Making a Wall: Please help...

Yassmeena · 11-06-2009, 10:56 PM

Hi All,

I am going to make a wall out of some ADA stones I bought - nothing fancy, just a straight retaining wall extending across the width of my tank.

My question is: do I need to use silicone to fill in the gaps between the stones as I lay them on top of each other? I have a pool filter sand substrate and the stones are about the size of oranges (not round of course!) and my tank is currently stocked.

Thanks!

Yasmin

Wasserpest · 11-06-2009, 11:46 PM

It's hard to answer your question. It depends on the stones, and the height of the wall you are building. If the retaining wall retains sand, you will need to somehow plug the gaps, if there are any (again depends on the stones), otherwise it will level out over time.

Also you mention your tank is currently stocked. If you use silicone, it would work better to start in a dry tank with dry stones.

**Hoppy** · 11-07-2009, 02:16 AM

I think there is an underwater curing epoxy that could be used, but I wouldn't consider doing that with fish in the tank. The whole project will work much better if you start over with an empty, dry tank and substrate.

There is one technique that might work for a tank with water and fish in it: That is to use a strip of thin acrylic plastic sheet, with the width of the strip being the height you want the wall to be, with the strip extending all the way to the bottom glass. Then you bend the strip to the shape you want, push it down through the substrate to the bottom glass, and stack up stones in front of the strip to hide it from view. I tried something like that once, and wasn't really pleased with either the appearance or the ability of the "wall" to keep the substrate behind it.

timwag2001 · 11-07-2009, 03:55 AM

are you making multi tiered levels or just a wall?

Yassmeena · 11-10-2009, 11:54 PM

i see... thanks for your replies. i am making just a wall.

i think i will silicone the stones together outside the tank to form the whole wall, aiming for a neat division line midway where i can slice through to create two halves.

i'll implant then separately with excess silicone along the base and sides for pressure and retention. not sure if that will be enough though!

i am envisioning a small slab of plexi glass covering the division line from behind the wall, anchored in with stainless steel screws and nuts siliconed in between the stone crevices.

does this sound like it would work?

any flaws?

ps - sorry for lower caps. it's been a long day and i'm too tired to capitalize!

timwag2001 · 11-11-2009, 12:05 AM

dont worry about the small caps. my pinky fingers dont bend that way so i cant hit the shift buttons. lol.

go for it. whats the worst that could happen?

nillo · 11-11-2009, 01:40 AM

use expandable polyurethane foam also know as spray foam. It comes in black, or you can buy the component parts and add a universal tint to make it whatever color you want. The black spray foam is used as mortar for rocks in koi ponds and that is one possible avenue for a source. Another is Aquatic Ecosystems. The polyurethane is completely inert once it has cured. It is a closed cell foam and you can carve it. I have been using a 2part system with tints for years. This is also widely used in the reef community to make artificial reefs. I pretty much use it to anchor everything because it cleans off glass fairly easily once it has cured. Although this makes a little bit of a mess.

Yassmeena · 11-11-2009, 06:41 PM

Hi Nillo,

Thanks for the tip. I have a few questions if you don't mind...

1 - You are suggesting I use this for out of the tank, and then cure, and make adjustments as needed for proper fit in the tank?

2 - Are you suggesting that I use this material for the edges where I need to achieve tension or for constructing the entire wall (as an adhesive between the stones)?

Thanks again, and sorry for the questions but it's my first time hearing of the material!

Yasmin

Quote:

Originally Posted by nillo

use expandable polyurethane foam also know as spray foam. It comes in black, or you can buy the component parts and add a universal tint to make it whatever color you want. The black spray foam is used as mortar for rocks in koi ponds and that is one possible avenue for a source. Another is Aquatic Ecosystems. The polyurethane is completely inert once it has cured. It is a closed cell foam and you can carve it. I have been using a 2part system with tints for years. This is also widely used in the reef community to make artificial reefs. I pretty much use it to anchor everything because it cleans off glass fairly easily once it has cured. Although this makes a little bit of a mess.

