EowynJane Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 (edited) I'm not sure where to post this... since it's for my (coming soon) yellow labs and future blue cichlid I thought I'd try here. I bought some rocks for the tank, however putting them together has been rather a challange for me, I don't seem to be very talented in that area LOL! I've attached some pics of what I've done so far, be gentle (PLEASE!) but let me know what you think... is it good for cichlids? (note: I'm working on building up the right side) Edited March 11, 2009 by EowynJane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Another with differences at both ends. I left it bare on the left side before because I liked the look of the skull but I think it does look kind of odd for the rocks to end there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I think it looks fun . I would be concerned with stability though. Can the fish dig under or next to it? Do you have more rocks? It might look more natural and be more sturdy if the rocks were all laying in the same direction ( horizontal). Just my two bits. Keep experimenting and enjoy it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cuz Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 rockwork always sits defferently in the tank vs on a shelf. Personally i use egg-crate on the bottom for a good base then add my bottom layer of rock, then the sand then the top peices are trial and error trying to interlock them to make them stable. ( keep in mind cichlids love to dig and root around so anything resting on substrate will be moved) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Awesome, I bet its going to look great! I remember you posted something awhile back regarding tank occupant suggestions, have you decided which ones? electric yellow/blue? Also, I've done some research on large structures in aquariums over the past two months (prepping for my DIY background) and a lot of people suggested having egg-crate lining the bottom of the tank to help support large structures. Their reasoning for this was that the egg crate would dissipate the weight of the object on the bottom of the glass, spreading it out over the surface area. If you think about it, a large heavy boulder with a sharp edge sitting on the bottom of the tank puts a lot of pressure on a single point. Sounds hazardous, right? Keep us posted on your progress, I'm looking for new inspiration for my own motivation! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 (edited) Egg crate? I'm not sure what that is... do you have pictures or could you explain a bit more? I was told it would be best to have the rocks sit directly on the glass and put in the gravel around it. I was concerned about stability as well but was told as long as I make sure the rocks are kind of braced up against each other it should be fine. I really haven't decided anything beyond the Yellow Labs... I was thinking either the Demasoni or maybe p. Acei. Don't look to me for insperation! I'm looking for some of my own! Post pictures of your tanks! And really, I'm not having a lot of fun with this. I find it frustrating and my fingers are sore! (sorry... I'm told I'm kind of a grump tonight) Edited March 11, 2009 by EowynJane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Can the fish dig under or next to it? Do you have more rocks? Reading over the posts again... A very good point mentioned here. These fish love to dig! I mean, I've watched them pick up rocks in their mouths about the size of their head and move them. In a single day you would be very surprised as to how much they can accomplish. From what I've personally observed, they dig tunnels under large objects, considering this, if you had a structure build by stacking rocks this could be a disaster! What I've read/seen is that some people use aquarium-safe silicon to glue pieces together. I'm not sure if you should/want to do this because it might be a pain in when you need to clean or move them around. But maybe only attached partial sections? Just my two cents... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 I was told it would be best to have the rocks sit directly on the glass and put in the gravel around it. I was concerned about stability as well but was told as long as I make sure the rocks are kind of braced up against each other it should be fine. As I said in my last post, its just what I've read. You could be absolutely right. Egg crate? I'm not sure what that is... do you have pictures or could you explain a bit more? Egg crate looks something like this. I don't actually have any (yet) but I don't think its very expensive. from what I've read; before you add any rocks/sand or structures, you just pop this in on the bottom and go from there. Doesn't sound like too much work. I really haven't decided anything beyond the Yellow Labs... I was thinking either the Demasoni or maybe p. Acei. Don't look to me for insperation! I'm looking for some of my own! Post pictures of your tanks!And really, I'm not having a lot of fun with this. I find it frustrating and my fingers are sore! (sorry... I'm told I'm kind of a grump tonight) Ah! Demasoni thats the name I was trying to remember. Sounds like you have an idea what what you looking for, a good start. Its still the begging of the week, I' m sure come Friday you'll start feel'in better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 It's been demonstrated a lot that a sturdy, properly made tank can withstand a huge amount of weight and pressure from large rocks. I'm sure you could find this in archives . I do believe the use of egg crate is to buffer the fall should a large rock get knocked over. I'm sorry you haven't found playing around with your design fun About every 3 months I'll pull my african tank apart for a few reasons. 