jvision Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I was half way into the project before I realized that people might want to see how I did this, so I just pulled out my phone and shot a few pics as I went. I first started by laying down a layer of foam, right on the bottom glass, so the rocks won't shift when the fish dig. Here's the foam I use (I build ponds in the summer, so this is the contractor foam - it's all black) I built up the rocks. The trick is to stack them in a way that they don't naturally want to topple - a trick I use when building walls for ponds. Now, in this small space (it's just a 25gal tank), I did have to use the foam to create a cussion to even things out between the rock levels. The foam does act a bit like an adhesive, but it can't be the only thing holding the rocks against the back wall... gravity will win eventually. Here's the finished product. The tank is going to be home to some L. brevis and grow out some N. leleupi. The leleupi will love exploring the wall, as I've created some caves and gaps between rocks. The only drawback to doing this is that the tank is now really heavy - it weighs about 100lbs and that's without water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmaan. Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 J, you should have throw a piece of drift wood in the mix. that would be pretty sexy to look at! still is but i would have liked to see it. how much does the tank weigh now? lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 It probably weighs about 250lbs... so not really much more than if it was just filled w. water. The rocks take up a lot of space. If I change it to a SA tank, then I'll definitely add some wood. I'll post some pics when I put the shellies in - I just did this up last night and had to run out the door. All said, it took about 1/2hr. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted January 14, 2009 Report Share Posted January 14, 2009 I've been thinking about trying this too . I was thinking I'd use a wet saw and cut the rocks in half in order to have a flat side to stick to the back, also to save room . Great tank Jason . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishful Thinking Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Looks great, Jason! How much is that black pond building foam? I was thinking of making some decorations with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsFard Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 that is just too cool! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krazy_Karma Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 :bow: Wow that is pretty awesome J. I wanted to do something similar for my 90 gal tank but had no idea how to go about it!! I live on a rock hill so we have rocks everywhere, I have loads of those flat rocks, and some larger rocks, rocks rocks rocks everywhere...LOL Lisa Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeska Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 That looks really good! So since you used the foam, are the rocks on there permanently or could you take them off at some point if you wanted to? (I'm not much of a DIY'er ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 (edited) Sue, it definitely would cut down on space, but it could make stacking difficult. I'd be a bit hesitant to let the foam be the only thing holding the rocks back. Greg, I'm not totally sure what the cost of each can is - I bought a case at contractor rates. If you have a foam gun, they're great; if not, you can get a DIY can that has a nozzle. It's kind of a one-use can... if you have some acetone, you can keep the nozzle open, but if the foam dries, it's pretty much done. Jess, the foam sticks to the rocks quite well. It comes off with a scrubbing - need a coarse or wire brush to get it clean. I doubt the foam will stick to the glass very well. I use this method in building waterfalls, but when I build a pond wall, I don't use the foam. In ponds the foam is not there for structural support, it's more just to keep water from flowing behind rocks in waterfalls and streams, and keeps the rocks in the falls stable. Lisa, Rock on! Edited January 15, 2009 by jvision Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmaan. Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 It probably weighs about 250lbs... so not really much more than if it was just filled w. water. The rocks take up a lot of space. If I change it to a SA tank, then I'll definitely add some wood. I'll post some pics when I put the shellies in - I just did this up last night and had to run out the door. All said, it took about 1/2hr. what fish are you gonna add? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fishful Thinking Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 "The tank is going to be home to some L. brevis and grow out some N. leleupi." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 It probably weighs about 250lbs... so not really much more than if it was just filled w. water. The rocks take up a lot of space. If I change it to a SA tank, then I'll definitely add some wood. I'll post some pics when I put the shellies in - I just did this up last night and had to run out the door. All said, it took about 1/2hr. what fish are you gonna add? See OP right above final pic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dmaan. Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 can't wait to see it topped off with water! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erin Posted January 15, 2009 Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Very interesting, I like the over all look, But not so much on the over all weight! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jvision Posted January 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2009 Erin, the overall weight - once filled w. water - isn't much more. However, I did build the background with the tank on the floor; and, since I didn't want to have any weight in the front direction when lifting it, I made sure I had some help. Now that it's full (I'll post pics when the fish are in) it probably doesn't weigh much more than a normal 25 gal would when full. Water weighs about 10lbs/gal, and the rocks take up about 1/3 of the tank - so it all evens out at around 250lbs, estimate. I just set some Pothos in the top/back of the tank. I want to make sure they'll live (picked 'em up from WalMart the other day, and the soil was bone-dry) before I add the fish. THere'll probably be a few Paracyp's (BTW, Harlod, they all made it!) as well - they're too skinny in the main tank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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