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I am looking to do something diffrent with my 150 for aquascaping, just "finished" putting the rock in and I don't really like how it turned out. Just looks too much like a pile of rocks....

was thinking of doing something with PVC and magnets to hold LR to it. and possibly putting magnets behind the glass on the back wall to create a very steep wall or caves. Has anyone here done something like this before?

am also thinking of making my own rock, if anyone has any other idea's or things they have done that worked for them please post I would love some more idea's!!

nope i've never really gone too crazy with my rock... i know folks have used stuff like GreatStuff to make rock work out of but it floats.... and i know you can make your own fake live rock ...... never tried though. I've read a lot about making a PVC frame and using things like zip ties and such ... but they do get brittle after a while in the water under intense light... folks use nylon threaded rod and nylon nuts too ...with a concrete drill bit slightly larger than the rod you can drill and bolt the pieces together put superglue on the ends and stick em in the holes and glue them.. lots of things ... then they just get covered with nice coraline after a bit... think that is the way i'm gonna go on my next aquascape ...

David (GraveYardWorm) had some pictures with rock glued to the sides of the tank. Kind of a cool idea. Your magnet idea is pretty cool too. As you could easily adjust the height for more or less light exposure. They just would have to be fairly shallow shelves to hold. I bet it would look nice.


As far as making rocks (aragocrete), it's fun. the Garf.org site has some good articles and how-to's I've tried about everything as far as "mix-ins". I've settled on my personal favorite recently though. Along with aragonite and some shell bits, using water softener salt crystals both internally, and as a mold to hold the basic shape in place. The salt disolves away during the normal cure cycle of the cement, and you get lots of holes and such. Make for nice fake rock.

Scott we still have to plan the rock making club meeting.

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(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed

I just ordered a few medium sized magnets from Nautilus Reef Supply. I will post pics of the process and how it turns out when they come in

I attached small pieces of flat rock to the back glass of my 180 with silicone, eggcrate and zip ties.

__________________
(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed

Ya that's what I was talking about - thanks for the pict David!

wow, those are fantastic pictures!! that's exactly what i was thinking, making little ledges for frags and such. My tank is already set up so i am going to try the same with the mags, but if it doesn't work i might drain it half way and silicone some peices in...thanks very much for the pic

it's nice to see how good it could look if i do it right.

Check the online vendors, the magnet shelves you are looking for have already been done, and you can buy them ready to go. Not sure if you can make them yourself cheaper though.

The black stuff is black expanding pond foam, similar to Great Stuff. The look was awesome, but I was having what I thought was odd problems. Even though quite a few other people have used it seemingly without issue. I ended up removing it.

Here's a pic of how it looked.

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(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed

Hey Scott and Dave -- want to have a rock making meeting at my place when we do the 180? I know I am a bit out of the way but it might make for a good day. Fire up the BBQ, beer, frag sawp, goo making ...

Sounds good Sherri. When?

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(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed

Dunno -- hopefully Shawn is picking up the tank this week. Shall we do a poll to assess interest and then determine a date that would work? I am keen to do this sooner rather than later as we need 2 months for curing.

Sounds like a plan Sherri. Pick a date that is good for you and we'll try to turn it into a club rock making event.

Already 2 meeting dates for June. Would towards the end of July be too late?

__________________
(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed

it's pushing it as it has to cure outside... Scott -- will cooler overnight sept temps prolong curing?

The "Curing" is just to give the cement a chance to stop leaching and raising the pH way up. It does the outer layers first but it takes a while for the core to get fully ready. You can see if you break an aragocrete rock open.

I've done the water baths both inside (a bucket/pump and daily water changes), as well as outside in streams. In fact, I did some at one point in the winter and the brook near my house iced over and I couldn't get to the rocks. So they just sat there longer. ;-)

Anyway, temp shouldn't matter so much, it's just that it takes time. You could also try to artificially hasten it with vinegar-water baths, (I've tried) but that doesn't seem to do much more than turn the cement a funny color. So I'd plan on 4-8 weeks for it to be tank safe.

I have been chatting here and there about the whole bulkhead issue and posted a picture of the tank. One guy on RC said that I should be careful leaning rock against the overflows because it could put too much pressure on the glass and break it -- that there are no braces on the overflows. What do you think?

That's a good thing to bring up if you were to lean the point of a rock against the overflow.

But if we are thinking of the same thing, we're just placing a flat "facing" cover to hide the overflow, so there would be no pressure "point" against the overflow. In fact, you might consider it as a solid guard in front of the overflow.

Like hanging a picture on a wall... you are not likely to stress the plasterboard.

I think we're overanalyzing everything

You can also get low pH morter. Its a bit more expensive but with less cure time. Another option if you dont have too much rock or you can do it in batches is to cure it in the back of the toilet so it's continuously getting a water change.

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(' )< David >( ')

"The world is headed for mutiny when all we want is unity" Scott Stapp, Creed