What i was afraid of, happened......

[DeDoDo]

Well...... my entire structure broke because I gave it a bleach bath after putting it together. I had already tested everything in water, the bleach broke down the super glue. Lesson learned. A week of work down the drain. So I guess I'll have to redo it because I just don't want to stack rocks on top of each other without stability. Any suggestions as to how the structure should be built?

 

[Redfoxtang]

Thats the worse when you know it might happen but you chance it and it happens. Been there man. If I were to redo it I’d definitely use cement instead of glue and sand. Can also drill holes into the rock with acrylic rods holding the rocks together with cement. That’s what I would do at least.

 

[BeanAnimal]

You really don't want a rigid rock structure and will regret it in the future. If you want a structure that will not stack/balance itself then drill and use fiberglass or nylon, etc. rods to skewer the pieces together. Driveway reflector stems are a popular choice. But just about anything inert can be used.

 

[DeDoDo]

I forgot how strong bleach is. I had already tested it in water, let it sit in water for 2 days, pulled them out as a whole. Never heard of giving the rockwork a bleach bath until yesterday afternoon. Did some research, and only did an overnight bleach bath. Destroyed. I actually thought about using pvc pipe, but didn't. This new build will be better.....

 

[DeDoDo]

You really don't want a rigid rock structure and will regret it in the future. If you want a structure that will not stack/balance itself then drill and use fiberglass or nylon, etc. rods to skewer the pieces together. Driveway reflector stems are a popular choice. But just about anything inert can be used.

I used cigarette filter and super glue gel. Which I've used 10x in my freshwater builds. But I now know that bleach will 100% break down super glue.

 

[DeDoDo]

You really don't want a rigid rock structure and will regret it in the future. If you want a structure that will not stack/balance itself then drill and use fiberglass or nylon, etc. rods to skewer the pieces together. Driveway reflector stems are a popular choice. But just about anything inert can be used.

It actually did stack very well. But like I said, lesson learned. Gonna go buy some stuff today when my baby goes does for his nap.

 

[exnisstech]

Emarco cement is what I use. I also do all bleaching and cleaning before building then just rinse with a hose and let dry.

 

[BeanAnimal]

I used cigarette filter and super glue gel. Which I've used 10x in my freshwater builds. But I now know that bleach will 100% break down super glue.

The issue with saltwater is that you will often find a need to remove a piece of rock or rocks for manual algae removal, fishing, pest removal, coral removal, etc. I don't know anybody with a rigid rock structure that doesn't regret building it. Up to you though.

Also there is no need to bleach stuff like that

 

[DeDoDo]

Emarco cement is what I use. I also do all bleaching and cleaning before building then just rinse with a hose

Emarco cement is what I use. I also do all bleaching and cleaning before building then just rinse with a hose and let dry.

I'm gonna get it right. I'm just glad it happened now instead of when I'm setting it up in the tank.

 

[DeDoDo]

The issue with saltwater is that you will often find a need to remove a piece of rock or rocks for manual algae removal, fishing, pest removal, coral removal, etc. I don't know anybody with a rigid rock structure that doesn't regret building it. Up to you though.

Also there is no need to bleach stuff like that

I didn't know... a guy I know in Seattle asked if I did. I was like, nope. Rock has been sitting outside in the rain and sun for months. After he suggested, I did it. Still being new, idk what else to do other than listen to suggestions from people that have done it much longer than me.

 

[exnisstech]

I didn't know... a guy I know in Seattle asked if I did. I was like, nope. Rock has been sitting outside in the rain and sun for months. After he suggested, I did it. Still being new, idk what else to do other than listen to suggestions from people that have done it much longer than me.

Sometimes that's all we can do. For me this hobby is one long learning experience. The more you learn the easier it can be but the learning never ends.

 

[BeanAnimal]

All good, you did no harm. Just make sure it dries very well so that the bleach breaks down. If it was scented bleach you need to rinse extremely well.

 

[DeDoDo]

Sometimes that's all we can do. For me this hobby is one long learning experience. The more you learn the easier it can be but the learning never ends.

Which I'm am in for. I enjoy learning more things than I already knew. Especially now that I've started into saltwater tanks.