# Rock caves



## livrpoolsoccr (Oct 31, 2012)

Just bought 40 lbs of rock, limestone and 1 other type. The name escapes me. The girlfriend wants to build a multi cave rock wall. I am worried that the fish will knock over one of the rocks and would like to secure them together if possible. I tried to build it out of the water with epoxy, which did not seem very stable. I decided to add some superglue to get everything to stay. When i went to move it, nearly everything fell apart. Do I just give up, stack them, and hope for the best? Are ther any other tricks, or do I just need more glue? Any suggestions are appreciated.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Rocks are usually dry stacked which just means they aren't physically attached to each other. It does take some practice to stack the rocks, usually you need larger sizes on the bottom with some spaces between them and then you just build them up so they are very stable. The shapes of the rocks will also have some bearing on how securely they can be stacked. Most people try a design outside of the aquarium first to see if they can get a basic pattern before trying to replicate the design in the tank.

What shape are your rocks? Round rocks are extremely difficult to stack, at least I have never had good results with round ones.


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## livrpoolsoccr (Oct 31, 2012)

We stacked them at the LFS so we knew how they would fit together, and took pics so we could try to replicate it. They are limestone and lace rock, so fairly flat shaped but rough enough to grip each other. I just worry because we have some larger peacocks and a few good sized hap that I am afraid will try to 'redecorate' like they usually do and cause them to topple. When I glued everything together, the limestone stayed together, but the lace rock did not. I have the same stuff stacked in smaller piles in another tank. Just wondering if anybody has had any luck with anything, or if I am just going to have to stack it and hope it is sturdy and the fishes behave.


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## Rare7 (Dec 31, 2014)

If you are handy, a drill & acrylic rods might be something to look at.


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## Deeda (Oct 12, 2012)

Just make sure the rocks are sitting directly on the bottom of the tank, not on the sand or substrate as this will allow the fish to excavate the substrate and cause the rocks to topple over. A firm base for the rocks is important and the rocks should not wobble around as the stack gets taller.


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## firefighter5 (Nov 25, 2014)

You will know if its sturdy.Problem with using aquarium sealant or caulk or whatever is now you cant easily change up the rock if you need to control aggression.Roundish rock is challenging to stack


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## joemc (Sep 23, 2012)

agree with all the advice so far, stability is the number one concern when placing rocks in the tank, if you have the tools you can chase or carve out caves in the rocks also, here are ones i have done in the past for some of my catfish

and the tools used


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## guyute (Oct 13, 2002)

Huh. You chiseled caves into rocks? Never thought of trying that. Those look like pretty common river-type rock. Guess the main challenge is finding rock types that don't shatter too badly when you knock a hole in the center.


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## 3000GT (Jan 18, 2014)

For the lace rock, if it's particularly holey, I wonder if you could use plastic zip ties to keep them together. I've never tried it but I think the plastic should be fine for the fish. It would give some support keeping lace rock to lace rock (could also drill some bigger holes if needed), but would not help keeping the lace to the limestone. If you want to change in the future, just cut the zip tie. Again, i've never tried it (I don't use lace rock), but just a thought.


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## malawi.dave (Feb 5, 2015)

hi when I built up my rocks in my marine tank when I had it 
I built a frame work out of egg crate and sloped it to back of the aquarium 
so this way you can slop the rock towards the back from the middle 
hope this helps
let us know how you done it in the end best of luck


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## Als49 (Jul 11, 2014)

When I made arch rock works, I usually super glued the rocks. And to make them hold strongly, I put a squeezed foam between rocks, poured super glue there until the foam soaked, and hold the rocks tightly until the glue dried up, which was very fast.

Then I put the rock works on top of a styrofoam sheet, directly on the tank glass.


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## xrayutoo (Feb 3, 2015)

The sheet of plastic that they use to cover florescent light fixtures is also known as egg crate. I put egg crate down then substrate then pile rocks on top. The egg crate protects the bottom so I just have to make sure the rocks are stable enough to not Crack the sides.


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## Tony La Morte (Nov 30, 2011)

Make it easy on yourself. I cut a piece of plywood the size of the floor of my tank. Laid the rock out and stacked until I had what I wanted. Carefully note positions of rocks, specially the bottom rocks and rebuild in the tank.

It is a little more work but al least you are not taking rocks in and out of the tank to see what fits and works.

Years ago in one of my long since gone tanks I put a bad scratch in the front glass while trying to manipulate a 18" long stone to find a fit!

Regards,
Tony


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