Rock Pillars

[jakaufman]

Hey Guys,

 

I am looking to build my rock pillars soon but wanted to ask before I run off to Home Depot about what exactly to get.

 

I have seen people use a paving stone or something for a base... do I have to be careful about the 'aquarium-safeness' of those at all or can I just get a couple to use for the base?

 

What are the best options for support rods? I have heard of people using plastic hangers but are there other, better options?

 

Finally, should I just use epoxy to attach everything? Is there a glue or something else I can pick up at Home Depot instead of paying the premium for 'reef epoxy'?

 

 

 

I will be posting pictures as I progress, but unfortunately things like painting my new place come first! Thankfully, the trips to Home Depot give me plenty of opportunities to get excited about projects for the tank!

 

 

Joe

[ctenophore]

Just use a regular paver from HD. You might soak it for a few days in tap water to get rid of dust or any other grime.

 

I just used black sch40 PVC for my pillars, no glue. You can get black PVC from savko.com. Or just use grey sch80 from HD. Use a 3/4" masonry bit to drill holes that are slightly small for the PVC, then wallow them out some with the edge of the bit. You can hammer the PVC into the paver and it will stay with no glue needed.

 

You can see what I did with some help from other WAMAS members here

[jakaufman]

excellent, thanks! I was trying to search for this stuff but missed your thread.

 

Any other suggestions? I haven't done anything besides just dumping rock in to aquascape before so I figured this would be a fun and interesting project.

 

Joe

[Valeria]

Omar did this pillar for our aquarium last week. I captured a couple shots of the first steps of the process but the project was done when I came back.

 

In my opinion this pillar is the most natural looking I've seen. I do not know how the rocks where attached as there is no visible tube but judge for your self. The following are pictures of the end product.

 

 

 

 

These were the rocks that were selected for the project

 

The first piece

 

Added one more rock

 

 

And with three rocks

 

I've asked Omar to make another pillar so I can catch the whole process.

[NRehman]

Just use a regular paver from HD. You might soak it for a few days in tap water to get rid of dust or any other grime.

 

 

DC uses very high phosphate levels to coat lead pipes....and other gunk...so, just to cautious, would soak in RODI or other "clean" water.

[jakaufman]

RO/DI is probably a good idea.. that pillar looks great, I wonder how he put it together so tightly so you can't see the support

[JMsAquarium]

Very nice.

[treesprite]

he did a good job. One of these years when I upgrade I'm going to have to have someone else do my rock for me because I totally suck at it.

[Grav]

I'm curious about the type of mortar used between the rocks... yes very natural looking.

[DaveS]

Any other suggestions for a base besides paver stones? I don't think my sand bed is deep enough to accomodate/hide a paver stone. Anything else a little thinner?

 

What else besides PVC pipe works for support? I saw something about fiber glass rods. What about acrylic rods?

[WallyBackm]

I'm going to use the rods that hold up the reflectors that people put by their driveways that they sell at HD and Lowes. They cost like 2 bucks each. Still waiting on my marcorocks. They were to have shipped out 3 weeks ago but DHL completely dropped the ball> The guy at Marcorocks was cool though, and shipped me 5 lbs extra rock as a courtesy.

[Sea Monkey]

I'm going to use the rods that hold up the reflectors that people put by their driveways that they sell at HD and Lowes. They cost like 2 bucks each. Still waiting on my marcorocks. They were to have shipped out 3 weeks ago but DHL completely dropped the ball> The guy at Marcorocks was cool though, and shipped me 5 lbs extra rock as a courtesy.

 

I got my Marcorocks a few days ago and completed my rockscaping last night. My shipment was late too. I'm going to post a pic this evening to see what everyone thinks. It's easier to change now without any water in the tank. The rock I got was so light and was so full of nooks and crannies that I think my rockscapes are fine without a support rod running through it. The pieces just seem to lock together. It was way better than the crap I bought a few years ago for my first tank setup. If you haven't gotten Marcorocks before, I think you will be very happy when you receive your shipment. He sells nylon threaded rods and nylon nuts, although you can get it cheaper from other online stores. Really the only thing at Home Depot that can be used is pvc or the fiberglass driveway rods. Oh, and I've seen the rods attached to a square of acrylic by silicone as the base. I think that's a better option than using a paver.