11-06-2009, 10:56 PM	#1 (permalink)
Yassmeena Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7/100%) Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI Posts: 337	Making a Wall: Please help... Hi All, I am going to make a wall out of some ADA stones I bought - nothing fancy, just a straight retaining wall extending across the width of my tank. My question is: do I need to use silicone to fill in the gaps between the stones as I lay them on top of each other? I have a pool filter sand substrate and the stones are about the size of oranges (not round of course!) and my tank is currently stocked. Thanks! Yasmin

11-06-2009, 11:46 PM	#2 (permalink)
Wasserpest Born to be mild (View User Tanks) PTrader: (72/100%) Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Monterey, CA Posts: 10,578	It's hard to answer your question. It depends on the stones, and the height of the wall you are building. If the retaining wall retains sand, you will need to somehow plug the gaps, if there are any (again depends on the stones), otherwise it will level out over time. Also you mention your tank is currently stocked. If you use silicone, it would work better to start in a dry tank with dry stones. __________________ All my tanks Cheap Autodosing Cheap Water Change Cheap Filter Acrylic Filter Pipes The Wasser-Controller

11-07-2009, 02:16 AM	#3 (permalink)
Hoppy Planted Tank Guru (View User Tanks) PTrader: (22/100%) Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Sacramento, CA Posts: 5,690	I think there is an underwater curing epoxy that could be used, but I wouldn't consider doing that with fish in the tank. The whole project will work much better if you start over with an empty, dry tank and substrate. There is one technique that might work for a tank with water and fish in it: That is to use a strip of thin acrylic plastic sheet, with the width of the strip being the height you want the wall to be, with the strip extending all the way to the bottom glass. Then you bend the strip to the shape you want, push it down through the substrate to the bottom glass, and stack up stones in front of the strip to hide it from view. I tried something like that once, and wasn't really pleased with either the appearance or the ability of the "wall" to keep the substrate behind it. __________________ Hoppy

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11-07-2009, 03:55 AM	#4 (permalink)
timwag2001 Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (9/100%) Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: upton MA Posts: 315	are you making multi tiered levels or just a wall?

11-10-2009, 11:54 PM	#5 (permalink)
Yassmeena Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (7/100%) Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Bloomfield Hills, MI Posts: 337	i see... thanks for your replies. i am making just a wall. i think i will silicone the stones together outside the tank to form the whole wall, aiming for a neat division line midway where i can slice through to create two halves. i'll implant then separately with excess silicone along the base and sides for pressure and retention. not sure if that will be enough though! i am envisioning a small slab of plexi glass covering the division line from behind the wall, anchored in with stainless steel screws and nuts siliconed in between the stone crevices. does this sound like it would work? any flaws? ps - sorry for lower caps. it's been a long day and i'm too tired to capitalize!

11-11-2009, 12:05 AM	#6 (permalink)
timwag2001 Planted Tank Obsessed (View User Tanks) PTrader: (9/100%) Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: upton MA Posts: 315	dont worry about the small caps. my pinky fingers dont bend that way so i cant hit the shift buttons. lol. go for it. whats the worst that could happen?

11-11-2009, 01:40 AM	#7 (permalink)
nillo Algae Grower (View User Tanks) PTrader: (0/0%) Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 10	use expandable polyurethane foam also know as spray foam. It comes in black, or you can buy the component parts and add a universal tint to make it whatever color you want. The black spray foam is used as mortar for rocks in koi ponds and that is one possible avenue for a source. Another is Aquatic Ecosystems. The polyurethane is completely inert once it has cured. It is a closed cell foam and you can carve it. I have been using a 2part system with tints for years. This is also widely used in the reef community to make artificial reefs. I pretty much use it to anchor everything because it cleans off glass fairly easily once it has cured. Although this makes a little bit of a mess.

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