Securing the Aquascape

[Judy@SYA]

So, I posted quite awhile ago about wanting to get started with my first reef tank. Really, my first tank of any sort. I do have a tendency to jump into the deep end of any new project.

I purchased a 29 BioCube with its stand. I took out the bio balls and stuff and did the filter modification recommended in this video:

After that, life got tough and then got tougher and anything beyond minimum budget requirements got put on hold for a couple of months. But now things are finally getting back on track, financially, and I'm just about ready to add water, so to speak.

I ordered a big box of CaribSea South Seas Aquascaping Base Rock and some Caribsea Arag-Alive Special Grade Reef Sand, which just arrived today. I explored the lovely chunks of rock and arranged what looks to be a really nice sculpture. It's sitting on the floor right now. It seems to be holding itself together, but this is my first time ever putting anything like this together and I'm quite nervous about it falling apart once it's in the aquarium. What is a safe, newby-friendly way to secure these pieces together so there is no danger of collapse?

My plan is to get the aquascape figured out...just so. Then set that up in the tank, right on the bare bottom. Then I'll hit up my LFS for my first supply of water, a chunk or two of their live rock, proper test kits and any other necessary sundries. I'll add the sand, live rock, and the water, and let the cycle begin.

I have to admit, I'm a Nervous Nellie about all of this....this getting started. The perfectionist within is at war with the knowledge that I have to make mistakes to learn from them. It's brutal in there sometimes.

 

[melypr1985]

There is a putty you can use to secure it all together. If you haven't already make sure to measure the inside of the tank and measure your sculpture to be sure it fits in there and still allows room to clean the glass on all sides.

I would also advise using at QT for all new fish (even the first ones) so that you dont have to get them back out later to treat for a parasite. Having all your rocks locked together with anything will make it extra difficult to remove them to get to any fish that are sick. Just a thought.

By the way.... Great start! Your on the right track here. It's sooo hard to be patient and do things right the first time around. So many of us just jump in and make a mess of things before learning the "right way" to do things.

 

[Jlobes]

honestly, after setting up more than a few tanks, ive used most of the epoxies, glues, and what not. the epoxy sitcks work, you need to use a bit more than you think and in strategic area, but they are not cheap and you always need "just one more". also you can separate the rocks a bit easier at a later date, compared to my favorite aquascaping tool, EMARCO400. one downside, i noticed the epoxy can separate a bit from the rock, after a long time under the water. just at the edge, but i worried about it and didnt like the way it looked.
Emarco400 is a commercial/hydrolic cement and works amazing. you can get it from marco rocks. the smallest size would be more than enough for you tank. Its a bit tricky at first, but easy to get the hang off. just mix it into a thick paste/mortar not a pouring cement. once it hardens/cures, youre more likely to break the rock than the E400. I used it for the 120 remodel and was the best thing Ive ever used. was able to lift a huge/heavy complex rock piece with no fear of it separating or coming apart.

 

[Judy@SYA]

Thanks Meredith!

I did measure and made sure to leave empty space along all sides. Good to go on that front.

I think I'd rather take the risk of it being a pain in the butt to move the rocks than to risk them collapsing. My sister smashed the side of a 90 gal tank with a slipped rock. Stuff of nightmares for me!

 

[sawdonkey]

I like to build the general shape of my rockwork with larger rocks and then fill the cracks between the large rocks with smaller rocks. This makes everything look like a single structure rather than a bunch of rocks stacked up.

I use regular old plumbers epoxy from HD. Just make sure it says it is for potable water. The key is to coat both surfaces of the epoxy with super glue gel before you smash it together between the rocks you are affixing. Without the superglue, the epoxy molds nicely, but it doesn't stick well. I like to use TFL Coralaffix for this. You get a ton of it for about $10. I used to mess around with the little generic tubes, and while the may be slightly cheaper, can be a pain.

Hope this helps.

 

[Judy@SYA]

Thank you, Jlobes! Macro Rocks looks like a great source. The cement looks a bit pricey for now, but the putty doesn't seem too expensive. Do you think a single 100g size would be enough to secure 7 or 8 chunks of rock together? Or would I need more?

 

[Judy@SYA]

That sounds promising as well, sawdonkey. Where do you find TFL Coralaffix?

 

[sawdonkey]

That sounds promising as well, sawdonkey. Where do you find TFL Coralaffix?

TFL stands for Two Little Fishies. I get it at my local fish store, but you can get it on most of the reef sites.

 

[Judy@SYA]

Ahhh, gotcha. Thanks!

 

[Jlobes]

Thank you, Jlobes! Macro Rocks looks like a great source. The cement looks a bit pricey for now, but the putty doesn't seem too expensive. Do you think a single 100g size would be enough to secure 7 or 8 chunks of rock together? Or would I need more?

the 5# kit of emarco at $40, really isnt that pricey and would be more than enough for your scape. You will need a few(4+) sticks of "putty"/epoxy and it just doesnt work as well, for the minimal savings. but thats just my .02
It really depends on what type of scape youre going for, if you want lots of overhangs, ledges, arches etc, you will end up using far more that $40 worth of epoxy @8-10 a tube. heres my most recent scape for the 120 redo.

 

[vet4him]

I used the emarco 400 to aquascape my daughter's new Red Sea max c130. A little bit of a learning curve, but worked great. Go slow and be patient.

 

[PatW]

I did my aquascape with a cement product like the one Marco Rocks sells. There was a learning curve. I found that I needed to have the rock wet at the binding site. I needed the cement pretty stiff so I could stick it into the junction. I would wait a bit and then mix a runny version of the cement and layer it over the stiff stuff to get it to loosen a bit and reset. I would let things firm up and repeat. It worked well. I generally let it set over night. I built the structure in layer so each weld was strong. Also, I was careful to make sure that I did not make any piece too large to lift easily into the tank.

 

[Jlobes]

These +1. build in sections/layers.

I actually put some of the acryl60(liquid included in kit) in a small spray bottle and would wet the area prior to applying the cement. \

I used the emarco 400 to aquascape my daughter's new Red Sea max c130. A little bit of a learning curve, but worked great. Go slow and be patient.

I did my aquascape with a cement product like the one Marco Rocks sells. There was a learning curve. I found that I needed to have the rock wet at the binding site. I needed the cement pretty stiff so I could stick it into the junction. I would wait a bit and then mix a runny version of the cement and layer it over the stiff stuff to get it to loosen a bit and reset. I would let things firm up and repeat. It worked well. I generally let it set over night. I built the structure in layer so each weld was strong. Also, I was careful to make sure that I did not make any piece too large to lift easily into the tank.