How do you put your rockscape together?

[E.intheC]

How do you put your rockscapes together? I have always used gravity to keep things in place, but now I want to get a bit more complicated.

I've heard of zip ties, epoxy, acrylic rods, etc.

What do you use? I have only tried epoxy one time and it was almost useless..

I'm thinking of drilling the rock and using acrylic rods. How exactly is this done?

Thanks!

[dan10342]

Balance,

epoxy in a few spots so the balance doesnt fall down after a year.

Corals like zoas, GSP, ecrusting montis, acros, etc will ecrust and also attach rocks together over time.

[E.intheC]

you have a sweet rockscape.. I'm surprised it's just balance and epoxy!

[seaworldkid1]

use epoxy while you use super glue jell on each ends of the rock. make a really strong bond when the epoxy molds to the shape of the rock and the super glue give you a rock hard connecting.

[cherubfish pair]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15572361#post15572361 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by E.intheC
What do you use? I have only tried epoxy one time and it was almost useless..
Tried it too and no go.

[cherubfish pair]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15577505#post15577505 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by seaworldkid1
use epoxy while you use super glue jell on each ends of the rock. make a really strong bond when the epoxy molds to the shape of the rock and the super glue give you a rock hard connecting.
This sounds workable.

[cherubfish pair]

So you put some super glue on the top of the bottom rock, then a epoxy patch on top of that, then a layer of super glue, then the top rock?

[steelcity]

pick your rocks wisely.

[jpeggerling]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15580622#post15580622 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by steelcity
pick your rocks wisely.

+1

[chwcdw]

Use red (maroon) epoxy putty. You can get it at any Marina or Boating shop. Just cut a piece off and squish it around for a few seconds then stick your rocks together. The best part is the color looks like coraline algae. Works great.

[cherubfish pair]

Does this work for both wet and dry rock?

[chwcdw]

Yes, wet or dry. It is designed to cure underwater to repair leaks in boat hulls.

[E.intheC]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15581164#post15581164 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by chwcdw
Use red (maroon) epoxy putty. You can get it at any Marina or Boating shop. Just cut a piece off and squish it around for a few seconds then stick your rocks together. The best part is the color looks like coraline algae. Works great.

I feel like this alone doesn't work.. the putty just doesn't do a good enough job, and it always comes apart. I think the superglue idea might help, but I'm not sure.


I'm going to try and use acrylic rods and superglue to make it stick. Let's hope it works.

[Agu]

Where do you buy acrylic rods?

I just stack my rock without any adhesives. However if you want extreme aquascaping I understand drilling the rock and using cut off lengths of plastic coat hangers works really well and it is easily available.

[E.intheC]

plastic coat hangers is a good idea as well. I haven't bought the rods yet, but I have heard of others buying them at local hardware stores. I imagine they could be found at craft stores as well..

[cerobbins]

I drilled holes in my rock and took the rod off a roadside reflector instead of acrylic rods. The reflector you can find anywhere, and cost me a buck. I did not need any type of adhesive, and have seen some pretty cool ideas if you can get a base rock heavy enough.

[reeftivo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15580525#post15580525 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by cherubfish pair
Tried it too and no go.

cut plastic coat hangers into 1" or 2" pieces and find holes on the pieces you want attach to. Then put epoxy putty (coraline colored) into the holes and push the dowell in and set the rock on top. Then let it cure and your ready for the next piece. If you cant find a hole to put the dowell into then you need to vigorously scrub the contact areas with a clean brush and before you put the putty on the spot, let it stiffen up a bit :eek1: . When I would try to put the putty on rock right after it had been kneaded, it would not stick well either. I found that if you give it a couple of minutes, it sticks much better.

Hope that helps a bit!

[cherubfish pair]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15597765#post15597765 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by reeftivo
cut plastic coat hangers into 1" or 2" pieces and find holes on the pieces you want attach to. Then put epoxy putty (coraline colored) into the holes and push the dowell in and set the rock on top. Then let it cure and your ready for the next piece. If you cant find a hole to put the dowell into then you need to vigorously scrub the contact areas with a clean brush and before you put the putty on the spot, let it stiffen up a bit :eek1: . When I would try to put the putty on rock right after it had been kneaded, it would not stick well either. I found that if you give it a couple of minutes, it sticks much better.

