Glueing your rockscape together?

[Kahlypso]

So I'm picking up some dry Marco rock soon. I've had read a but that some people glue their rocks together to prevent them from toppling over. What's the pros and cons of glueing rocks together?

In my tank I don't have a bar that goes across the top so in theory I could glue it all together and get it in and out fairly easily. And I've seen Marco mortar kits (I wouldn't use just any old glue or silicone, that could potentially could kill fish)

 

[BM3]

I used the JB waterweld on dry rock. I applied to first location and let dry, then go back and re-enforce a joint or two. Rock has held together well.

 

[Doogy]

I used water weld made by jb weld. Works great and cures 100% solid overnight. You can get it at home depot or Lowe's.

 

[scooter31707]

I used a good quality aquascape epoxy which is holding up pretty good so far.

 

[Kahlypso]

so gluing the rock together is a pretty good idea? i like the idea of it because it can allow me to get the scape that gravity may not let me lol

one of my favorite lfs has marco mortar for sale.

 

[Sk8r]

No, IMHO, not actually. It means if you have troubles, you're literally stuck, and can't move it without breaking it apart. Don't glue things in general, except corals TO rock. Most I ever use is a dab of putty to handle one rock that just won't balance.

 

[homer1475]

I stack rock but use the putty to just "hold" rock in place that wont stack. Only problem with actually gluing your rock together, if you ever need to get something out of the tank and have to remove some rock to get to it, your literally stuck!

FYI don't think you'll never need to pull something from your tank, at some point something will have to come out.

 

[Yonp11]

Agree with sk8r, my first and current reef setup, I epoxied my rockscape together using JB waterweld. It solid and won't fall over, but now I'm married to it. I can't rearrange anything, I cant get at fish if they hide in the crevices.

I've heard of people drilling holes in the rocks and using dowels to secure the rockwork. Might be a good alternative.

 

[ViktorVaughn]

No, IMHO, not actually. It means if you have troubles, you're literally stuck, and can't move it without breaking it apart. Don't glue things in general, except corals TO rock. Most I ever use is a dab of putty to handle one rock that just won't balance.

I agree on the aspect of one solid structure definitely being a pain to remove or catch livestock but if things are planned properly it shouldn't be an issue. There isn't a need to glue if your structure isn't top heavy or doesn't have crazy overhangs. If you're trying to build pillars or asymmetrical pieces gluing/mortar is really the only way. I made a pillar of rock that is about 25 lbs dry and consists of 3 pieces of varying height, overall its about 14" tall. There is absolutely no way I could have achieved that without mortar, the structure would have toppled long ago without it.

 

[MondoBongo]

i fixed my rocks together in pieces. to i didn't have huge monoliths, but rather "modular" components that generally consisted of 2 - 4 rocks each, depending on size.

this way i was able to build large, stable structures, but not so large or tightly coupled that they are impossible to remove or change.

i used hydraulic cement.

 

[Kahlypso]

i liked the idea of having smaller pieces held together. Having them all together would be too much of a hassle.

 

[Scoted]

I just removed nearly all the rock yesterday to catch a coral eating blenny! I am very glad they were not glued.

 

[reef tank 2.0]

can anyone post a link to the putty you are referring to? How does the putty actually work if its not exactly gluing them together?

 

[Sk8r]

Like clay. Ie, if you put a wad of it between two rocks that don't match, it forms a cup exactly like each rock, so that once it hardens (and it becomes rock) it won't permit them to wiggle. It's called Reef Putty and comes in a tube. You knead it until the color on the outside spreads to the inside and becomes even. Then you apply it underwater. Most jobs take about 1" of the 10" putty stick. It smells awful, but the fish don't mind.

 

[vokuro]

can anyone post a link to the putty you are referring to? How does the putty actually work if its not exactly gluing them together?

http://www.amazon.com/Epo-Putty®-Part-Epoxy-Aquariums/dp/B004JJ779U/

That's what I used. Cures underwater and dries a nice, slight off-white color. The 100g worked out for my 35 lbs of rock.