# 48 lb. Texas holey rock! how the heck do I keep it standing.



## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

So I bought a 48 pound rock off ebay.










I love the thing its going to look awesome in my 75gal tank. The only problem is the base it will stand on is only about 3" thick.

Does anyone have any creative ideas on how I can get this to stand on edge in my tank?


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## LG0815 (Aug 1, 2007)

glue it down


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

I am assuming that this rock is heavy enough to need to be on egg crate meaning I dont have the option of gluing it down.

Also would the glue be strong enough to actually hold it?


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## cevvin (May 2, 2008)

Mount it to slate and put that on egg crate, then you substrate to help hold it. Use several pieces to make a "base".

And might I add, that that is one beautiful piece of rock you have there.


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## LG0815 (Aug 1, 2007)

good idea didnt think of it ya go with that


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

Great advise thank you for the input. There does not seem to be a lot of surface area on the bottom to glue too due to the holes and that it comes to a point in a few places. You think it will still be ok to glue to slate? Or do you suggest I find a way to grind the bottom flat.


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## Donfish (Dec 24, 2007)

Use underwater epoxy-polymer, Aquamend works fine and is available at hardware stores and always at boat supply stores. It's a putty so you can mold it and build it up around points. You can also use dollops of gel superglue to hold the epoxy to the rock until it dries if needed.


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

that sounds like it should work well, and to think I was looking at that stuff today lol. Now I just need to figure out were to get the slate.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

do you need to even glue it?? as long as the load is dissipated throughout the eggcrate and stands steady and the fish arent going to push it over then whats the point of gluing??

once in water and by some freak accident it tips over it will be a very soft fall...not like in fresh air.


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## Tessie (Mar 2, 2009)

Just my .02 If you put a rock that heavy in your 75 it will be a 25 gal.

Tessie


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

> do you need to even glue it?? as long as the load is dissipated throughout the eggcrate and stands steady and the fish arent going to push it over then whats the point of gluing??


Despite the above picture this rock cannot stand on end unassisted it needs to be glued or propped some how.



> Just my .02 If you put a rock that heavy in your 75 it will be a 25 gal.


While you have a point I do not believe the displacement is that extreme, plus a rock or rocks like this are necessary for the mbuna tank I am planning. The rest of my rocks will be smaller this rock is what I call my center piece.

In addition I plan to use a trickle filter with a fair amount of gph to offset the tank space used by rocks.


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## Tessie (Mar 2, 2009)

I found preformed Big rocks with TONS of caves at PetsMart they are very light weight look AWSOME and naturel looking just trying to help.

 Tessie


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## fishEH (Sep 15, 2008)

Tessie said:


> I found preformed Big rocks with TONS of caves at PetsMart they are very light weight look AWSOME and naturel looking just trying to help.
> 
> Tessie


A heavier rock doen't necessarily mean more water displacement. 1 cubic foot of foam and 1 cubic foot of lead would displace the same amount of water but their weights would differ drastically.

As far as balancing that rock, I used some short pieces of PVC siliconed to the bottom to make legs for it to balance on.


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## Steve St.Laurent (Oct 2, 2008)

It's not going to be as big as you might think. I have 120 lbs of Holey rock in my 90 gallon tank and it displaces about 15 gallons of water I'd guess. Depending on the shape of that rock you might be able to use other rocks on the back side to support it.


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

First off, I want to thank everyone for their input it has been incredibly helpful.

Secondly, I was examining the rock earlier and I think I am going to need to use a combination of gluing to slate and adding a second more stale rock formation behind it. Of course I will need to be careful not to block all the natural caves this awesome rock has.

If anyone else has a suggestion please feel free to add your input.


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## BRANT13 (Feb 18, 2009)

awesome ******* rock  ....i want one


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## brycerb (Dec 23, 2007)

That puts my holey rock to shame, great find.


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

you would feel better if I told you how much it cost me, lol

not to mention $50 shipping to get it to NY.....oy


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## Phonetic Diabetic (Mar 18, 2009)

I'd guess you spent about $100 total. Isn't it crazy what we pay for nowadays? People buying rocks, bottled water, and firewood. Go to a gas station to pay for air. All this should be free. Quirky, but it seems we all do it. :lol:


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

Well said.


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

well said!


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## prov356 (Sep 20, 2006)

Dont glue it. Get screws made for concrete at a home improvement store. They come with a drill bit 
for concrete. I've used them in block walls to attach shelving, etc and they work great. Get some flat 
pieces of slate to mount to the bottom of the rock. Mount it just like they mount driftwood to slate.

Do not use egg crate in this tank under this rock. First off, it's not needed in any tank, and secondly, it 
may end up crumbling under the weight of this thing causing it to become unstable. Egg crate is very 
brittle stuff with NO structural strength. The tempered glass bottoms of tanks can hold more rocks than 
you could possibly put in a tank.

Just my .02


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## Phonetic Diabetic (Mar 18, 2009)

prov356 said:


> Dont glue it. Get screws made for concrete at a home improvement store. They come with a drill bit
> for concrete. I've used them in block walls to attach shelving, etc and they work great. Get some flat
> pieces of slate to mount to the bottom of the rock. Mount it just like they mount driftwood to slate.
> 
> ...


Thanks for this info, this really helps. I'm setting up a new tank this weekend, and have really been pondering if I need the egg crate or not. You just helped my decision.


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## iceblue (Apr 27, 2004)

Build a form around the bottom of the whole thing say 1 1/2" high and 2 1/2" -3" away from the rock and fill it in with premixed concrete. sprinkle some of whatever your going to use as substrate on top of the wet mixture and let it set. Once it has cured pull the form off and set the holey rock with the new stable base in the tank.


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## kodyboy (Dec 9, 2007)

you could use a piece of insulation foam (maybe the inch or so thick variety) cut a few holes or partial holes in it that will allow the rock to sit upright and be sturdy, put that on the tank bottom and put the substrate on top. Easy enough to remove, the weight of the rock will hold down the foam and the foam is really light.


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## fishEH (Sep 15, 2008)

ICEBLUE is right on. That sounds like a great idea. Personally there's no way I'm drilling into my $100 rock! Using foam underneath it might make it more bouyant thereby making it more unstable.


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## tankhead (Aug 8, 2008)

I also found the artificial rock at Petsmart to look pretty good and light.

I recommend sitting the holey rock on a base of egg crate and prop other rocks around it to secure it. This is a good looking rock, but your issue is why I don't purchase rocks via the internet. Something of this size requires a 'hands on' approval before purchasing.


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

> ICEBLUE is right on. That sounds like a great idea. Personally there's no way I'm drilling into my $100 rock! Using foam underneath it might make it more bouyant thereby making it more unstable.


I also agree with iceblue but like you said I dont trust my self to drill this beautiful rock. I did find a solution to my troubles though!

A month before I bought the big mama I had bought a little 4lb holey rock. I took that rock and glued it using the aquamend mentioned earlier. Here is the result.


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## fishEH (Sep 15, 2008)

Looks great!


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## saputo444 (Feb 23, 2009)

Thank you, I would never have thought of it had it not been for all of you and your great suggestions.


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## PPaulin (Apr 12, 2009)

4 slim flat slate or marble slabs forming a T shape on the outer legs of the ROCK. Some one else can advise on the glue or crete needed to bond the two I would dry mount the slabs onto the egg crate,taking advantage of the extra height for that cave once u add subtrate, also if u pick slate you 'll get the Ph perk .. might I add Ya just inspired me with that BEAUTY... Trashing the LFs rocks as we speak 

Live Love Laugh


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