Keeping the rocks in place: Did you add aquascape support in your tank?

[Peace River]

Keeping the rocks in place: Did you add aquascape support in your tank?

There are many ways to aquascape a tank including a minimalistic design, a large wall of rocks, and many more approaches. Sometimes the rock placement of the show pieces of rocks begins with base rock and other times there may actually be a hidden support system that is used as a foundation and even infrastructure for the aquascape. When you have built aquascapes for the tank or tanks that you have had, did you add aquascape support in your tank? Whether it was base rock, PVC, or some other type of material, please tell us about your experience and feel free to share any tips that you have with the R2R community!

Photo by @highmark


This QOTD is sponsored by: www.tidalgardens.com

“The goal of Tidal Gardens is to offer the highest quality corals to those seeking a piece of that world without destroying it. We hope to instill a deep appreciation for the natural reefs and help develop a self-sustaining hobby that no longer requires the collection of fish and corals.”

 

[Doctorgori]

no, once I tried the fiberglass rods thing but instead use that marco cement and call it even

 

[Katrina71]

After a damsel decided he could move mountains, yes!

 

[Glenner’sreef]

Yes, I used egg crate under all of my Carib Sea rock structures. Pedestals, arches etc. The sand covers them nicely and I’m confident that nothing is sliding or shifting.

 

[Dburr1014]

I currently have support but will not in the immediate future!
They will all be glued with water superglue and aragonite sand.

 

[Jasonak]

Eggcrate currently just to have better flow under the rock wall.

 

[twentyleagues]

Have in the past. This time I used super glue and rock dust.

 

[Reefer Matt]

I’m a plopper. I just plop the rocks on the sand and stack. I do make sure to stack them so they aren’t likely to tumble.

 

[jepuskar]

Flattened base rock directly on tank bottom provides the support and then build up from there. Nothing in the tank will ever move it.

 

[JayM]

I don't currently have any support - and didn't really need it until I got a Tiger Pistol Shrimp. I've noticed some structures have shifted since he's decided to rearrange every last grain of sand.

I'll be upsizing the tank soon and plan to drill all of the base rock and use acrylic rods as legs to keep them raised about an inch off of the bottom so the shrimp can dig all the burrows he wants without having to worry about anything moving.

I'll also be using epoxy putty to hold some of the stacked stuff a bit more secure than just hoping that balance will suffice over time.

 

[ReefShaQ]

The only thing I've tried is glue which didn't work too well so went with putty for one of my tanks...other than that I free scape all my aquascapes....The pic with the Rigid toolbox is without any putty or glue...After multiple and I mean multiple collapses I tried putty for the 1st time....So far so good!

 

[Gumbies R Us]

All I did was glue some of the rocks together, then set it all in the tank. Worked for me!

 

[revhtree]

I always wanted to do something crazy that would need support but when I go to do it I always settled for something less "awe-inspiring" because it was easier.

 

[Jasonak]

I always wanted to do something crazy that would need support but when I go to do it I always settled for something less "awe-inspiring" because it was easier.

I feel your pain,,I also always have visions of grandeur and then end up with rock wall LOL

 

[Jbr0nc0]

I don't currently have any support - and didn't really need it until I got a Tiger Pistol Shrimp. I've noticed some structures have shifted since he's decided to rearrange every last grain of sand.

I'll be upsizing the tank soon and plan to drill all of the base rock and use acrylic rods as legs to keep them raised about an inch off of the bottom so the shrimp dig all the burrows he wants without having to worry about anything moving.

I'll also be using epoxy putty to hold some of the stacked stuff a bit more secure than just hoping that balance will suffice over time.

This! I thought my rocks were fine until I got a pistol shrimp too. now instead of obsessing about how the fish are doing every waking hour I'm obsessing about the gaping holes under my rocks and if I'm gonna watch everything tumble down

 

[happyhourhero]

I used the rock powder and thin super glue method so my shapes do not need additional support. Only drawback is that I have to live with the shapes and cannot rearrange the rocks at all.

 

[shakacuz]

i use shelf and base rock as support for my rock work. there’s a few pieces of rock i have that do become unstable at times but it’s easily fixed by wedging smaller pieces to counter the shift in weight.

my hermits are the absolute worst when it comes to keeping my rock work in place. they’ve all been evicted to the sump(just 6 hermits)

 

[lapin]

My rocks are big. They are not moving. 25 to 45 lbs each. They don’t require any extra support. It was not easy to get them into place.

 

[RocketEngineer]

Glued structures on an eggcrate base. They came out really good despite taking a long time. Will someday get it going but life got in the way.

 

[mboley]

With a variety of rock sizes and shapes I find it easier to find a "fit" between rocks. It may take a couple months of rearranging things but eventually you'll get to a nice structure that seems stable. Once there I use epoxy putty and mold it into the contact points, with no additional structure needed. Here's my tank after 5 months, the smaller rocks are still movable but the main structure is set. It's 20" high, I used the back wall but structure is hollow in back with two locline nozzles pushing 460gph down the back wall. Lots of real estate for corals.