1. I overfeed (guilty) so I want to vacuum up around the bottom . 2. I look for babies. 3. I like to re-arrange the "look". 4. My finned friends like to uproot my flora plastica so I need to replant ,lol. I'm currently using large lava rocks that don't slip against each other. They are very rough however so I have considered sanding them down to smooth them off a bit but that may wreck the wild look . I may someday decide to switch it up and go with the boulder look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ishkabod Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 It's been demonstrated a lot that a sturdy, properly made tank can withstand a huge amount of weight and pressure from large rocks. I'm sure you could find this in archives . I do believe the use of egg crate is to buffer the fall should a large rock get knocked over. I'm sorry you haven't found playing around with your design fun About every 3 months I'll pull my african tank apart for a few reasons. 1. I overfeed (guilty) so I want to vacuum up around the bottom . 2. I look for babies. 3. I like to re-arrange the "look". 4. My finned friends like to uproot my flora plastica so I need to replant ,lol. I'm currently using large lava rocks that don't slip against each other. They are very rough however so I have considered sanding them down to smooth them off a bit but that may wreck the wild look . I may someday decide to switch it up and go with the boulder look. I have quite a bit of weight in the tank in the form of rocks and i've had no problems. I love to rearrange things every once and awhile to clean and to get a fresh new look. you have some really interesting pieces and if you haven't glued them together yet maybe you could add a larger rock to the set up. Personally i'd just get the tank set up. leave some water out to make room for the rocks volume and then get your arms in there to arrange everything in the way you want. Eggcrate sounds like a wonderfull idea. Like the picture above but it has flat 1cmish cross pieces so it would look like the picture unless you looked at it from an angle I wish we had a drawing feature we could use in the messenger. Anyway good luck and send in a pic of what it looks like when your done. Have fun L P.S. If you don't have fun then leave it until you will or get some kids over to give you a whacky design. :thumbs: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted March 11, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 Hah... I guess my only problem with the egg crate would be that I've already added my gravel! I haven't done things in the right order it seems. These rocks are also very rough, stability was the first thing I asked the person I got them from and they showed me how they stacked them braced together is actually quite stable. To be honest... I was hoping they were siliconed together... I liked the way they had them stacked! Maybe a bottle of wine will help me to have fun with them on friday, fish are coming on Saturday (weather permitting!) so I need to have everything in by then. No chance of any kids helping me out... only ones I know won't be around (hubby and I are big enough kids anyway). I'm probably just stressing out about it to much, thinking about it negatively instead of letting what little creativity I do have flow! Out of the 3 of them which would you guys pick? It's currently set up as the last picture in my living room but easily changed. What plants are good with these guys? I understand they will dig, not much to be done about that... but I have some vals I would like to add, also some najas, moss and I know I won't be able to keep the duck weed out (oh well). Will they eat the plants? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qattarra Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 For plants you might have some success with the vals and maybe anubias. The rest will be eaten quickly. This page may give you some inspiration . Look at the ones where the rocks all lay in the same direction , IMO it looks more appealing to the eye as there is flow and continuity. http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Decor%20Rocks.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gnaw Posted March 11, 2009 Report Share Posted March 11, 2009 For plants you might have some success with the vals and maybe anubias. The rest will be eaten quickly. This page may give you some inspiration . Look at the ones where the rocks all lay in the same direction , IMO it looks more appealing to the eye as there is flow and continuity. http://aqualandpetsplus.com/Decor%20Rocks.htm I have 2 x java fern and 2 x anubias. I haven't seen or noticed any of them munching on these plants, but I have had problems with them up-rooting them. I solved this issue by placing the plants away from large rock structures where they are more likely to dig and have had no issues since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted March 12, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 12, 2009 (edited) Thanks for the link It looks interesting. My only issue with the rocks all facing one direction is that when I did it that way all I could come up with was really small caves & holes. OK for fry, but nothing a 4-5" fish could fit in. I'm also not sure I have enough bigger flat rocks to make that look. I don't really mind if they eat them... I have more where they came from. I also have java ferns and anubias. I don't think I'll add the anubias, I really don't want that one eaten. Edited March 12, 2009 by EowynJane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EowynJane Posted March 14, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2009 Current rock work..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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