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Underwater glue?

Jefft

Jefft

Members
To do any fish catching or bottom cleaning in my tanks takes a rather large endeavor of energy and time. The main drain of both are the large stacks of rock which I have to remove one at a time from the tank, one after another, over and over..

So my idea at this point is to pull all the rocks let them dry and then to glue them together, not the whole stack mind you, but in sections. Roughly the idea is to make a stack of rocks nearing 20 in number and 20 individual grabs into the tank into 3 or 4 grabs thus shortening the amount of time I spend removing and re-stacking rock each time I catch females for stripping or remove decor for tank cleaning.

Now after all that long round about scene setting and explanation my incredibly short question is... In your experience what is the best and safest glue or adhesive to use for rock stack sticking together?
 
jonclark96

jonclark96

Past CCA President
I've tried using silicone caulk for that exact same reason. It worked for a short period of time (say a few months) but eventually failed. I still have one rock with a big smear of silicone on it that I think is a dead fish every time if see it out of the corner of my eye.

Hopefully someone else has a good plan. Finding something would make decor removal much easier.
 
Andrew

Andrew

Members
You can get a two part epoxy (usually marketed for reef tanks) that might be strong enough. It cures underwater so you can set your rocks like you want them in the tank.
 
dogofwar

dogofwar

CCA Members
The tubes of epoxy used in reef tanks is (obviously) safe. I haven't used it but I have used the 2-part epoxy from Home Depot (basically the same stuff).

You just kneed the two parts like dough and stick it in place.

An easier solution is rubber-banding together a bunch of 6" lengths of PVC into "condos"...

Matt
 
Hawkman2000

Hawkman2000

Members
I used GE Silicone 1 one my rock stacks, they have held up for 2.5 years.

The Reef Epoxy would probably be better though.
 
verbal

verbal

CCA Members
I think reef epoxy would be the way to go for connecting rocks.

Another option is to use resin ornaments.
 
scientist0724

scientist0724

Members
I don't know how strong it is for putting a bunch of rocks together, but I use Loc-Tite Super Glue Gel (has to be the gel type) to glue some small rocks together and glue plants to rocks and driftwood. It works really well and quickly. It has never affected any fish or shrimp in my tanks.

Arlene
 
JLW

JLW

CCA Members
Don't waste your money on the reef epoxy.
The epoxies marketed for plumbing repair are the SAME THING. Try a "Fix It Stick." Usually, it's like a tube of clay. The inside part is a different material than the outside part, and you mash them together and knead it until it becomes one. It'll harden underwater, and once hardened... it's like steel.
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
scientist0724 said:
I don't know how strong it is for putting a bunch of rocks together, but I use Loc-Tite Super Glue Gel (has to be the gel type) to glue some small rocks together and glue plants to rocks and driftwood. It works really well and quickly. It has never affected any fish or shrimp in my tanks.

Arlene
Click to expand...

Like Arlene said, I've used super glue as well as 2-part epoxy to secure rocks in place (for reef tanks). But this is really only good for holding them in place under water. Short of drilling and pinning rocks together with a stainless rod, I wouldn't trust any method to hold them tight enough together that I could pick up one and not worry about a connected one coming lose... and busting the tank.
 
AquaStudent

AquaStudent

Members
I have heard good things about the loc-tight. My personal experience extends to he GE Silicone I and Gorilla Glue. The silicone I is the kind without pesticides or other additives. It works but not the greatest.
When I put together my DIY foam and cement background I fastened the foam rocks to the backboard with gorilla glue. It definitely holds foam together. I'm sure it'll be strong enough for rocks too. Give it a good 24 hours to fully cure though because the glue will be more exposed to the water than it is in my use.
 
E

ezrk

Members
I think a fair number of reef tanks use more "construction" on their live rock than just stacking. I also believe they tend to use combination of PVC, egg crate, zip ties and drilling to keep it all together.

I have not heard of anyone successfully using just silicone or epoxy to keep rock-work together. We have had pretty good success using "field stone" which is more rectangular in shape (it is meant for stone walls) instead of completely rounded stone.
 
Tony

Tony

Alligator Snapping Turtle/Past Pres
ezrk said:
I think a fair number of reef tanks use more "construction" on their live rock than just stacking. I also believe they tend to use combination of PVC, egg crate, zip ties and drilling to keep it all together.

I have not heard of anyone successfully using just silicone or epoxy to keep rock-work together. We have had pretty good success using "field stone" which is more rectangular in shape (it is meant for stone walls) instead of completely rounded stone.
Click to expand...

^^^ That's what I was trying to say... only much better written. ;)
 
Jefft

Jefft

Members
My rock stack is primarily field stone with river jack to add spacing between levels to add height in the tank.. I have about 8 inches from the top of the stack to the top of the tank. I went high purposefully in order to add more territories in a vertical manner instead of just horizontally.. Ultimately it worked as I have two Mphanga Rocks males fully colored and three Cobwe males all bright barred and blazing.
I don't know how I would "construct" this. The idea is to go as natural looking as possible and to make the main stack 3 sections instead of all individual pieces.

picture.php
 
Frank Cowherd

Frank Cowherd

Global Moderators
Staff member
Once you have a rock design you like I do not know why you would take it apart for cleaning except every couple years. Why do you not just use a Python siphon to clean the exposed gravel. They do come in various sizes that can reach into a lot of small spaces. Or you can use the siphon without the wide thing on the end to get into smaller spaces. If you do water changes once a week or two of 50% or so, the small amount you miss under the rocks should be fine, besides the mulm is full of good bacteria.

If you really want to get junk out of caves you can direct a water flow into the cave while you are refilling and continuing to siphon. Makes a messy tank but if the filters are working well the tank should be clean in a couple hours.

If you want to catch the fish, doing it after the lights have been off for a couple hours and the fish are resting, use a flashlight and a dark net. If you do not like that idea, buy one of the fish corrals. Place it at the front of the tank with the string to close the door hanging down the front of the tank. Put you hand in the tank and move it very slowly towards the fish you want. It takes a bit of patience and practice but I find it fairly easy to catch the fish I want in a heavily planted 180 gallon tank using this method. Of course I do not have caves in that tank. You would probably need something to force the fish out of the cave.

Of course, you can also add some of those large artificial caves. Place them where you can take them out easily. Then just be patient and be ready. When the fish you want enters, put you hand over the opening and remove. You might get additional fish too, but they can be released back.
 
Jefft

Jefft

Members
Hmm interesting .. yeah my method for catching my females for stripping which is a frequent thing in my house.. is to remove everything from the tank and then drain it down to about 4 inches or so and then slip the net under the fish and lift it upwards. Easy catch and everyone stays calm. I clean and do water changes once a week. I catch my females for stripping at least once a month. as much stuff as is in the tank you can imagine it quite the endeavor to remove each piece and and then restack everything once I am finished. I will look into your method and see if it works for me.
 
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