Negative space aquascape: questioning ability to hold weight.

[pheinzig]

Hi,

I am looking at pictures and videos of negative space aqua scaping, but they really don't look like they can hold up much weight as they branch out. I know drilling holes and putting acrylic rods is an option. That seems all good for central pillars, but as you start branching out....is it really a good idea to punch holes in smaller sizes of rock to try and string them together? I can bet it would be a nightmare. Plus I find it hard to believe they would add that much support without bending themselves under the weight of horizontal loads.

I'm confidant these formations are holding themselves up early on...but once you start adding corals and growth over the years....just how much weight is being placed on the tips of these end points?

Has anyone had any long term experience with the structural integrity of these rock formations? Any thoughts/dialog on this topic would be much appreciated.

 

[Sk8r]

Do not trust glue or putty. And do not bet fish can't impact the structure. I had an 8" domino damsel that would pick up certain rocks in her teeth and fling them in a dominance display. To create openwork, I get a lot of long rocks, and set certain ones up as pillars in the sand, like Stonehenge, with a crossbeam, then interconnect these separate 'gateways' with some angled long rocks that provide support for the structure. Having those abutted against a more solid (roundish or square) rock helps. At every layer you build up pieces that reinforce each other, like ancient architecture. And beware of urchins and big snails, which can shove really, really hard.

 

[pheinzig]

That I did not think of.
Thanks for adding more to consider how to circumvent.

 

[Sk8r]

Also, build underwater after you've set your base rocks. Some rocks are full of air and are very light and unstable underwater, while others aren't. Your light rocks can be tricky to place. WOrking underwater, you can feel lack of stability and fix it.