To glue/epoxy or not to glue/epoxy?

S.Pepper · Oct 17, 2019

The structure is solid as a rock. It will not rock back and forth or sideways. I'd rather not glue, especially if I decide on down the road to change things up. The corner piece sitting the highest on the structure, I will probably epoxy and maybe the small archway up front. I have a few small pieces to add, but as it sits, would you glue/epoxy? thx.

lapin · Oct 17, 2019

I would just secure the top piece in the back corner. Rock gets real light in water and you dont want some creature like an urchin to push it over.

reefs4life · Oct 17, 2019

I personally wouldn't glue/epoxy it. I've had fish tanks for almost 15 years now and I've made some intricate rock work with caves and arches and have never glue/epoxy anything. Every couple of yours I also find myself rearranging things as coral/fish grow and I'm sure that wouldn't be possible if everything was one block. Just my opinion.

S.Pepper · Oct 17, 2019

lapin said:
I would just secure the top piece in the back corner. Rock gets real light in water and you dont want some creature like an urchin to push it over.

That's what I did; It was the weak link. Sand and water on Saturday... finally!! thx.

AdamB · Oct 17, 2019

Agree . I wouldn’t epoxy with your layout and type of rock.

HCl+NaHO= · Oct 17, 2019

S.Pepper said:
The structure is solid as a rock. It will not rock back and forth or sideways. I'd rather not glue, especially if I decide on down the road to change things up. The corner piece sitting the highest on the structure, I will probably epoxy and maybe the small archway up front. I have a few small pieces to add, but as it sits, would you glue/epoxy? thx.

You can make very interesting aquascapes with CA glue and accelerator.

You are not stuck with the pile of rocks in a box aquascaping

Thermoplastic works pretty well for more structural stability

You can even sculpt your rocks with acid, giving them a more organic look, and increasing their biofiltering ability.

Omar Marambio · Oct 19, 2019

I always glue the main structure and then added rocks around so I can remove then if I need to clean around it frag a coral. I marked in the pic the only rock glued the rest if it are not

ca1ore · Oct 19, 2019

I never glue/epoxy/cement rocks together. If you construct your aquascape in an inherently stable way it’s not necessary ... plus it’s then a pain to get apart in the almost inevitable event you need to do so. I build up my rocks so that they lock together, then a few small blobs of reef-safe epoxy putty strategically placed to ensure no chance of collapse. Also, build your base rock directly on the glass bottom, not on top of the sand.

FWIW I generally dislike the various arches that so many folks seem to find irresistible. Were I doing arches, glueing would likely be necessary.

S.Pepper · Oct 19, 2019

ca1ore said:
I never glue/epoxy/cement rocks together. If you construct your aquascape in an inherently stable way it’s not necessary ... plus it’s then a pain to get apart in the almost inevitable event you need to do so. I build up my rocks so that they lock together, then a few small blobs of reef-safe epoxy putty strategically placed to ensure no chance of collapse. Also, build your base rock directly on the glass bottom, not on top of the sand.

FWIW I generally dislike the various arches that so many folks seem to find irresistible. Were I doing arches, glueing would likely be necessary.

thx. If you look at the picture, I put my rock on egg crate. I just didn't feel comfortable placing the rock directly on the glass. And that's what i did as far as the epoxy went... a couple of areas that's it. The structure is rock solid. Getting ready to fill as a type.