DIY Floating Plant Corrals

[ShellFire]

I was a serial killer of floating plants until I saw the little corrals and dividers that people used in their tank. I had to make a separate corral for them. My HOB has too much surface agitation. I ordered them off of Amazon, and they were so tiny. I needed bigger. So, after watching Corey's video with Dean's home made floating Breeder Container, I decided that something like this was a better size for floater plants!

Off to the Dollar & Home Hardware stores I went!

You will need: 

• Box Cutter/Scissors
• Storage Containers (Dollar Store)
• Sandpaper (Dollar Store)
• Nite Ize Gear Tie - 12 inch,  or long plant weight (Optional to secure to rim, not needed in my case.) 
• Superglue GEL (Dollar Store)
• Weatherstriping: The 3/8 was too big. I used 5/8. This one bag made about 7 containers. 
•      Lowes: Item #174371 Model #71506  20-ft x 5/8-in Gray Backer Rod Polyethylene Window Weatherstrip.
•      HD: Internet #100165680 Model #71506 Store SKU #803064    5/8 in. x 20 ft. Gray Caulk Backer Rod for Gaps and Joints
• (You can substitute strips of Pool Noodle for more colors, and to save money, but its more labor intensive.)

Directions:

1. I took a dollar tree food container, cut out the bottom. I left them very long on purpose, because I want the long drapey roots. 
2. Smooth out any rough edges with Sandpaper
3. Then I superglued the 5/8 inch backer around the rim. I tried to just push it in, like with Deans Basket, but the rim was too shallow and has support beams, so I had to super glue. GEL gives more control. I used liquid and it ran all over. 
4. I let it dry for a day, to be safe.
5. I didn't need to secure it to the rim, but if you do, I recommend the Nite Ize Gear Tie - 12 inch. I already had these laying around, I use them to secure filter material to the HOB.

Hope this helps!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Alison]

That's really neat. I might try something like that with a rouge container that no longer has a lid.

[ShellFire]

36 minutes ago, Alison said:

That's really neat. I might try something like that with a rouge container that no longer has a lid.

So easy, and a rouge container would save money! Biggest expense was the weatherstripping. 

[Alesha]

Very nice solution! My friend 3-D printed little rings for my tanks. They work well for very small floating plants - duck weed, specifically. But for anything with longer roots, your containers are juuuuuuust right. 😉 Thanks for sharing!

[Tanked]

Great idea.  You may have solved the problem I have with the HOB filter eventually upsetting the corral

[Pete]

Funny story... I worked for the company that sells backer rod at all the big box hardware stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's, ACE...). It was actually one of the products I was responsible for. We were always amazed at the different uses people came up with for it, besides just filling a crack so you can then caulk over it. For example, the 3/8" backer rod is used to go around the perimeter of a room before you lay laminate floor.  I've also seen the thicker sizes stuck up to walls as a make-shift tack strip to hang up kids art in an elementary classroom. It's good stuff. Fun fact - Most of the factories that make it also make pool noodles. They build pool noodles all winter to ship them in the spring, and then make backer rod the rest of the year.

If you're doing a project with it, check the bag to see where it was made. If it says Made in the USA, it's likely going to be a more rigid foam. If it says Made in Canada, it'll be a lot more pliable. 

 

 

[teenage fish]

This is really cool. I might try this on a bigger scale in my pond next year when it gets warm.

[Pete]

If you go bigger, get the 1" backer rod. I don't think Lowe's and Home Depot have it, but you can usually find it at these stores.

ACE hardware part# 19100. 
Menard's part # 52020.

[ShellFire]

21 hours ago, Pete said:

Funny story... I worked for the company that sells backer rod at all the big box hardware stores (Lowe's, Home Depot, Menard's, ACE...). It was actually one of the products I was responsible for. We were always amazed at the different uses people came up with for it, besides just filling a crack so you can then caulk over it. For example, the 3/8" backer rod is used to go around the perimeter of a room before you lay laminate floor.  I've also seen the thicker sizes stuck up to walls as a make-shift tack strip to hang up kids art in an elementary classroom. It's good stuff. Fun fact - Most of the factories that make it also make pool noodles. They build pool noodles all winter to ship them in the spring, and then make backer rod the rest of the year.

If you're doing a project with it, check the bag to see where it was made. If it says Made in the USA, it's likely going to be a more rigid foam. If it says Made in Canada, it'll be a lot more pliable. 

 

 

Pete - Thanks for sharing! The 3/8 size is perfect for aquariums. I could not find a pool noodle to save my life. 2 days after I got the 3/8 backer, Pool Noodles in stock at the dollar store. 

Edited November 17, 2020 by ShellFire
Misspelled Could

[Andy's Fish Den]

Great idea! It's amazing the DIY things that us aquarists come up with to help us make things easier.