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remodeling aquascape thread

tankcrazed

By tankcrazed,
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tankcrazed

tankcrazed

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Hey everyone,

 

I will remodel the aquascape of my 55g sps reef and want to ask everyone for some advice.

What kind of adhesive can I use to put my rocks together (apart from epoxy). Something that allows me to create more intricate structures. How long can the rock be out of the water before I have to espect another cycle. How long can SPS corals be out of the water?

Would love to hear some advice. And of course I'll start putting pictures of my tank before and after. Thanks guys!!!

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Dasani

Dasani

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Hey everyone,

 

I will remodel the aquascape of my 55g sps reef and want to ask everyone for some advice.

What kind of adhesive can I use to put my rocks together (apart from epoxy). Something that allows me to create more intricate structures. How long can the rock be out of the water before I have to espect another cycle. How long can SPS corals be out of the water?

Would love to hear some advice. And of course I'll start putting pictures of my tank before and after. Thanks guys!!!

Marco rocks makes a cement to glue rocks together. My LFS used aquarium silicone and zip ties.

 

Rock can be out of water for about 2 hours before the bacteria starts dying. Not sure on SPS.

But when you do it, I would get some newspaper and wrap your rocks and corals attached to the rocks in it. And keep it constanly soaked.

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tankcrazed

tankcrazed

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Marco rocks makes a cement to glue rocks together. My LFS used aquarium silicone and zip ties.

 

Rock can be out of water for about 2 hours before the bacteria starts dying. Not sure on SPS.

But when you do it, I would get some newspaper and wrap your rocks and corals attached to the rocks in it. And keep it constanly soaked.

 

 

Great advice!! THanks

 

Anyone else?

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fishez4alivin

fishez4alivin

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I used Hydraulic Cement to bond the rocks...it works great, and can be found at any hardware store. The last time I rescaped, I forgot and left two acros out of the water for at least 4-5 hours, they were a little ragged, but survived, and now they are growing over the dead area.lol

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nuff40

nuff40

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I used Hydraulic Cement to bond the rocks...it works great, and can be found at any hardware store. The last time I rescaped, I forgot and left two acros out of the water for at least 4-5 hours, they were a little ragged, but survived, and now they are growing over the dead area.lol

 

Option you might consider, since you are going to be taking out some of the water, why not put the water in a bucket or two and submerge the rock and coral while aquascaping? If time is a consideration, airstones in each bucket would keep the water circulating enough and wrapping the buckets in blankets or using a heater if necessary would help maintain a decent temperature. I have used this in the past when making major changes to the 55 I used to have and had little trouble.

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  • 2 weeks later...
tankcrazed

tankcrazed

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yep. i'm just wondering if that stuff can leak into the water and how long i have to let it settle before adding water again. Do i handle it just like epoxy?

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M1A1

M1A1

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Let it cure for 24 hours if you can; if you can't wait that long, it should be safe as soon as it hardens but there will be a pH spike depending on how much you use and the volume of water it goes in.

 

Treat it like any other cement: wear gloves at minimum, glasses aren't a bad idea either if you're prone to splashing.

 

Mix in small amounts, I like solo cups or maybe an old cool whip tub if I'm just slopping it on.

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tankcrazed

tankcrazed

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Let it cure for 24 hours if you can; if you can't wait that long, it should be safe as soon as it hardens but there will be a pH spike depending on how much you use and the volume of water it goes in.

 

Treat it like any other cement: wear gloves at minimum, glasses aren't a bad idea either if you're prone to splashing.

 

Mix in small amounts, I like solo cups or maybe an old cool whip tub if I'm just slopping it on.

 

 

Thanks.

Well, my problem is that my tank is already fully stocked and the rock is cycled. Would I get a small cycle if I leave the rocks out for 24h? Is it very risky to remodel if the tank has been running for a year and a half?

Let's say I have a ph of 8.3 how high would it spike?

I'm a little freaked out by the whole operation....

Does anyone have pictures in a thread on how to do this?

Don't want my acros to die....

 

how about waterfall pond foam?

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M1A1

M1A1

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How much cement are you going to use? This is normally something you do as you set up the tank the first time so you won't find too many people that have experience doing what you want. This is the only decent, thorough thread on hydraulic cement use, so you've probably already read it through a few times. You SHOULD be a little freaked out about doing this to a fully stocked and 'mature' system, because it has the potential to kill absolutely everything depending on how much cement you use and how high the pH spikes.

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JByer323

JByer323

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Newb Alert:

 

So if setting up a new tank with live rock, do you epoxy/drill and rod/super glue the shapes you want before or after you do the initial cure? It's not detrimental to the rock to be out of water, as long as it's for fairly short periods of time?

 

Thanks.

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M1A1

M1A1

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that sounds awful. i have to remodel as the coral is outgrowing the tank and i have to take lots of rock out

 

Lot easier to just start trimming back the corals!. It is possible to 'remodel' the tank using cement and live rock but you'll need to ensure the tank has the proper pH before putting anything back in. That may require multiple and/or large water changes depending on how much cement you use.

 

Newb Alert:

 

So if setting up a new tank with live rock, do you epoxy/drill and rod/super glue the shapes you want before or after you do the initial cure? It's not detrimental to the rock to be out of water, as long as it's for fairly short periods of time?

 

Thanks.

 

'Initial cure' of the concrete? I prefer to do everything in one go: assemble live/dead rock by drilling holes and inserting fiberglass rods, slop in cement around rods to create physical 'bond' between rocks, once major structure(s) complete drill additional holes in rock for frag plugs and removable rocks. If it's live rock, cover it with damp towels/newspaper/whatever when its not in use, then it can be out of water long enough to get all the work done.

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tankcrazed

tankcrazed

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i guess i'll just fill my eintire qt tank with display tank water, put all the corals in, fill a tub with tankwater for the fish and inverts, mix at least 50g of fresh saltwater and then just go for it i guess. Any other tips you can give me?

Trimming my large sps colonies too far back is not an option for me. Was too hard to have them grow in the first place

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