Rock shelves good or bad

[dermer]

do you use them what are the pros and cons to them im trying to decide if i should use one or not i have 75 g with about 100 plus lbs of lr 60 lbs live sand

 

[matttaylor]

Good, but require proper placement and planning. With a shelf you can put a lot of corals in a small area, but several shelfs are better the one. You could place animals that don't require light under the ledge, and several different species on top. Ledges can also be a focal point for the tank.

 

[dermer]

im also wondering if may people use stand to place their rock on suck as a pvc stand to elevate the rock from the surface

 

[matttaylor]

It depends on how much rock you have, and the shape of the rock. I have a shelf that i was able to stack without support. But then again i picked all of the shelfs i wanted when i picked the rock.

 

[Maveri9720]

Yea, I know quite a few people who use rock stands, myself included. There are different ways to do it. I used PVC, drilled a couple holes in it for animals to get out if they got inside, cut a couple V notches on top so the rock has something to grab and then primered them purple with purple PVC primer to mimic coralline algae, so the white doesn't stand out and look out of place.

Very effective and easy to use and make. Keeps phosphates from leaching from your sandbed to your LR. Also, makes plenty of room and nice hiding spots for fish. And there is no fear in getting a sand-sifting animal, or a Jawfish that might undermine your rockwork and topple it or even kill itself by getting crushed, digging under a rock.

 

[dermer]

thanks for info

 

[dermer]

my only concerin is that alot of my lr is very bif pieces 10-30 lbs pieces and it would be a big mess if they ever fell

 

[six.line]

Purple primer... not a bad idea for coloring your PVC. High five.

 

[six.line]

my only concerin is that alot of my lr is very bif pieces 10-30 lbs pieces and it would be a big mess if they ever fell

Lots of people use PVC stands and the like as foundations for rock formations.

One way is to drill small holes in the rock and use plastic ties to go around a frame built from PVC. Tons of people do it this way. Either way you go, as long as you make it sturdy, you'll be ok.

 

[mattsilvester]

I had a pvc fram running the entire back of my 180, and I piled the rock up on it, without any cable ties etc - it was very stable, and I had nothing capable of moving rocks (large snails or hermits, triggers or morays).

I was great - abotu 6" wide, and 8" tall........ it allowed for good flow around the rock, and great refuge for the fish - they could swim the entire length of the "tube" created by the pvc stand.

 

[dermer]

sounds like this is somthing i must do then with all th possitives im getting on the subject

 

[dermer]

does any one have any pics of theirs

 

[Maveri9720]

Here's a link with mine pictured in them:

http://thereeftank.com/forums/showthread.php?p=944246#post944246