RockWork

[JarsOMayonnaise]

How did you guys make all of the overhangs and ledges with the rock...I am highly interested in knowing how to do that!

[polyp]

nice works guys!

[themanthelegond]

we did drill the rocks, but we also tried to use the natual holes as much as possible. once the rocks were ziptied, we used the epoxy for insurance. we made sure the center pillar was strong and very balanced then we pushed epoxy around the contact points for insurance.

[Basile]

Originally Posted by themanthelegond

we did drill the rocks, but we also tried to use the natual holes as much as possible. once the rocks were ziptied, we used the epoxy for insurance. we made sure the center pillar was strong and very balanced then we pushed epoxy around the contact points for insurance.

Ok great i will do that on my next project, i assume you used a colored epoxy to try to match the rock...like grey ? I never drilled rocks before. can you drill a small piece, thin pieces or are they too brittle for that.

[JarsOMayonnaise]

I am guessing a masonary bit? And you are using pvc pipe to make the pillars? I am assuming also you guys are using dead rock to begin with or a piece of really expensive stuff and just not keeping it out of water too long?

[themanthelegond]

Basile:
yes we used the standard marine epoxy putty (grey). we are not to worried about the color to much, the coraline will hide it pretty quick.
if the piece was small enough to not worry about it crashing down breaking something we just used epoxy and wedged them between the bigger zipped rocks. the few small rocks that needed to be drilled, I went slow and soft to avoid it crumbling.


JarsOMayonnaise:
we did use mason bits. actually we went through two bits..there was this one rock that was so hard it ruined one of the bits. we used mixed types of live rock, fiji, tonga, florida<--heavy stuff. we did take it out of the water to drill it. I am not sure if this is the right way to do it but it seemed to work.
for the center we layed three rocks on the bottom and layed the large flat rock on top then wedged the epoxy around the spots where it was resting on them. we did it like that for all the rocks stacked in the center.

[Basile]

Thats cool; here's some other type of scaping using macroalgae.Feast your eye like i did , great approach, underused if i might add...Ok these are freshwater, but , new direction none the less, use macroalgae for the same effect, like i said underused IMO.






Ok some are Fresh water but think of the general ideal, let see with more salt water algae.

[Basile]

Saltwater speciment this time

[Craig Manoukian]

Nice work everyone!

[JarsOMayonnaise]

Very wonderful.......That rock work you all did has made me want to do this to the other rocks I have....Do you see any reason why this woudn't work with base rock, or would I have to cure it again prior to putting it in the main tank?

[Craig Manoukian]

You don't have to cure base rock as there is no chance of organic die off.

[lcstorc]

Let's all play nice now.
No reason you can't use base rock that I know of. Base rock is just dead rock so there is no reason to cure either.
Here are a couple of shots of mine. my tank is a bit different though since it is a peninsula tank.










We use the good old careful balancing technique.

[JarsOMayonnaise]

And correct me if I am wrong....which I am sure you will But, it will eventually turn into live rock again right? So if I do one of these drilling techniques, and it all goes well and I make some really neat looking cliffs and whatnot, it will eventually count for live rock quantity?

[Craig Manoukian]

Once base rock is seeded with denitrifying bacteria, and algeas it is officially live rock.

[JarsOMayonnaise]

so assuming you have a 55 gallon that has a hair over 40 pounds of LR in it already that is fully cured and covered in purple algae..... and i have the detrivore kit and all "LIVE" sand...would you say its safe to say 3 months and it would be considered "LIVE" again?