I don't have any good recent pictures. I did put up a before/after 7 years thing on IG about a year ago. I can't seem to link to the photo itself but the link to the photo is here: https://www.instagram.com/p/BeLw8owDHHf/

I do agree with the rod idea. It's hard to tell in the picture but the rock structure on the right is a bit of a floating over hang with a large cavernous area inside that the fish love to hang out in and sleep for the night. I did this with rocks drilled to accomodate a rod, and then zap strapped onto an acrylic base hidden under the sand that compensates for the otherwise uneven weight distribution (the overhang is pretty large).

I think I actually used fibreglass rods actually now that I think about it. You should be able to get both acrylic and fibreglass at IPP, but FWIW you can also get fibreglass rods at Canadian Tire. They're like driveway or parking lot markers for when there's lots of snow and you need to mark out the edges so you know where not to drive the snowplow. :lol: They have little reflectors on the top, just hacksaw that off.

Love that instagram pic Tony! I love that overhang. Tank looks great.

So is a zap strap just a zip tie? I google zap strap and just looks like a zip tie. I figured the plastic would get brittle and break over time?

I haven't noticed any breaking for me yet, now you got me wondering if I should try to check on them though. *insert nervous laughter here* haha?

Mind you I did a combination of zap/zip straps/ties (sorry not sure now what to call them :lol:) and the thorite-but-not-called-thorite concrete so they're hopefully just working together.

FWIW, I always thought that they get brittle when exposed to UV over time. Anything outside in the sun for example. The stuff holding my rock work together, I did my best to try to keep out of visibility, so by extension there's not a lot of light hitting them. I suppose I'm kinda hoping for the best there I guess. But it's 2019 now and the tank got water in 2011 so 8 years in, I guess even if they broke today I could still say they held up a long time.

As an aside ... damn, 8 years? Where did those years go?!

The time flys away. In the last 10 years since I shut my last tank down life couldn't have changed more for me.

It's nice that you can look back over those 8 years and see the progression ofyour tank. And just think after 8 years, if the zip ties broke, and the concrete failed.... the coraline will have replaced them.