Building Aquascapes: Glue, Mortar, Putty or Other?

[ying yang]

And to add,sometimes I think its great I made 2 large glued/ mortared rocks as if meed remove can just pick up all at once.
But also think if get aiptasia or algae gets out control then rather than removing one or 2 Rocks I need pull it all out which could be troublesome for many reasons.
So I think of did again I would do same style but one of my rock structures I would make it into say 3 pieces and stack them 3 to make 1 .
Also it's often recommended to re-arrange rockwork if introduce a new fish if aggression becomes a problem so fish have to sort out the tanks pecking order,I couldn't do that apart from spin my 2 rock structures around a little lol

 

[Koh23]

Af stone fix, but not really happy, too long to dry, for some reason.

But, i went to local masonry, who build toombstones and stuff, and got some glue, probably some sort of two part epoxy, thick paste like, dries within few minutes, black color, so after joining rock spray some sand on it..... Voila, in few minutes dry, safe, no leaching, no releasing anyhing. Not cheap, not easy to buy in retail, and after opening, limited time is usable, one component starts to dry very fast.....

Also, if u build with dry rock, and dont mind long cycling and few larger water changes, flexibile glue for ceramic tiles works great, only problem it dries long, and elevate ph for some time.

With ca glue, i newer managed to glue anything, no matter how small rock is, and how many galons of glue i use...

 

[jsker]

AquaForest Stone Fix...mix the mortar, stick it on and it dries quick. You would need to chisel it apart if you wanted to separate the rocks again. Works great on dry or wet rocks

I am glad I am not the only one that used Stone fix. Good stuff.

 

[Combs1ng]

Other - Just stacking and piecing the rock together like puzzle pieces. Then again i have a small tank without large aquascape builds. When I finally upgrade I do anticipate using some putty/mortar to build a bommie vertical column!

 

[codenfx]

I like the idea of stacking and freely moving them as you want but with the random earthquakes in CA, not taking chances. I've used mortar and it's holding quite well. I know it's not earthquake proof but it'll at least somewhat help a bit.

 

[vlangel]

I have only used putty but I think mortar would be good too.

 

[blazn]

Last year, for a tank upgrade, I created my first negative space aquascape and not only was it fun to build, the end result is fantastic. I'll never go back to a wall of rock. I used thick super glue (I found the BRS brand thick glue to be awesome) for initially attaching big pieces and I followed that up with Marco-E 400 mortar, for long-term stability. I also used thin super glue (BRS brand wasn't the best thin glue) with crushed/powdered rock for smaller pieces. It all worked extremely well.

 

[Sump Crab]

Gravity

 

[araziza]

Aquaforest stone fix. Worked great IMO.

 

[blaxsun]

Gravity!

 

[JarReefs]

I like the mortar because it seems indestructible once it hardens, if it's not visually pleasing you could maybe glue some sand to the joints to try to hide it good! But I don't mind the color

 

[JarReefs]

I used gluemaster thin and pulverized Marco rock then soaked it in ro di water a few times to test for phosphates leaching out of rock.
Worked really well.

That's a awesome scape!

 

[StewL6]

I use instant ocean epoxy and Gorilla Super Glue Gel for aquascape and frags. I have also used thick super glue liquid and sand for last touches if needed. When working with the instant ocean epoxy I ensure the epoxy has a good coating of super glue before putting in place makes a good bond. The epoxy by itself sucks needs the super glue for a good bond. Use gloves.

 

[BrandoNy]

I am working on a scape for a new 150 now. Glue masters thin and Marco dust, there are a lot of good YouTube videos on aquscaping from “MarineCost” on this technique.

 

[Sleeping Giant]

I just stack, no bonding material used. Shake test is mandatory for this process, if it fall quickly it needs to be adjusted until stable.

 

[ffmurray]

I go with the thick superglue to get things in place then epoxy to strengthen it. I cover the seems with thick glue and powdered rock.

 

[elcapitan1993]

Just stacked up. I'm a rebel

That’s what I do to, it’s much easier this way

 

[Naso110]

I've used black pond foam adhesive. Mixed with some super glue, then covered in sand while it's still tacky. Works well. Maybe not as strong as mortar but easy to separate with a blade if necessary. A bit difficult to get to look natural, even with the sand. So I often add pieces of rubble rock in larger gaps. So many applications are possible. Even used PVC for branch rock frame, then covered well with sand and rubble. After coralline gets growing it looks great.

 

[MnFish1]

Other - If you have a large tank - and a huge structure all glued together - it can be difficult to move, etc. So if I glue - I only glue a portion to form a base - and then stack whatever I want. Coral is glued - with superglue

 

[Jay B]

I've used a few methods all in tank with live rock.

The stacked and locked in place worked well until I added pencil urchins which are very strong it turns out.

I've used the drill and acrylic method without glue and that worked pretty well but you have to be sure about the angles of the holes you drill and its easy to lose reference to location and angles. I had something in my mind but that is not entirely what I ended up with.

Latest thing I have used was the E Marco mortar. I made 2 "creations" out of some rocks with coral on them. I cut some shapes, fitted them up and mixed and applied the mortar. I had some issues with patience and tried to add the 3rd piece before the 1st joint had cured enough so I had to start over. Once I figured that out I was able to make a few pieces that I could get back into the tank without too much trouble and remember I am spraying down the corals every 10 minutes with tank water the entire time. The corals were not happy but they all survived.

I still have more to do so I may use a hybrid with super glue for the rest.