# real rock backround...



## kaden (Jul 19, 2008)

Hey all *** been looking to make a rock backround but i cant find a design that i like without putting an extensive amount of work into it {carving,painting,leeching into a seperate tub of water,etc} so i went to my local rock seller and found about 60 pounds of rocks that i want to stick to the back of my tank but i didentt want to remove all my fish so i went to walmart and bought about 40 suction cups that i super glued to the back of the rocks and then ringed with silicone so it wont affect the fish =D> {hopefully}... *** already tested some of the larger ones by sticking it to my sliding-glass door and it seemed fine  . my question is if my lazy-mans approach will work in my 55 gallon tank {will it affect my acrylic tanks stability}.... also if anybody has an easy way to make a rock backround on a tight budget then by all means speak up :thumb: ,thanks


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## a_c_arnold (Mar 7, 2008)

I wouldn't trust suction cups to hold rocks to the back of my tank. They will eventually let go and it could damage the tank or fish.


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## exasperatus2002 (Jul 5, 2003)

I have a toddler. The window blinds to keep the sun out of her eyes & her bath tub toybox all use suction cups. I also have a shower caddy for shampoo. They all Fall down. I fear your rocks will too. Suction cups suck.


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## 748johnd (Jun 30, 2007)

I agree with the others. I think you are making a big mistake using suction cups, especially with rocks. I would bet that eventually most will lose their suction over time. I no longer use suction cups, but switched to Mag Clips. They are expensive, but they do hold.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

home depot and lowes sell thin acrylic sheet.you could silicone the rock to that and when cured put it in your tank.use large rocks to prop your back ground up.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

with carefull selection you can build a self standing rock wall ...this is how all walls were built before the days of mortar ect....

and the great thing about rocks in water is they are pretty light so you are very unlikely to break the glass.

all this messing around with suction pads ect is so unnecessary.

take a look at my tank.


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## morzan280 (Jul 10, 2008)

thats a good idea but the rocks i have are much thinner {1"-2" wide}. do you think it would work to stack them and use the suction cups just to keep them on the wall as a secondary safety device{ill try to post pictures}


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## morzan280 (Jul 10, 2008)

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr21 ... pg-suction cups
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr21 ... 2.jpg-rock face


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## morzan280 (Jul 10, 2008)

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr21 ... ure439.jpg
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr21 ... ure432.jpg


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## morzan280 (Jul 10, 2008)

http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr21 ... ure439.jpg
http://i485.photobucket.com/albums/rr21 ... ure432.jpg


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

Use epoxy putty to affix the rocks to the tank. Get the kind that is safe for pottable water. It is fish safe and cures underwater. Once cured it is rock hard and bonds very well to glass. The suction cups will help to hold the rocks in place until the putty cures. I think that the as seen on tv "mighty putty" would even work.


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## morzan280 (Jul 10, 2008)

so i apply it to the rocks and let it cure underwater and its safe for fish?


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## Stickzula (Sep 14, 2007)

morzan280 said:


> so i apply it to the rocks and let it cure underwater and its safe for fish?


That's right. :thumb: You can get some that is speciffically marketed for aquariums from a lot of online aquatic retailers, but I just used Quicksteel brand that I had leftover from another project. I got it from walmart and it wasn't too expensive. It says safe for drinking water containers so I though I would risk it. I have had it in for a few months and it appears to be completely inert. There are many different kinds available so make sure that it can be used for drinking water and you'll be fine.


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## fishwolfe (Mar 27, 2005)

make sure you really want it there.its a giant pain if you ever want to remove it :wink:


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

Here's a couple of ideas:
How about affixing the rocks to a sheet of plexi?
I suppose you would need the thicker plexi so it wouldn't bow.
Once what ever you use to affix it to the plexi cures, you slip the sheet down the back of the aquarium.

Or, use the egg crate (flourescent light diffuser) many put in the bottom of the tank.
If you over lap the rocks it would hide the eggcrate.

Prop some other rocks against the background to hold it in place 
or use a plastic clamp at the top.

You can lean it forward for cleaning behind periodically and
you can remove it if you change your aquascape.

You may need to make two or three panels of rock background.
Be sure you measure for fit before going to the trouble of glueing the rocks to something you can't get in between the top braces.

I have no experience with acrylic tanks. 
That being said, I would be cautious sticking weighted objects _to the _acrylic tank wall or the glass wall, for that matter.

hth
Alicem


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## morzan280 (Jul 10, 2008)

I defanitly dont want it to be perminent so i was looking into the other backrounds and I thought it would be alot easyer if i just made it out of foam sections and then coated it in cement {even if the process is long and expensive} then leaned the smaller sections agains the wall {mabey useing suction cups for added security}.


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

morzan280 said:


> thats a good idea but the rocks i have are much thinner {1"-2" wide}. do you think it would work to stack them and use the suction cups just to keep them on the wall as a secondary safety device{ill try to post pictures}


well there is the problem...the rocks need to be a few inches thick because the rock wall is going to act as caves as well. the great thing about this approach is that you can dissasemble if required without any grief.

i acctually went hunting for rocks over a month and doing mockups in my garage before i found the right ones...but it paid off in the end.

im sure my family thought i lost the plot with that excercise :wink:


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## alicem (Jul 26, 2007)

> im sure my family thought i lost the plot with that excercise


 :lol: "lost the plot" 
You know you're a fish geek when...your car sits out in a hail storm because
you're stacking rocks against the garage wall to test how they might look in your aquarium ... 
 
Alicem


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## 671013364270 (Sep 9, 2008)

I would just forget the suction cups and glue ideas and use large free standing rocks like we sell[/b]


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## zazz (Apr 5, 2008)

671013364270 said:


> I would just forget the suction cups and glue ideas and use large free standing rocks like we sell[/b]


+1


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