# Stacking rocks



## Mcqueen57m (Jun 22, 2018)

Hey everyone just looking for some tips on stacking some rocks that I want to put in my tank. I have a 75 gallon tank and got some landscaping rocks about a little larger than the size of a fist that I want to stack up in there but am afraid of them falling and breaking the class. Any and all tips on how to keep them from falling over are greatly appreciated!


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

Are they river rocks?

I would get bigger rocks to form the base with smaller rocks on top of those. Having some more flat rocks for the base also helps. I'd be nervous about stacking rocks that are all the same size, especially ones that are more round, on top of each other unless I siliconed them in place.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

Agreed, you should go from head-sized to fist sized.

When the stack threatens to become unstable don't go higher.


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## Thalas_shaya (Mar 10, 2014)

This was a pain in the tuches, but it gave me a really SOLID rockscape. I rented a rotary hammer that had drill-only mode (my Home Depot rents them, and the bits for them). Then I drilled holes in my rock that would accommodate a 1/2" piece of PVC. If your rocks are only just fist-sized, this may not work for you, as they really need to be a little oblong to have room to accommodate the drill.
Having done this, I then took one very large, thick, flat plate of limestone, drilled down into it, but not through it, and used it as the base socket for the PVC. Then I just threaded the rocks onto the PVC pieces, like beads on a string. My rocks were rather plate-shaped, so I have them spanning alternately left and right with the holes drilled off-center. This gives me a series of small, irregular "apartments" in my rock work and a solid base.
You can get away with a regular drill (instead of a rotary hammer) if you go with a thinner structural bar than 1/2" PVC, like acrylic rod or something. I just had a ton of 1/2" PVC laying about and wanted to use it up. Plus I wanted to play with a rotary hammer for the fun of it.  
There are several good youtube videos expanding on the concept. Lemme know if you need help sorting out a good starting point.


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I tried attaching rocks but over the years, I stopped doing this for maintenance reasons. 
- Each rock is heavy enough without having to lift several at once,
- If you can't separate them it is harder to clean in between
- Loss of flexibility in using individual rocks in different layouts


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## Mcqueen57m (Jun 22, 2018)

Thanks everyone for the tips! They aren't river rocks, which leads me to my next question. They're landscaping rocks I got from the job I was working at a while ago. What is the best way to go about cleaning them up to make sure they are safe to add to the tank?


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## DJRansome (Oct 29, 2005)

I would not use if they were ever exposed to pesticide.

Scrub with a brush and water and add to the tank.


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## zimmy (Aug 13, 2010)

I don't like risking introducing snails to my tanks so I soak all rocks after rinsing in a bleach solution overnight. After rinsing I soak overnight in water that has a triple dose of dechlorinator. Next day if they don't smell of bleach they go in the tank. Been doing this as long as I've been in the hobby. Never had a problem and never had snails.


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