What cement do you use for rock structures?

[Jhuneke]

I would like to take my CURED tonga and use something to build "trees" .. so I'm looking for a cement / epoxy to use quickly and put back in the bin to harden. But must be able to go into the tank with seahorses asap. As in not needing to cure in the bin long, since real estate is tight, I'll want to do it in stages, putting the glued rock into the seahorse tank asap. Also,I don't want to leave it out of water too long to harden, since it needs to stay cured now that it is again
Any advice /instruction here is appreciated , as this is the first time I am "building" a rockscape
Thanks again SCR
J

 

[james-lee]

I have used acrylic rods and drilled holes to hold them in place. I would then use epo putty to hold in place permanently.

 

[haiguys]

What I did, was use hydraulic cement, zip ties and pvc for a frame.

 

[Jhuneke]

I'm hoping to use something to join the tonga branches vertically .. Can't really use rods and drill tonga though


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[james-lee]

Well the epo putty plus is your best bet then. Just make sure that you have what you want already sorted out and put together piece by piece.

 

[Jhuneke]

Thanks that from Home Depot or lowes? Once I do it, does it need to sit out dry to cure? Don't wanna kill my rock again lol


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[james-lee]

http://www.epoputty.co.uk/index.php/epo-putty/in-aquarium-displays/how-to-use.html

I got mine off e**y.

 

[Jhuneke]

Thank you! I see it can cure under water! didn't say how soon safe for livestock .. Immediately?


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[haiguys]

Thanks that from Home Depot or lowes? Once I do it, does it need to sit out dry to cure? Don't wanna kill my rock again lol


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You have a 5 minute window to use the cement. Full strength is within 24 hours. just use zip ties to hold it together, them rinse in old salt. The epoxy the other person mentioned may be your best bet. I think the cement is a better alternative when utilizing dry rock for an initial scape

 

[james-lee]

Thank you! I see it can cure under water! didn't say how soon safe for livestock .. Immediately?


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It's safe to use on an established tank.

 

[nasotang]

http://www.epoputty.co.uk/index.php/epo-putty/in-aquarium-displays/how-to-use.html

I got mine off e**y.

Is this any different than the epoxy they sell at the lfs?

 

[james-lee]

Not sure. The only other one I used from a lfs was red in color. I used it on some dry rock and let it cure over night. When I discovered the epo putty I had used it my main tank and it worked great. Although I only have softies and nems my live stock wasn't affected.

 

[james-lee]

Forgot to mention. When you mold it around the two rocks mash it and push it up against each piece to make it look like it's a solid rock. Then take some type of tool (i used a screw driver for small screws) and dab the putty. This will help make it blend into the rocks better and seem like one whole piece. If you are artistic you can really camouflage the putty.

 

[Jhuneke]

Great advice! Apparently I fear commitment! Lol .. Hopefully I can find a structure I can live with just gotta figure out how to keep in place while curing in water 6 hrs. That's sounding like the hard part lol


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[Jhuneke]

Wish I could find the big bulk blocks of the epoputty .. Think I'm gonna use a lot of those tubes


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[james-lee]

Just so you know it holds super strong. Try using other rocks or fishing string to help hold up.

 

[BeanMachine]

Try the marco rocks kit. Your gonna use a bunch of those tubes and they arent cheap. Hydrolic cement ive tried and its not the easiest thing in the world.

 

[Six2seven]

The next LARS meeting will be a presentation on DIY rock. We will be creating live rock using 6 different combinations of material to see what is more desired and which are more appealing to the eye. All products are some of the many that other reefers have used and considered reef safe. The rocks made in advance that will be used in the discussion will also be raffled off.

Sorry for the plug just felt that it applied to those interested. **Feb 8th**

 

[zigginit]

I made 80% of my rock from white Portland cement and crushed oyster shells. mixed in some sand and rock salt too (this makes the rock very light and have lots of pores). But using any form of cement will require a long cure time to wash out the high PH. I sat mine in a tank of fresh water for like a month and a half and changed the water every few days. the water got super high PH until way late in the cure. using it uncured will kill you tank for sure. Ph was like 11 or 12. but after the cure its fine and iv had it in my sps tank for years now.

use some of the other options if you cant cure it.

 

[orbela]

The next LARS meeting will be a presentation on DIY rock. We will be creating live rock using 6 different combinations of material to see what is more desired and which are more appealing to the eye. All products are some of the many that other reefers have used and considered reef safe. The rocks made in advance that will be used in the discussion will also be raffled off.

Sorry for the plug just felt that it applied to those interested. **Feb 8th**

That's going to be a really good raffle since almost everybody is building tanks right now!!!


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