Large Magnetic Frag racks for 1" glass

[qterry22]

I find myself like others scouring the web for a frag rack that is magnetic(for 1" glass) and looks like live rock. After only finding one option that I did not like due to its price and dimensions, I thought "Whelp....guess I will make my own".

I have two questions for my fellow DIY's

1. What strength magnets do I need? I was thinking of buying one designed for 1/2" glass and just upgrading the dry side magnet to something much stronger. Will this work and what strength?

2. If option one will not work I will buy some dry live rock. Drill it and silicone the magnets into the rock. With this I plan on using on old plumbers trick with Silicone and a Dixie cup to completely encase the water side magnet in silicone prior to attaching it to the rock. Any issues I am not considering with this approach? Any recommended silicone?

Thanks in advance for any feedback

 

[blaxsun]

Reefrax. That's what I'll most likely be going with for my setup (supports up to 3/4").

https://www.reefrax.com/

 

[stoney7713]

I find myself like others scouring the web for a frag rack that is magnetic(for 1" glass) and looks like live rock. After only finding one option that I did not like due to its price and dimensions, I thought "Whelp....guess I will make my own".

I have two questions for my fellow DIY's

1. What strength magnets do I need? I was thinking of buying one designed for 1/2" glass and just upgrading the dry side magnet to something much stronger. Will this work and what strength?

2. If option one will not work I will buy some dry live rock. Drill it and silicone the magnets into the rock. With this I plan on using on old plumbers trick with Silicone and a Dixie cup to completely encase the water side magnet in silicone prior to attaching it to the rock. Any issues I am not considering with this approach? Any recommended silicone?

Thanks in advance for any feedback

I find myself like others scouring the web for a frag rack that is magnetic(for 1" glass) and looks like live rock. After only finding one option that I did not like due to its price and dimensions, I thought "Whelp....guess I will make my own".

I have two questions for my fellow DIY's

1. What strength magnets do I need? I was thinking of buying one designed for 1/2" glass and just upgrading the dry side magnet to something much stronger. Will this work and what strength?

2. If option one will not work I will buy some dry live rock. Drill it and silicone the magnets into the rock. With this I plan on using on old plumbers trick with Silicone and a Dixie cup to completely encase the water side magnet in silicone prior to attaching it to the rock. Any issues I am not considering with this approach? Any recommended silicone?

Thanks in advance for any feedback

Here's a post about making one. Just need to size the magnets up.

Post in thread 'Making frag “rack” out of flat rock/“flats”???' https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/making-frag-“rack”-out-of-flat-rock-“flats”.929391/post-10494730

 

[qterry22]

Reeflex. That's what I'll most likely be going with for my setup (supports up to 3/4").

Thanks for the reply!
Do you have a link to that products page or a link to info on the product?

 

[stoney7713]

Here's a link for a magnet supplier a lot of reefers use that might help.
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=aquarium

 

[blaxsun]

Thanks for the reply!
Do you have a link to that products page or a link to info on the product?

Sorry, Reefrax.

https://www.reefrax.com/

 

[qterry22]

Here's a link for a magnet supplier a lot of reefers use that might help.
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/blog.asp?p=aquarium

So I purchased 4 of the larger magnets for 1" glass. Just have to go pick out my shelf rock from the LFS(thatfishplace). I will upload photos once I get it all slapped together.

 

[qterry22]

Ok so here is what I came up with. It cost more than I initially imagined but still cheaper than the comparable options online. Total cost was around $350 with the magnets being the bulk of the cost. My goal was under $200 as the other option was going to total $600 including shipping for 2 pieces. Still kept the savings high enough to justify the effort. Took me roughly 2hrs excluding cure time.

Materials:
2x 5lb live rock flats
12x Magnets
1x Aquarium Sealant

Tools:
Dremel with masonry wheel
DeWalt Multi Tool with Carbide blade

 

[stoney7713]

Looks good! Looks much better than some of those fake floating rocks!

What size magnets did you use, looks like you could use it as a step climbing in and out of your tank :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

 

[qterry22]

Looks good! Looks much better than some of those fake floating rocks!

What size magnets did you use, looks like you could use it as a step climbing in and out of your tank :rolling-on-the-floor-laughing:

Haha thanks! Here is a link to the magnets I used. 2 each inside the aquarium for each rack. 4 total (2 stacks of 2) on the dry side.

BY0X08DCSPC-BLK
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BY0X08DCSPC-BLK

 

[stoney7713]

Haha thanks! Here is a link to the magnets I used. 2 each inside the aquarium for each rack. 4 total (2 stacks of 2) on the dry side.

BY0X08DCSPC-BLK
https://www.kjmagnetics.com/proddetail.asp?prod=BY0X08DCSPC-BLK

I'd hate to get my fingers stuck between those!

 

[qterry22]

I can speak from experience.....

It hurts....like a lot....like instant blood blister. If you don't know how to properly handle magnets that strong you quickly learn lol...like what not to sit them next too....or understanding the proximity at which two magnets can become finger guillotines!