap pvc and eggcrate dock. You can get all the parts for this dock for about $20-25 at the hardware store and should only take you a couple of hours to assemble. The dock is rock solid.

Materials:

3/4 pvc pipe you can get 10' for $4
Sheet of eggcrate diffusor found in the lighting department
2 - 3/4 "T" elbows
6 - 3/4 right angle elbows, or just get a 10-pack
pvc glue is optional
Something to cut the pvc pipe like a hacksaw or buy the special cutter

20130123_205903.jpg


The "T" are placed closest to the glass like and upside down letter T.
The top of the dock hooks around the back of the tank, the hook and T support the entire dock.
I bent the eggcrate using a heat gun to create a ramp.

20130123_205919.jpg

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Fri Jan 25, 2013 10:14 pm
by steve
Looks good. I'm using PVC/tile in one tank and it's been pretty solid. Has Fred been using it?

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Fri Feb 01, 2013 4:59 pm
by elena194401
I like this !!! It is exactly what I need to make for Scooter.... it looks fairly east to do to..
Do Freds feet/nails get caught up in the little squares at all?? Other than that, I think this is perfect!

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Mon Feb 04, 2013 1:09 am
by Linus
Very nice. DIY is the way to go.

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:02 pm
by kerby
Looks good!
steve wrote:Looks good. I'm using PVC/tile in one tank and it's been pretty solid. Has Fred been using it?

by the way when are we going to see your setup?

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Tue Mar 05, 2013 5:25 pm
by slider_keeper
good luck!

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Wed Mar 06, 2013 12:29 am
by devilduck
steve wrote:Looks good. I'm using PVC/tile in one tank and it's been pretty solid. Has Fred been using it?


He uses it daily. I do find that since the eggcrate allows the basking light to reach the bottom of the tank I do get a bit of algae on the glass and on the surface of the sand.

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:11 am
by steve
kerby wrote:by the way when are we going to see your setup?


I'm pretty sure it's been posted somewhere :)

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Thu Mar 07, 2013 5:00 pm
by slider_keeper
haha

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Mon Mar 11, 2013 8:58 pm
by kerby
steve wrote:
kerby wrote:by the way when are we going to see your setup?


I'm pretty sure it's been posted somewhere :)

Ill be looking
and does PVC release chemicals into the water like the glue?

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 1:00 am
by devilduck
PVC is inert, it's used in the water pipes in most homes. The PVC "glue" is actually solvent, the chemical melts a thin layer of PVC and actually welds it together. Once two pieces are bonded there is no way to un-join them.

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Tue Mar 12, 2013 8:06 am
by kerby
Edit:Great my turts might have a new underwater dock to rest!

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Fri Mar 29, 2013 1:45 pm
by MerryMenagerie
Do you have a picture of how it hangs on the back of the tank? Are there four elbows with short pieces of PVC for the "hook"? What length do those pieces need to be cut?

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 1:29 am
by steve
I think it's just the right angle elbow. The rim on the outside is flat, so no need to extend or hook it (I think anyway).

Re: Cheap PVC and eggcrate dock

PostPosted: Sat Mar 30, 2013 11:41 am
by devilduck
Since pictures speak 1k words, I went downstairs to Fred's tank and took a few. I didn't do any actual measuring I just kinda freehand cut them using a pair of racheting pvc cutters. I think's about 10 inches in height. Fred never showed any interest in climbing or escaping the tank so I have it pretty close to the top. At some point I'd like to turn it into a true ATBA.

Here's how it hangs on the tank:
2013-03-30-10.19.44.jpg
Hanging on tank

You can see it has a slight downward tilt. It contacts the tank at the bottom "T" and the "hook". It's extremely secure.

From the side:
2013-03-30-10.17.51.jpg
Fron the side

Here you can see the only parts where I used glue are the 90 degree elbows to form the "hook" and the part there it attaches to the "T" the rest is just pressure fit.

This is the bottom:
2013-03-30-10.18.10.jpg
Bottom

You can see I attached the eggcrate using zip ties. You can probably add another pair of "T" and add a another horizontal piece to make it sturdier but I found it unnecessary.