Live rock structure

[wrestle1952]

I will be moving and getting a larger tank. Looking at something 5-6 feet in length. I will be using the rock from my current 50 gallon breeder tank along with other livestock. To save on live rock I was interested in putting together some PVC structures to save on purchasing a lot more trock. I know I will have to purchase some. Has anyone out there done this with success? What is the best way to go about doing such structures?

 

[ctenophors rule]

well, while i in now way advocate trying to lesent the amount of rock in a system, simply because of its invaluable filtering capabilities, i will lend a small tidbit of knowledge.

1. if you have a short tank, then the pvc doesn;t realy save you much money, if you want to hide it all at least.

2. you can find rock on rc for like 2 bucks a pound, or better yet make your own for penies on the dollar.

now, the best way to use pvc, is to build a cage like structure that is as large as possible, and then place the rock on top of it, in a way that looks as natural as possible.

you can make the structure with as many ledges as possible, secure gaps with screen or eggcrate, and leave single open ended pieces of pvc jutting from the central cage, to allow for a cost effective, and longer support.

hth

 

[username in use]

I think theres a guy in your area selling rock in the livestock selling section. 3 bucks a lb i think.

 

[snorvich]

Well, a bit of care here. Live rock with embedded phosphate will cost more in the long run. Live rock is probably not an area I would try to save money.

 

[robexcoral]

sent pm

 

[KarlBob]

Another aquascaping tip I've heard involves drilling holes in the rocks, and threading them vertically onto acrylic rods. This way, rock piles can't collapse unless the rods break.

PVC can help with aquascaping, but that's a separate issue from the amount of live rock in the tank.

The general guideline most often quoted at ReefCentral is 1-1.5 lbs of live rock per gallon. Some people advice as much as 2 lbs/gallon.

I wouldn't advise setting up the new tank with less than 1 lb/gallon of live rock, with or without PVC. Unless you have a lot of rock in the 50 gallon tank, I'd suggest that you plan to buy some more live rock.

 

[drstupid]

question about pvc usage. i built a pvc rack under my dsb to provide a stable platform for the rockscape that would elevate it enough to not bury a significant amount in the sand to provide that stability. when i built it, i filled it with tap water and glued it to provide it weight and to prevent dealing with really anaerobic areas. is this common, or do you usually drill holes etc to let tank water in?

(this was six years ago, obviously i've had no issues i can attribute to it)

 

[ctenophors rule]

why would you fill it with tap water?

out of all the liquids you could have used, calcium,ro, ro with buffer, salt water, you use tap water. lol, i would use the salt water myself, though, the weight thing kindof confuses me, wouldn't the rocks create enough weight? i mean a few pvc's filled with air can't possibly bouy up possibly hundreds of pounds of live rock could it?

 

[greggnyce]

Get some dry rock and epoxy it together in some shapes that you can interlock to make cool structures. Then cure it. Thats what I did here. If you do not have the time to do that, use the drilling and rods.

 

[dannyfromholland]

Check this out all with pvc drilling holes and sometimes using tieribs

 

[drstupid]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15327896#post15327896 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by ctenophors rule
why would you fill it with tap water?

out of all the liquids you could have used, calcium,ro, ro with buffer, salt water, you use tap water. lol, i would use the salt water myself, though, the weight thing kindof confuses me, wouldn't the rocks create enough weight? i mean a few pvc's filled with air can't possibly bouy up possibly hundreds of pounds of live rock could it?

i urge you to try and put a pvc structure filled with air at the bottom of a tank of water and then add sand and do enough rockscaping (that will not be moved, allowing the structure to float) to hold it in place.

who cares if it's filled with whiskey? it's sealed.

 

[KarlBob]

I think the sequence would be air-filled PVC structure, then sand, then live rock, then salt water. If you did it that way, either it would work, or you'd get a big ol' mess as the PVC heaved itself out from under the rocks.

 

[mmotown]

In my 150 that are started over I used nylon rods to do my rock structures. After doing so I was like why didn't I do this earlier. I can post some pics this weekend. If I want to remove them I can take them aprt like lego pieces and put it back together. I was going for more of a open bosai them. Wanted swimming space for my tangs and no obstructions for my water flow. Alos you can't see my rods because I trimmed them to fit flush. I don't think you need cement. I was using Pukani rock so becasue of the shape the rods were well hidden.

 

[OCEAN SIZE]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15330624#post15330624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dannyfromholland
Check this out all with pvc drilling holes and sometimes using tieribs

Wish I could see these.

 

[SPDU4RIA]

nice setup greg, looks good

 

[tor101898]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=15330624#post15330624 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dannyfromholland
Check this out all with pvc drilling holes and sometimes using tieribs

The pics are not showing.

 

[OCEAN SIZE]

Probably because we're not registered Dutch reefers.

But I'll go on record as a fan of Dutch reefer.

 

[waynem]

Here is what I did, was for water flow reasons but the ideas the same.

 

[vegaskid11]

 

[OCEAN SIZE]

Ridiculously cool vegaskid11. :bum:

What happened between pic 2 and 3 ?

Did you paint the pvc black, then simply lay rock on it? Its phenomenal - I want to do this. I'll def be crediting you in my thread too.