How to make sure rocks don't fall?

[BitFix]

How do you guys attach rocks together? Super glue? Putty? Drilling? Also, how do you guys attach corals to rocks?

 

[davocean]

Acrylic rods and drilling here, though many use epoxy

 

[BitFix]

Acrylic rods and drilling here, though many use epoxy

If I use epoxy should I epoxy them out of water or while the tank is filled?

 

[fish farmer]

I used Marco cement, although that is while it was half full of water or dry. I have mixed results with the typical marine putties. They work ok for some pieces of rock and corals, but I can usually bust them apart if needed. I like super glue for corals. I use the putty and glue inside the tank. For glueing frags I'll usually gob some on the frag outside the tank and then stick it where I want.

 

[BitFix]

I used Marco cement, although that is while it was half full of water or dry. I have mixed results with the typical marine putties. They work ok for some pieces of rock and corals, but I can usually bust them apart if needed. I like super glue for corals. I use the putty and glue inside the tank. For glueing frags I'll usually gob some on the frag outside the tank and then stick it where I want.

Thanks for the very complete answer

 

[Ghost463]

Good stacking! But for more permanent i always prefered drilling and pvc pipes with a round flat base.

 

[AbnormalReefer]

Just stack good and use basic construction principles and you’ll be fine.

For example, 9/10 times making the foundation of your stack is a smart idea compared to using a bunch of small pieces at the bottom and heavy, big pieces at the top....

 

[Coral Seeds]

Two answers:

1.
For a 220 gal tank, I wanted a free-standing tower tower that was about 20"tall and taller than wide. The rocks I used were probably 50 lbs, so I wanted to be very sure it wouldn't fall. To do so, I used cement to join the rocks to each other and the tower to a 1ft square tile that I used as a base. I let everything set in the air for a few weeks and then soaked in water for a few months outside of the tank. Once in the tank and the tile was covered with sand, it looked natural (concrete not obvious and it looked like a single rock) and was very stable.

 

[Coral Seeds]

2. For a 120 mixed reef I recently set up, I wanted to be able to easily remove almost any individual rock easily so I could attach frags and trim corals. Here I stacked the rocks so that they would be stable and did not use anything other than gravity to hold the rocks together. I spent a fair amount of time looking for arrangements that were stable and where individual rocks were easy to remove. I found a key thing was to have rocks supported only by the rocks lower than them and not relying on the ones next to them to hold them in place.

Doing this, I ended up with a few large foundation rocks that will probably never get moved and about half of the remaining rocks that can be removed without moving any other rocks and half requiring only one or two other rocks to be moved.

 

[tatties]

red marine putty.

 

[Flippers4pups]

From my build thread:

I went with marco rock using fiberglass rods and quikrete hydraulic cement to glue the rock work together. I change some this later do to height.

This works best with dry rock as the rock needs to be dry for the cement to adhere. Live rock could be used, but needs to be dry at the attachment spots.

Stack rocks the way you want them, take a picture of them for reference.

Big box hardware stores have fiberglass driveway markers cheap. Cut into pieces long enough to go into two rocks at a time. Quikrete hydraulic cement found there as well.

Using a masonry drill bit, drill the rocks deep enough for the fiberglass rod.

Taking two rocks at a time. Mix just enough hydraulic cement to bond the two rocks and let cure. Repeat. It sets in 5 minutes, so small batches is best to work with.

Let cure overnight and ready to use. Once cured, will not alter water chemistry.

If cement isn't your thing, just drilled rock and fiberglass rods works well.

 

[VetReefer]

From my build thread:

I went with marco rock using fiberglass rods and quikrete hydraulic cement to glue the rock work together. I change some this later do to height.

This works best with dry rock as the rock needs to be dry for the cement to adhere. Live rock could be used, but needs to be dry at the attachment spots.

Stack rocks the way you want them, take a picture of them for reference.

Big box hardware stores have fiberglass driveway markers cheap. Cut into pieces long enough to go into two rocks at a time. Quikrete hydraulic cement found there as well.

Using a masonry drill bit, drill the rocks deep enough for the fiberglass rod.

Taking two rocks at a time. Mix just enough hydraulic cement to bond the two rocks and let cure. Repeat. It sets in 5 minutes, so small batches is best to work with.

Let cure overnight and ready to use. Once cured, will not alter water chemistry.

If cement isn't your thing, just drilled rock and fiberglass rods works well.

This is Absolutely Gorgeous

 

[Flippers4pups]

This is Absolutely Gorgeous

Thank you. Here's the tank today:

 

[Geebs19]

I s don’t use anything, just stack the right way to make sure nothing can adjust or fall.

 

[VetReefer]

Thank you. Here's the tank today:

You're definitely welcome and I really like that. I'm setting up a 125 and going to do a mix reef and been looking for ideas

 

[VetReefer]

I s don’t use anything, just stack the right way to make sure nothing can adjust or fall.

Man that's really nice