how is live rock piled?
 

hey guys,
ordering live rock tommorrow and just wondering how do you pile the rocks without them falling :wink:?
thanks

You can use a masonry bit and acrylic rods ( mine are 3/8" ).
2 part epoxy is very strong. I've had good success with this
http://www.jlaquatics.com/phpstore/s..._ID=tz-z010474
Some people use pvc pipes instead of rods.
Also cable ties/zip ties.

Just stack it so it's stable. Gravity takes care of the rest.

you know when you get your live rock, you can always hammer a few pieces to make them smaller.for my aquarium we broke this huge 7 pound rock and made it into a flat piece to support smaller rocks
a good idea for you will be to take those rocks and stack them on the floor (dont put them in the aquarium yet). get an idea how you want them(you can break pieces that are too big and so on), once satisfied put em in your tank and enjoy.

+1

Dont forget eggcrate!

Absolutely forget eggcrate! Not sure what I was thinking, but I used it and now I'm stuck with it unless I empty my tank. It isn't necessary and once in, can't come out.

who puts an eggcrate in the first place?
what does it do i need to know!!!!

insurance

It's insurance that you can never convert to a bare bottom tank :)

You can come over and see mine if you like.

I agree, worked well for me. I suppose if you are stacking "very" high up in your tank drilling and rodding or epoxy is a good idea. :biggrin:

i drilled my rock and used plastic rods ( they were the adjuster for blinds)
and it worked well but very hard to do with live rock took forever cuz it made a mess of the water with base rock it would be much easier because it doesnt need to stay wet

also the first time i used eggcrate................once your powerheads push your sand around a little bit and exposes the eggcrate it looks horrible not a problem with a deep sand bed but I only had 60 lbs in a 4x2 footprint so its pretty thin


when i moved and redid my rockwork no eggcrate and just stacked rocks so they were stable. I threw probably 1/4 of my rocks into my sump to create move open water in DT and I'm much happier.

I have a variety of different sized rocks and many cave and such with no putty or rods and have had no shifting whatsoever. Just make sure it's sturdy and you should be fine. Unless ur trying to get real creative with overhangs and such.

thank you very much for the offer, but i think i got it now. im not planning on anything too elaborate so i'll just go with using gravity and if anything i'll use the drilling and rod idea. thanks everyone for your input, i remember using silicone with river stones so i thought i had to do similar with live rock. SO EXCITED TO FINALLY GET THIS IDEA OFF THE GROUND!!!!!

"So it looks cool".

I used a sheet of acrylic on the bottom of the tank with acrylic tubes attached to it, like small peers. that way all the rock is solidly supported. I never used any putty or rods or ties either.

no putty or rods here either, and i have overhangs and tunnels plus a 6" orange spot goby who rearranges my whole sandbed several times a day, also under the rocks are many caves from the pistol shrimp and gobys lol:P