rock wall, glue it or egg crate?

[nanmer]

I found a thread regarding gluing live rock to the back of the tank with epoxy or something. Now that I need to find the info, I can't find the thread! My tank's back wall is nasty (prior owner glued mirrors to part of it, his fix to hide the overflow???? and the back will be scratched up after mirror removal). I would like to glue live rock to the back of it, how would I go about doing this? I understand silicone lets go after a period of time. Can this be done using rock that is wet or would I have to dry my live rock out before gluing it? I am not opposed to egg crate as a frame to put rock on but I am afraid of things getting stuck behind and dying. This may let me be more creative, I can use foam to create caves etc. and use electrical ties to strap live rock (may have to drill holes in some so they sit properly)

What is the pros and cons of each method?

1) gluing rock directly on back of tank

or

2) using egg crate as a structure and get creative from there.

[PoonTang]

The thread is in the DYI section on RC. Everyone seems to prefer attaching thier LR to eggcrate then filling in the gaps with pond foam and aragonite sand. Finally attaching the whole thing to the back wall using silicone.

[Starry]

go with the eggcrate. there is a huge thread about it on rc. looks good from what i have seen. another option is to paint your back pane black, scratches shouldnt show.

[i have crabs]

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=45915
i built a rock wall in my cube, its in the thread somewhere

[nanmer]

This is the thread that I had read before, thanks! Awesome tank! Do you have any regrets doing the rock wall?

http://www.canreef.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=45915
i built a rock wall in my cube, its in the thread somewhere

The egg crate wall is certainly the easier method. I am a little worried about algae build up. It would be hard to clean the argonite sand on the wall. Does anyone have experience with this?

[Fishward]

I built a wall out of eggcrate and cement. Worked out great. You need architectural cement, you can see the results inmy photo gallery
def suggest going with the eggcrate however you choose to fixthe rock to it.

[nanmer]

Did you have to cure the cement? does the cement effect the ph?

[Fishward]

Did you have to cure the cement? does the cement effect the ph?

Yes, you have to cure the cement under water for about 2 months, but you can't match the look with zip ties or glue. Does not impact my ph at all. If you want more details onhow I built it whip me a pm.

[BMW Rider]

I built a wall out of eggcrate and cement. Worked out great. You need architectural cement, you can see the results inmy photo gallery
def suggest going with the eggcrate however you choose to fixthe rock to it.

I did the same for my tank. I just used regualr cement and mixed up a batch of aragacrete (cement, aragonite sand, crushed coral). After a good long cure, it went in the tank and was soon covered with growth making it look totally natural.

[Marlin65]

I siliconed my rock to the back wall cut them flat on a tile saw and let them dry. So far it has just been fine.

[i have crabs]

no regrets, i love the wall actually, pictures dont really do it justice though, im actually doing the same thing in my 300g very soon, i have everything i just need to get started, one tip is to get dry rock first, i used live rock and the smell was terrible and cutting it was fairly gross too,

[nanmer]

Fishward and BMW, how long was the curing time and how often did you change the water? I am looking at a piece approx 48" long and approx. 3ish ft. tall. I can do it in sections but that is still a lot of space needed to cure. I really like the natural look this creates. I guess a bath tub in the basement may be needed.

Marlin, how long has your rocks been siliconed to the back of your tank?

Thanks, this is giving me so many options!

[Fishward]

Fishward and BMW, how long was the curing time and how often did you change the water? I am looking at a piece approx 48" long and approx. 3ish ft. tall. I can do it in sections but that is still a lot of space needed to cure. I really like the natural look this creates. I guess a bath tub in the basement may be needed.

Marlin, how long has your rocks been siliconed to the back of your tank?

Thanks, this is giving me so many options!

I built my wall in the summer, so i had the tank sitting out on the covered porch and had the wall sitting in there. initial cure i did flat in my tub for a day so it had the strength to sit on an angle in the tank.

3 ft tall!!? thats an enormous tank. i believe mine is 24" tall 17" wide, and that section is just manageable. using cement gets heavy fast, so make sure you size your pieces correctly so you can lift them and secure them in the tank.

with regards to changing water, i bought some litmus paper and switched the water whenever it got over 10 early on. after a few days/ weeks, when it only ever got to 9, i dosed with white vinegar to bring it down and reduce the number of changes i was doing. You know you're done curing once you can leave it in the water for 4-7 days without significant pH changes. once i got there, i switched to salt water and monitored that for pH for 3 days, no changes, and then i added some LR to begin the seeding process. if you can, leave a Powerhead in the tank during the whole process.

[nanmer]

It is a big tank, 180g tall. I can actually sit in it, if it were not for the bracing. I was scuba diving in Cuba and saw an amazing wall of coral. I would love to recreate something like this. When I saw this tall tank for sale (used for an amazing price) I grabbed it right away. Then I shall get out my mask and have a flashback LOL. Later I will drink rum and tell tall tales ... dare to dream!

[Fishward]

haha.. my inspiration was the same..

i think if you keep the strips narrow enough and find a good way to keep the pieces upright in the tank it should work well. if you are seriosly considering this whole wall let me know and i can give you a few tips on what worked well for me and what didnt. best of luck!

[blueyota]

If you can do your wall in sections or if your building a wall small enough to fit...
the back of the toilet works good for curing the rock ....water gets replenished every time you flush!!! Just a thought ...

[nanmer]

After considering the weight problem cement will really add to the issue. The 180 gallon is made out of really thick glass, add cement and it will weight too much. I just picked up a custom 58 gallon tank and I think I will play with the cement idea with that one. I can easily use it as a cure tank.

I have seen the back of toilets being used as a cure for man made rocks, it is a brilliant idea. I would need a really big toilet to cure enough for my 180 gallon tall!

I have been told that the "great stuff" spray foam is probably sufficient to use since I will be covering all of it and the VU rays will not hit it. Is this correct or should I find black pond foam?

I really appreciate all the great info. I think I may have to become a picture taker and chronicle the build once it gets past the thought stage.