Anyone glued their rock together?

[Jeremy Blaze]

I have an idea for aquascaping a new tank, but it would be unstable at best just stacked.

I was thinking of glueing the rock together, perhaps with an epoxy, but have not had good luck doing so in the past.


Has anyone epoxyed their rocks together?

What did you use?

Any tips or tricks to get this stuff to work?

[Putawaywet]

My main reef structure (dry base rock) was created in modular sections on my garage floor using a modest selection of rock, a bag of portland cement and a tape outline to represent the inside dimensions of my tank.

However, once the tank was up and running live rock was then epoxied onto that structure using 2-part Aquamend from Home Depot. It takes a fair amount of epoxy and you will probably have to either prop or support the rock while it dries. It works best if you can "massage" it into the nooks and crannies of the rock, smoothing it and blending it for a more natural look rather than just sticking a blob of epoxy down and pressing the rock into that. I even go so far as to take a screwdriver and rough up the epoxy as it begins to set so the finished surface better matches the rock. For added piece of mind you can go back later and blend more epoxy to reinforce your joints just to make sure everything is good and secure.

Brett

[starseed]

I use Epoxy - forget the brand, but it's for reef tanks and expensive ($12 a tube). I know you can get it online for $7. If you are planning a major aquascaping project I would immediately recommend 2 things:
1) Find the Purple Coralline colored Epoxy and use that.
2) Buy at least 5 to 10 tubes online to save money and shipping (w/ a 125 G you will easily use 10 tubes).You can use the white Epoxy, but if you’re doing a big job, you will have these very bright white unnatural chunks here and there. It can take a long time for coralline to grow over and if they are in shaded areas, even longer. I haven’t used the purple colored Epoxy yet, but I just finished my last tube of white and will get the purple from now on – the white is pretty ugly.

IMHO, Epoxy is a pain in the rear to work with, especially if you are doing it in the tank, under the water. I never pull the rocks/corals out and attempt to “clean or dry or slime” them. I just do it underwater in the tank and I have had to figure out techniques that allow me to attach a rock or coral in very hard to reach areas.

Here is what I have learned:

Only Epoxy 4-5 Rocks a Day That’s based on your tank size, mine is a 55 so I only do 1 or 2 rocks a day. This will give you time to check and recheck your aquascaping (if you had a skimmer, it would also keep your skim-poo production down (my skimmer usually goes crazy for 24 hours after, so I think something goes into the tank when one epoxies). One can use there skimmer to know when the next “epoxy session” should take place, i.e. when the skimmer calms back down, it’s probably OK to add more epoxy to the tank. Without a skimmer, I’d wait about 24 hours

Use Lots of Epoxy Like everything in this hobby, don't be cheap or try to use little pieces of epoxy. Use chunks about the size of a ping-pong ball or just slightly smaller.

Bonding 2 Pieces of Live Rock
1) Find the spot on Rock 1 where you plan to attach the Epoxy. Get a clean brush (like a tooth brush) and clean off the area (you are removing slimy algae, detritus, etc.). Also, make sure the area has holes and bumps (no flat smooth surfaces).

2) Get a generous piece of Epoxy and work it into the spot on Rock 1 (Epoxy is not like working with glue - don't expect it to stick - it wont). Work the Epoxy into the groves and holes and blend it into the rock (it won't be perfect so don't try for perfection), leave a lump or ball of epoxy exposed where you plan to attach Rock 2.

3) Find the spot on Rock 2 where you plan to attach the Epoxy. Again, find an area that has holes and bumps and brush it clean.

4) Get another generous piece of Epoxy and work it into the spot on Rock 2 Again, work the Epoxy into the groves and holes and blend it into the rock, leaving a lump or ball of epoxy exposed where you plan to attach it to Rock 1.

5) Make sure that both Rock 1 & 2 will be supported and stable for at least 24 hours before you attach the two rocks. You can use other pieces of live rock as temporary supports while the epoxy dries and hardens. Again, Epoxy isn’t glue; it won’t stick, but has to harden which usually takes 30 minutes. If you keep messing with the Epoxy, it will pull away from the rocks and become more and more difficult to work with.

6) Take Rock 1 & 2 and simply push the two exposed lumps of Epoxy together. You shouldn’t have to “work it in”, but make sure the two lumps are adhering. If you gently rock it together, it will bond without pulling away from the rock. Make sure both pieces are supported before letting them go.The Epoxy will harden in an hour and be solid!

If you are attaching a coral to a piece of live rock, follow the same steps, but use three layers of latex gloves – corals sting and each sting is different and frankly uncomfortable. This will also help protect your coral polyps from the oils on your skin. You can keep your coral underwater and upside down while you hold and work your piece of Epoxy into the coral/base/rock. Try to avoid pushing directly on any of the soft tissues of the coral when adhering If you have to, choose one finger and one polyp (or small area) you might be willing to sacrifice and be quick when pushing.

For a major aquascaping job, you really don’t need or want to attach every piece of rock. Just use the Epoxy to bond 2 or 3 pieces together in any unstable areas.

I do all of this underwater in the main tank without having to remove rocks or exposing corals to air.