adding a rockwall to existing tank

boostedvq

Member
I've since decided to add a rockwall to my tank. The problem is I already setup my tank. I plan on working on the rockwall the next couple weeks, in 3 separate sections. Would adding a section to the tank every couple weeks be OK? Also, is it necessary to seal the wall to the back of the tank? Or can I simply wedge it in place?

Thanks in advance
 
I would precure for a good month or 2 out of the tank. If you were to wedge it in, you would need someway to clear the detritus that gets stuck behind. Maybe you could extrude the wall while youre building it and direct flow through it?
 
Some questions (since I've built a foam/rock wall and I'm assuming you're also using foam):

- How big is your tank?
- Is there anything living in it yet?
- Can you drain at least some of the water out?

Constructing the wall itself doesn't take long. Mine's not very big (about 22"x30") and it only took a few days, but most of that was curing time. The foam had to cure and then the 2-part epoxy & sand layer that was used to cover the foam. It is siliconed to the back so that was more wait time but I gotta say, it was pretty much stuck immediately even before the silicone cured.

One of the reasons I did the rock wall instead of piling rocks up was because of quakes. If you don't seal it to the back there is a chance it could fall forward and smash the front of your tank. In a normal quake probably not but I remember Northridge (thrust fault) where people were thrown from their beds. My 40g freshwater acrylic tank stayed up but lost most of its water. My boss's 100g acrylic freshwater tank moved 6" on its stand. Another friend lost a glass 220g because the LR fell and took out the front. So I guess my advice would be to not put something that big and heavy in without securing it.

Let me know if you have more questions, I love my wall but there are definitely pros and cons with it. :)
 
Some questions (since I've built a foam/rock wall and I'm assuming you're also using foam):

- How big is your tank?
- Is there anything living in it yet?
- Can you drain at least some of the water out?

Constructing the wall itself doesn't take long. Mine's not very big (about 22"x30") and it only took a few days, but most of that was curing time. The foam had to cure and then the 2-part epoxy & sand layer that was used to cover the foam. It is siliconed to the back so that was more wait time but I gotta say, it was pretty much stuck immediately even before the silicone cured.

One of the reasons I did the rock wall instead of piling rocks up was because of quakes. If you don't seal it to the back there is a chance it could fall forward and smash the front of your tank. In a normal quake probably not but I remember Northridge (thrust fault) where people were thrown from their beds. My 40g freshwater acrylic tank stayed up but lost most of its water. My boss's 100g acrylic freshwater tank moved 6" on its stand. Another friend lost a glass 220g because the LR fell and took out the front. So I guess my advice would be to not put something that big and heavy in without securing it.

Let me know if you have more questions, I love my wall but there are definitely pros and cons with it. :)
My tank is 48 x 30 x 30. I currently have fish and a few coral frags in it.

I'm able to drain a few inches of water, but not the entire tank as I'd have nowhere to keep the livestock. If I just needed to secure the Rockwall via epoxy or additional foam to the top, that wouldn't be difficult.

Since my tank is tall, I figure a rock wall is easier to help me utilize the height when aquascaping. However what are the cons you have?
 
My tank is 48 x 30 x 30. I currently have fish and a few coral frags in it.

I'm able to drain a few inches of water, but not the entire tank as I'd have nowhere to keep the livestock. If I just needed to secure the Rockwall via epoxy or additional foam to the top, that wouldn't be difficult.

Since my tank is tall, I figure a rock wall is easier to help me utilize the height when aquascaping. However what are the cons you have?

Yeah, if you can't secure the whole thing at least secure as much as you can.

The cons are that you can't take it out like rocks out to get rid of something, so if anything takes over the wall or the tank removing it (like you can with rocks) isn't really an option. And if you have a coral colony that outgrows its space more quickly than others you may have to constantly frag it to keep it from shading other coral (I'm looking at you, green birdsnest). Not really a con, but you should know that urchins can scrape through the sand/epoxy layer down to the foam. It's just cosmetic but something to be aware of.