Hope that helps a bit!
Can you use super glue for extra bonding?

Can you drill holes in the rock?

[cbianco]

I used expanding foam.

It holds the rocks together very well and with the use of some sand or smaller rocks pushed into it, it will blend into the rest of your tank within a year.

Christopher

[powers2001]

Will notches in the coat hanger segments help the epoxy to grip the plastic?

[cbianco]

I would assume that notches would provide a mechanical lock.

Wouldn't the epoxy chemically bond to the plastic hanger?

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15665740#post15665740 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by powers2001
Will notches in the coat hanger segments help the epoxy to grip the plastic?

[JLAURIA751]

Gravity and prayers.

<a href="http://s680.photobucket.com/albums/vv161/jlauria751/?action=view&current=DSCF0477.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i680.photobucket.com/albums/vv161/jlauria751/DSCF0477.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[reeftivo]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15665740#post15665740 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by powers2001
Will notches in the coat hanger segments help the epoxy to grip the plastic?

If you want you can get 3/8 or 5/16 threaded nylon rods from HD or Lowes. They have them in the stores but they don't show them on any of their web sites. They are probably the best if you go the rod route. I'd imagine the expansion foam would work good if you had the rock out of the tank to work with it but if it's already in the tank and you just want to move a piece here or there then I would go with putty or just gravity scape.

The gel adhesive would give you more strength but it is best applied out of water.

IME the putty works best if you let it start to set up a little before you press it into the rock. When I would try and affix a piece with freshly kneaded putty, the putty was too soft and would just come off the rock too easily with any minor shake or movement. When it's set up a bit it seems to stick better and doesn't move as much.

[Robamus]

AquaMend at home depot. Gotta use plenty. Works like superness.

[Saltdog813]

Awsome info everyone I was thinking the same thing I trying to set up a 150 and do the land scaping / rock scaping. But I have a few questions before I try something the our favorite word comes to mine Aww Sh__!!

1.Can you do this to live rock? Would you have to work kinda fast to keep it from drying out?

2. I like the epoxy idea how long does it have to sit before I can move on to the next rock?

[reeftivo]

You can use epoxy putty under water on live rock with no problem. Break a piece off then squish it together for about one minute and put it where you want. It will start setting up in about two minutes so it's best to set the rock in & eyeball the rock first and know right where you need it then go for it. It will cure like concrete in about 30 minutes but the two to three minute window after you've mixed it together is when it is still very workable. If you don't like where it's at after all is said and done you can take a small flat screwdriver and usually just pop it off the rock and try again (been there-done that-LOL).

[paal]

I use coat hangers.

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx349/paalrune/Scape.jpg

Scape planned for my new nano. I'll probably make it a bit more "normal" though :)

[E.intheC]

That looks really neat! Let's hope it doesn't start to topple over though

[paal]

Base rock was the most dense I had. It weighs quite a lot more than the 2 others. Also, the part facing the bottom is completely even - the piece was sawed from a larger one.
It won't topple over unless the plastic rods break. :)

Oh well, I'll throw in an update when I start my tank (I actually ordered an Elos Mini just a few hours ago - just waiting for the confirmation now really :D )

[Jadams]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15673624#post15673624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by paal
I use coat hangers.

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx349/paalrune/Scape.jpg

Scape planned for my new nano. I'll probably make it a bit more "normal" though :)

Very nice! This is gonna look really cool in an ELOS tank!!! Cant wait to see it :D

[Saltdog813]

Awsome so do every while under water? This is going to be fun !

[KafudaFish]

Hydralic water stop. It comes in a yellow bucket. 20# for $15. It is available at Lowes in the cement section.

You can either mix it up first with water to make a paste then put it on the rocks and hold together for a while or put in on dry and then spray your two rocks with water. If there are any gaps then sprinkle the powder on. If there is extra water the dry powder will wick the water and form a bond. Tooth picks or bamboo skewers also help push it in the cracks.

You can also make DIY rock with it as well.

It bonds pretty quickly and in a few hours can go in water.

For live rock you can bond it like the dry but you can spray the LR or wrap it in newspaper and wet it.

[Saltdog813]

I think I like that idea. Ii would be easy to take it out and put it together the way you want it.

[cherubfish pair]

KafudaFish, do you have any pictures of the hydralic water stop?