how do you secure your LR?

[krishj39]

How do you guys secure your LR? I will have to position 90lbs of it within the next few weeks. Do you use epoxy? that putty that doesn't permanently attach the rocks to each other? nothing but careful balancing? I have a tube of epoxy, but I'm not sure i want/need to use it. I'd like to do one of those bridge things with the the LR, so i guess i'll probably need to use it. any other suggestions?

 

[plum70rt]

I think part of a nice tank is the aquascape, just stack it until it fits nice, you will always want to move a piece here or there to fit in a coral or change the look, IMO

 

[krishj39]

yeah, i totally agree that good aquascaping is key to tank asthetics. i want to make an arch with my LR though, so it gets a little trickier. any suggestions on holding the arch together? or just use epoxy?

 

[azonic]

I have a small arch in my tank...not a very big one, only about 6 inches by 6 inches.. I stack my rock together however they fit, basically like a jigsaw puzzle...and I have it resting on the back glass.

 

[rsd]

The key is a firm foundation.
I cut 1", 1 1/2" , 3/4" and 2" pvc pipe at lengths equal to my sand bed depth. In other words I make little pvc doughnuts that match the depth of my sand bed.
Then I stack the bottom rocks so that the points of the rock rest inside the pvc rings instead of on the glass. It makes the rock alot more stabble and also takes the pressure off the glass. It also helps stop the rock from being moved by critters that like to dig.
Any pvc that shows quickly gets covered by coraline anyways.
As for stacking I like black zip-ties when I can. Other than that just wedge good and maybe use the putty. Definately recommend the pvc rings though.

 

[snowbear]

Hey, RSD - WOW, per your prior suggestion, I tried the PVC rings. It really stabalizes the rocks. I was able to stick rubble pieces in front of the rings for most of the stacked rocks to hide 'em! The best part is - they're not permanent. I'm sure I'll be re-arranging more as my tank cycles and I decide where I want stuff, but this is a GREAT way of stabilizing the rocks without permanently attaching them! Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[danrw84]

i never used any of that epoxy, because yes, you will move a rock time to time. I stacked them so they fit together in place. Flipped rocks over, turned them around, until they were snug. I did the cave effect as well. Used a larger peice that is totally un even and made it, and top if off with the natural look using corals and such. here's a pic of my 29

 

[krishj39]

ok, so im thinking i will use epoxy to attach a few of the larger pieces together so i can make them into the top of my arch, the rest i will not attach together, so i can re-arrange later if i want. i do want more info on the pvc supports under the LR though. i'm having a hard time seeing how that would work very well. does it take a lot of pieces? like, as an example, how many would it take to support an 8"x8" piece? why would i need different sized pvc? couldn't i just do it all with 1" or whatever? please give me more details. i definitely want to do this, both for the added support, and to increase the circulation under the LR

 

[jonthefb]

i always just stack them with kind of a plan in mind from the get go. but at the same tiem ive aquascaped a ton of tnaks, so seeing the peices fit together just kinda comes naturally to me. i would reccommend using very little of the putty if you can, and if you do use the putty, make sure the rocks you are gluing will be able to be removed from the tank altogether, cause if you glue a huge boulder that wont come out of the tnak, then youll have to bust it apart if you ever move to get it out. anyhow, just have a nice varitey of rock, and dont be araid to not use some peices. try things several times, and make sure that the structure is stabel that way you wont have problems with it toppeling over later!
good luck
jon

 

[rsd]

To explain using the pvc rings it is like this:
Take a basic rock. It won't bo smooth, but rather kind of odd shaped with lots of roundish or sharp points. If you set it on the glass lets say 3 points touch the glass.
****Lets say also you are doing a sand bed 3/4 inch deep (like mine... could be any depth). The you would cut rings 3/4" long off of various size pipes.
Back to the 3 points. The first one is really pointy. say mostly 1" wide. Then you would use a peice of pvc from a 1" to 1 1/2" pvc pipe cut 3/4" inch long.
The 2nd point is really wide... say 3". I would use probably a 2" pipe and mayby "contour" the the top of the ring to match the rock.
The 3rd is small. 1/2" i'd use 1/2 to 1" pipe cut at 3/4" long.
Basically making pvc legs for your rock to give it a stable foot and rase it to the height of the gravel so no critter can undermine the rock.

 

[rsd]

Lets see if this helps.

 

[hairtrigger]

RSD... are those rings ok? I am only asking because I have heard that the LR needs to be touching the bottom glass on a reef tank. That way the beneficial bacteria, inverts, etc, so on and so forth will thrive and multiply well. But if not, I really like that idea.

 

[krishj39]

RSD, thanks for the illustration, that DID really help!