When you build it, make sure to "stagger" the rocks to help the coral get light and avoid shading.

This is what my wall looks like a year after it went in. No regrets!

22773507914_1971c203a3_b_d.jpg
 
Yeah, if you can't secure the whole thing at least secure as much as you can.

The cons are that you can't take it out like rocks out to get rid of something, so if anything takes over the wall or the tank removing it (like you can with rocks) isn't really an option. And if you have a coral colony that outgrows its space more quickly than others you may have to constantly frag it to keep it from shading other coral (I'm looking at you, green birdsnest). Not really a con, but you should know that urchins can scrape through the sand/epoxy layer down to the foam. It's just cosmetic but something to be aware of.

When you build it, make sure to "stagger" the rocks to help the coral get light and avoid shading.

This is what my wall looks like a year after it went in. No regrets!

22773507914_1971c203a3_b_d.jpg
Impressive!

Yeah I plan to use it more for depth and maybe lps, such as torches, frogspawn, zoas etc. I'd utilize the Rockwall to add some arches or whatnot
 
Impressive!

Yeah I plan to use it more for depth and maybe lps, such as torches, frogspawn, zoas etc. I'd utilize the Rockwall to add some arches or whatnot

Cool :) Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about stuff. I was able to piece my plan together from looking at other people's threads.
 
Cool :) Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about stuff. I was able to piece my plan together from looking at other people's threads.
277c98518ba180dd3315f65f7cd8e09d.jpg


More or less, here's my initial layout. I'll make arches or whatever with the rock inside the tank. How's this look?
 
Oh, and the wall on the left will be placed with the larger rock on the bottom

Looks good for coral placement! If you want, you can fill it in some with smaller pieces. It'll look more natural and adds to the amount of LR in the tank. You won't need to ziptie the smaller pieces to the egg crate. This was my layout:

15296330643_67036639bd_b_d.jpg


Here's after it was finished:

15304192584_ed69fdde05_c.jpg


I guess it all depends on the look and purpose. I wanted more LR and a big chunky wall. If you want a more minimal look, use less rock. :)
 
Looks good for coral placement! If you want, you can fill it in some with smaller pieces. It'll look more natural and adds to the amount of LR in the tank. You won't need to ziptie the smaller pieces to the egg crate. This was my layout:

15296330643_67036639bd_b_d.jpg


Here's after it was finished:

15304192584_ed69fdde05_c.jpg


I guess it all depends on the look and purpose. I wanted more LR and a big chunky wall. If you want a more minimal look, use less rock. :)
Does your rock wall fit exactly along back of tank? I made mine a bit smaller and at a height of 26", so there will be some space along side and top.

Looks like I'll need to pick up more rock, or break apart some of the rock in my tank haha
 
Does your rock wall fit exactly along back of tank? I made mine a bit smaller and at a height of 26", so there will be some space along side and top.

Looks like I'll need to pick up more rock, or break apart some of the rock in my tank haha

No, there's about an inch free at the top and 1/2" along the side (for cleaning the glass). In hindsight I might have given it more dimension on the left side instead of straight, but it's still okay :)
 
Yea good job with that Coeli. That does look really good. Got me thinking of doing one too..��
 
Did you give it the "Float Test"? I did something similar and when I put it in the tank, the dang thing floated to the top.
 
Did you give it the "Float Test"? I did something similar and when I put it in the tank, the dang thing floated to the top.

It shouldn't float if it's siliconed to the back! There was no way this was gonna float once it was cured. :D

15777529789_b4986bdb09_c.jpg


Edit: Okay that said... I did it in an empty tank. If it's got water in it you'd probably have to figure out how to keep it down until whatever you were using to affix it cured. I think I'd drain as much of the water as possible to minimize floating. Also, that much silicone will make your skimmer go NUTS. Have a lot of new water on hand and wet skim, replacing the skimmed water until it calms down. Not sure about the effect on livestock, might be worth another thread asking about that specifically.

The second we stuck the wall to the back of the tank it was on there really tight. It would have been hard to remove even before it cured.
 
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