Sunken Ship In Reef Tank: Hideously Tacky Or....

[JLAudio]

ok ok, so i know the thought a of a sunken ship in a reef tank is borderline nauseating, but im not referring to the psychadelic plastic ship of old, but a real life replica of a wooden ship.

The thought was brought up to me when a family friend was looking at my old FOWLR and him being a boating hobbyist and war/miltary buff thought it would be cool to have a real replica of a boat in a tank

At first I sneared and berated him, but began thinking about how it would look if it was made from the most authentic materials (that the contained reef would allow) covered in coraline algae, zoos, shrooms etc, with fish and out of it, naturally deteriorating.

All of a sudden a tacky idea of old, gave me new inspiration

 

[tosiek]

Actually going through Pauls tank and pictures of sunken ship wrecks and stuff with coral growing on it did make me think the same thought for aquascape. But it would have to be large, and you would have to dedicate the whole aquascape to incorporate it. If your going to do a small ship the proportions of the ship vs the coral/fish/rock/sand will still make it a little cheesy. But thats my view on it.

But its your tank, and if you are OK with cheesy little sunken ships and think it might look cool then try it and see how it goes. We already have people saying sand looks silly because most reefs are too high up =0) Or the numerous people saying having macro algae in tanks is not right b/c of the lagoon/reef separation.

Its your tank, and if you like something the way it is without beeing harmful to the animals then im all for it. Be different.

 

[rookie07]

I have often thought about this....BUT i think it would need to be one hell of a replica...and I have no idea where to find a replica of the quality I would want.
One of my top dives was an old wreck...they are so much fun.

You would have to have giant holes in the hull/deck of the ship to allow viewing inside.

What type of boat?
Navy(air craft carrier, sub, anti-sub,etc.)...Cruise ship...Barge....Oil Tanker....Sail Boat....Power Boat...etc?
When did the boat go down? Were there people on board? What was on the deck? In the hull?

I think that cruise ship would give you so many options....you could have small bones...Motorcycles...a casino....a Disco...a Pool w/ diving board/slide...the ideas are endless.....

Or you could just do the exterior of the ship, and use it as a 3-D background.

If you know of someone could create a quality "miniature" ship wreck, of the quality and detail I describe.....please let me know.

 

[wxl14]

It would be cool if it was practical but I think it would be a tremendous pain in the rear. I like old glass on a reef. Like old bottles from antique store in different colors like the green and brown and clear old spirit bottles. But I think trying to create a artificial reef out of plastic ship would be realy hard and probobly cause more issues then it worth.

 

[midtownman]

hey you already got a unique tank why not go all out

 

[JLAudio]

Thanks MIDTOWN but my tank is way to small for this. This would need at least a 6 foot tank and the model would have to be impecable and the materials of the boat would have to be carefully selected, because metals and coloring media could severly mess with livestock.

possibly having the ship kept in the sump for a while to give it a rustic look to start, and let nature take its course. Id love to see it done

 

[JLAudio]

possibly a whole large tank centered around a war ship, plane burial. combined with the rocks and sand. I think it would be really interesting

 

[wxl14]

Thanks MIDTOWN but my tank is way to small for this. This would need at least a 6 foot tank and the model would have to be impecable and the materials of the boat would have to be carefully selected, because metals and coloring media could severly mess with livestock.

possibly having the ship kept in the sump for a while to give it a rustic look to start, and let nature take its course. Id love to see it done

MAybe aging the ship in a tank with out any fish would be best. Like a tank with just live rock. And let it sit there for about 4 to 5 months or till maybe some coraline starts to grow on it then move it to display tank. while checking the paramaters to make sure its not changing anything in the water.

 

[JLAudio]

wxl14, I was considering that, and running alot of carbon on it to take take away alot of the toxins in the materials, while giving it the look. It would need some nice halides and some cal/alk supplementation to let it begin its oceanification process (yea thats not a word). I really hope this inspires someone who has the $$$ ane resources and put this into motion

 

[Killerdrgn]

What would be really cool would be to have an aircraft carrier with blast holes or something. Maybe a floating dead body/skeleton or two.

Or better yet have a submarine in a cuttlefish or octopus tank.

 

[leoskee]

I saw a thread on RC of a guy that build a replica of a ships hull and put it in his tank. It took up about a 1/3rd of the tanks space if I remember correctly. Never did see the finished product. Maybe someone can chime in on this with a link. I looked but couldnt find it.

 

[boozeman]

I remember that one also, he made it out of concrete. It was looking very nice but the thread stopped before it ever saw water in it. It was in the large tank forum.

 

[Aqua Pro Builder]

I build scale models since I was 5. My models dioramas were in many display window of model shops when I was 10. I actually owned a model factory 10 years back. I made a flying fortress for Gundam(if you know what they are) that is 4 feet long and a robot inspired by Macross(Robotech in US) and Gundam using part of planes and tank(war tanks-not aquariums). That's why I still have T-rex scaled garage-kit model. http://www.manhattanreefs.com/forum/nudibar/30603-t-rex-your-home.html
If I have the finance like I used to. I would definitely make one.

 

[RyanG]

I can put you in touch with a model ship making company upstate. Be warned that they are high end miniature reproductions and something like that would probably cost 500 or more but you could have any famous ship your heart desired. Mostly old schooners and frigates some gallions. I think they do triremes(greek) too. I think that a scuttled ship on a reef would be awesome if properly done. Please dont put an airstone in it. JK

 

[wayne]

hey jl hows the skimer going

 

[ZBT3091]

i would imagine that the ship would displace a lot of water. i can see it working though

 

[JLAudio]

hey jl hows the skimer going

Skimmer is going great, best skimming ive seen