# Fake rocks?



## awanderingmoose

Thinking about setting up a tank with heavy rockwork, but not relishing the thought of lugging around heavy rocks. Anyone have experience with good looking lightweight artificial rocks that they can recommend, and which aren't horribly expensive?


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## DJRansome

I find the good looking ones are horribly expensive.

You can do a nice tank with mostly fist sized rocks and only a couple of accent pieces that are like 40 pounds.


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## james1983

Universal rocks have some nice ones that aren't too expensive. I'm really happy with them.


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## awanderingmoose

I've looked at their website, and while I agree their stuff does look nice, by my standards they're pretty spendy. Seemed like it would run $300+ for a 75g.


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## Sub-Mariner

awanderingmoose said:


> I've looked at their website, and while I agree their stuff does look nice, by my standards they're pretty spendy. Seemed like it would run $300+ for a 75g.


I spent $120 on rocks from them for my 75g. Their rocks look really nice.

I'm going to start up another all male peacock tank in the next couple of weeks so I only bought 8 gray stacking rocks. If you have a mbuna tank you'll need more for caves etc.
















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## awanderingmoose

Were those pieces ordered individually, or was it some kind of package? $120 doesn't seem all that bad for good looking pieces. You say gray, but in picture they look more brown?


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## Sub-Mariner

awanderingmoose said:


> Were those pieces ordered individually, or was it some kind of package? $120 doesn't seem all that bad for good looking pieces. You say gray, but in picture they look more brown?


You can order them individually under the stacking rocks section.

And no, they're gray with black and white, no brown at all but they do offer the same rocks in brown too.

It's pouring here in FL so no sun but here it is outside.










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## james1983

The gray ones look nice, I have brown in my tank. They look really nice when they start getting alittle green algae on them.


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## fish_gazer

In my experience, you can get decent rocks without the heavy weight...relatively speaking that is. I have quite a bit of rock work going on in my aquarium. It didn't all come at one time however. I spent weeks and months going from one shop to the other picking up large or unique pieces here and there. Of course that doesn't help you, so I guess you can call me useless. lol


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## Ronzo

Forum;

I'm a do it yourselfer...my position is typically that I can do a lot myself (including make mistakes or redos if I don't like the first two or three attempts!) before I get to that $120+ point, so if the price (and weight) of these bought "fake rocks" (they look like real rocks to me!) is too high, how about making your own?...where you take a (cheap) rock or hunk of lead (to assure negative buoyancy), surround that with easily carved, glued, and shaped styrofoam, and paint that with Drylock (I recall that is qualified and safe for aquarium use...also available in gray...or you could even color with pigment) ...you could make your own unique caves and landscape etc.

Cheers


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## DJRansome

I've never seen homemade ones that look real. And the real ones are much cheaper and easier. The weight is REALLY not a problem.


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## Kipnlilo

DJ is right on the price. I bought 120 - 130 lbs of assorted stones for Mbuna tank at my local vendor for $16.20


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## Ronzo

Forum;

$16.00 is not $120!...for $16.00 I wouldn't go into DIY mode unless I really couldn't get what I wanted.

Cheers


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## Sub-Mariner

I got my tank setup late last night and today I'll be starting the fishless cycle.

The water is still slightly hazy from the sand and I have a little too much blue (still need to play with the white and blue LED %) but here's what the rocks look like in the tank;


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## noddy

That looks great. Are they the ones from universal rocks?


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## Sub-Mariner

noddy said:


> That looks great. Are they the ones from universal rocks?


Thanks.

Yes, they're all from universal rocks.

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## Kipnlilo

Sub-Mariner said:


> I got my tank setup late last night and today I'll be starting the fishless cycle.
> 
> The water is still slightly hazy from the sand and I have a little too much blue (still need to play with the white and blue LED %) but here's what the rocks look like in the tank;
> 
> View attachment 1


Those look really nice! Nice setup!


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## withomps44

I went the Universal Rocks route because I just couldn't settle on a type of rock I liked that I felt comfortable stacking into caves. I got a little out of hand with it but I am happy with the look and it's easy to move them around for cleaning and re-scape. 180G 72x24x24


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## The Morning

I know I am late to the game on this thread but Underwater Galleries makes a really nice product as well. Each rock is actually a cave. Personally I like because it does not displace water and is great for mbuna.


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