raising rock

dklaue

New member
Hi,

I'm planning to get a 25g Package in the next month, but was wondering how people place their base rock. I have heard some people put them on the glass bottom then add sand. Others add the sand and put in the rock on top. A few place them on stands/egg crate to keep them sand level but not able to settle and crush things under them.

I was thinking of taking some PVC pipe and cut it into a tri pronged base, kind of like what you get from some pizza places to hold the center of the box off a pizza. Place these prongs up and set the rock on them. This would hold the rocks up, but stay pretty much hidden. Being prongs, the creepy crawlies can still dig under, and even get safely into the PVC holder and back out without being crushed.

Crazy idea? any better suggestions?

Thanks,
David
 
Don't use eggcrate, it traps all the crap. You don't want to place rock directly on sand, because critters will dig under the rock and you'll have a rock slide. Most people put rock in first, if your curing it in the tank, do not add sand until the curing is done. Because all the crap will fall off the curing rock and onto the sand. Once the rock is cured, place the sand in. What I did was, I used regular kitchen cutting board, the plastic kind, put that down between the glass bottom and the rock.
 
I have never used any supports under my rock, just always place the base rocks right on top of the sand. I always figured there were no PVC pipes or supports in the ocean and were not really necessary in a tank either.
 
we have a winner!

we have a winner!

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9329710#post9329710 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by HowardW
I have never used any supports under my rock, just always place the base rocks right on top of the sand. I always figured there were no PVC pipes or supports in the ocean and were not really necessary in a tank either.

Correct!
 
I would add that it really depends on the kind of rock stacking you are going for. if its going to be a pretty large pile with different rocks all lying on the surface of the sand, then you might be ok, since even if any given rock shifts, there will be plenty of others that are still stable.

but if you want tall thin rock pillars like I do, then I would caution you from placing the rocks on the sand, as even a slight tilt could bring your stack down.

many people recommend simply using large diameter PVC pipe (with open face down on the glass) and drilling some large and small holes in it, to allow critters in and out. You can cut some of these PVC pylons at various lengths (all roughly the height of your substrate) to give you more options for supporting various rocks. you don't need the eggcrate and its just as stable without it.
 
With a relatively shallow sandbed, it seems best IMO to put the rock in first and then the sand. Way more stable not to mention more natural looking. But hey, whatever!
 
I put my rocks on top of the sand, and my little yellow damsel created a tunnel under my main 'support' rock. I had to shove another piece of rock in the hole to keep the whole pile from falling. Next tear down, the rock will be on the glass, then the sand.
 
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