what can I use to stick rocks together

[Lazyfish]

I know you can use super glue gel for frags but can you use it on...say rock that weigh a few lbs each. As far as i know The glue is safe for frags but it seems to me that it would be in much larger amounts if you used it on rocks to make a rock tower.

In a few months I have to relocate one of my tanks & I want to take that opportunity to do some landscaping. I want to take a PVC post & attach rocks to make a rock tower but the problem is that it is live rock with lots of things growing on it like macro algae and mushrooms so it has to go right back in the tank within a few min. with the fish.
Mot of the rocks are around 3 lbs or under I think I have 2 that are 5 lbs the large ones will be on the bottom so I should need less glue to make them stick & they can help support the smaller rocks so not all the weight is on the glue
I have a tall tank & up till now the rocks have all been free standing & I knock them over from time to time so this should help. Quite frightening when you mash your mushrooms, or once or twice my tube worm.:scram:

Ideas about what to use to make them stay or any brands that I can use & where I can get them and about how much they are?

 

[DaveK]

It's tough to glue LR when you can't let it completely dry out.

You may be able to use a masonry drill to drill holes in the rock, and use nylon cable ties to hold the rocks together or attach them to a PVC post. Of course the PVC can be easily drilled.

 

[Lazyfish]

good idea ,but, I tried that with an old tank I had & the some of the rocks just cracked apart after about 2 days. maybe it was some thing I did wrong but I really don't want to try it again, ended up with small rocks, so maybe I should forgo any cutting/ drilling of the rocks.


Super glue gel stays put ok and drys and in the water, yes?.
If they use it for frags how dry dose the surface really have to be? ( I mean you can't exactly dry out a frag when you put it on, right?)
Will it hurt the fish if I use allot of it and put it in right away (while it's still drying) Is my main worry. Over time can it leach chemicals in the water and what brand to use and different types of products like a cement or something that could work

 

[nstiesi]

Use underwater two part epoxy. Aquastick, aquamend are few name brands that come to mind. It will dry underwater, but takes a few days to come to full cure; completely reef safe, though.

 

[seafansar]

Use acrylic rods (you can find them at Home Depot or Lowes). Drill holes the same diameter in the rock and use epoxy (green and white stick kind) to secure the rocks. The holes won't be as large as the ones you drilled for the PVC, so your rock shouldn't break. Zip ties work well too, but it's hard to drill holes so close to the edges of the rock without breaking it.

The epoxy and superglue gel will set underwater, but those alone won't be enough to hold heavy, unstable rocks together.

Some more ideas with pics:
http://translate.google.es/translate?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.naclu2.com%2Findex.php%3Foption%3Dcom_content%26view%3Darticle%26id%3D11%3Aaquascaping%26catid%3D4%3Anumero-2&sl=es&tl=en&hl=es&ie=UTF-8

 

[DaveK]

On additional thought. I have yet to find an epoxy that works well underwater. Yes, it will set up well, but it never seems to want to stick to the LR or other items. With dry rock it's very good.

 

[seafansar]

Put super glue gel on both sides of the epoxy to get it to stick. You're right, it doesn't stick worth a darn on its own.

 

[Wakeskater02]

I'll tell you my little secret. At the store that I work at, we use a 12" masonry drill bit and electric drill to drill a 1/4 inch hole all the way through the rock in which we are trying to set up.

We then go to like Wally World and buy bicycle reflectors. Cut the reflector part off as we are trying to utilize the fiberglass stick that the reflector comes on.

From there you decide how you want the rock to sit. Pick a spot where you wont see the fiberglass rod once the formation is in the tank. Then drill away! Once you have a hole going almost all the way through, stick the rod in, and then use the drill bit to cut it. (Using the drill bit can be a little dangerous watch out for it slipping on the wet surfaces!) However, it is better because you can cut the fiberglass rod inside the rock. That way you will get a clean look everytime. Plus, since it is fiberglass rod it is able to support unimaginable weight.

hope this helps!