# questions about a new addition



## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

hey yall im wanting to add some big rocks to my tank and make a back ground out of them with caves but their real rocks not fake. would they do any damage to my tank or would it be safe to stack rocks like you would line a garden with?


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Get some clear aquarium silicone and glue the rocks together. If the rocks fall, they might hit the glass and crack it.


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

If you do as bmlbytes says then silicone a rock at the top of the pile to the side of the aquarium it will not fall into the glass.


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## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

ok i have about a quarter tube left of aquarium silicone. problem is it takes 24 hours before i can put water in the tank if i use it or it wont dry i do not have another tank to put my fish in so this will be a install while the fish are in the tank


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Glue your rocks together outside of the tank. Then when they are dry put them in the tank and drain it until the top rock is out of the tank. Glue that to the glass, and let it dry above the water. Once its all dry, then fill the tank back up.


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## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

ok thatll work guess i got some messuring to do cause i cant cut the rocks its rather large stones ranging from 4 inches long to 10 inches long and some are taller than others its going to be a long complicated project. i really wish i had someone here that could help me actually set it up


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## Fishpunk (Apr 18, 2011)

Don't rush it. The last thing you need is to accidentally crack the glass. Although I didn;t see what kind of fish, they should be just fine in the bucket if they have a heater and an airstone (and possibly a lid).


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## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

their mostly cichlids, and oscar, a jack dempsy, and many different kinds of cichlids, a 9 inch pleco a rainbow shark, 2 silver dollars, and a white snail all in all i have 14 fish in my tank, its a 55 gallon long tank, 4 feet long, 13 and 1/2 inches wide and 2 feet tall
im curious if it can handle the added weight of the rock and not bust the bottom of my tank


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Your tank should be able to handle the rocks just fine.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

I really don't like glueing rocks together. One rock can break your tank if dropped, but you still need to move the rocks to clean the substrate. Glued together rocks are even heavier, hard to move and can also come unglued. Really the best recommendation for UGFs is that the plastic plate has ridges to keep rock piles from slipping and the plate will crack, but protect the bottom glass if you drop a rock. There are great hollow rocks "cichlid stones" and lightweight plastic rocks, but neither is as cheap as natural stone.


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## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

yea but the stone setup im building will cover the back of the tank and weigh close to a hundred pounds if not more and will sit onto of the 4 inches of gravel i have in the tank already. im flat broke so i cant buy any premade fake rock like i would perfer to have so im using what i have around the house and yard


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

Have you considered a homemade styrofoam rock wall?
http://www.cichlid-forum.com/articles/diy_aquarium_background.php


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

If you pile rocks without a glue, without a UGF and you have cichlds that will move the gravel under the rocks, you want to get the rocks all the way down to the glass and put in enough rock in the first layer that they fill the tank from side-to-side and back-to-front and can't move. Then any rocks that fall will hit rock.

The steady weight of the rocks is not an issue, a tank will handle it. The hazard is in user error. When you lift an algae covered rock and it slips.

I also have seen tanks with rocks attached to a glass shelf half way up the side.

My concern is that with 4" of substrate and no water moving through it, you keep it clean. Plan on moving it monthly to gravel wash. So don't glue together more that you can lift or attach the rocks to the back of the tank high enough to clean under them.

The Styrofoam backgrounds can be really natural looking and the fish can hide in them like rocks. Just choose you final coat carefully and be sure it is fully dry before immersing.


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## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

ive looked at styrofoam pieces to make into a back ground but thickest i can find is only 4 inches thick. i cant do much with it plus i dont even know where to find fish safe paint. no one around here sells it paint is always toxic to fish all i can think of is maybe a dye that you could paint on it comes in non toxic forms and would be easy to get im working with litterally $0.00 so if i cant get it free i cant get it


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## bmlbytes (Aug 1, 2009)

You use expanding foam for the majority of the styrofoam. You use concrete for the rock look. You can use acrylic paint or dyed concrete for color.

Read the article I provided. It explains it all.


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## emc7 (Jul 23, 2005)

But even the diy backgrounds cost money unless you have a well-stocked garage or basement. Be careful with the rocks, make sure the position is stable. Biggest rock on the bottom, fat side down, that kind of thing and you will likely be just fine. I have a 5 gallon bucket's amount of "river rock" in a 55


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## poolplayerpro3 (Dec 1, 2011)

i got the rocks in the tank and they seems stable and the fish love it hopefully the two thats just sitting on top wont move, they are resting on the flat parts of the bigger rocks


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