Support rocks in the aquarium?

[RnLGG]

I just bought rocks for my 35 gallon tank, 25 pounds of it.
What weight can a fish tank support before you'd need to place something under the rocks to even out the load?

 

[mfdrookie516]

how big are the rocks? I have about 300-350lbs in my 150g... Unless you have a point against the bottom, I would see no issues. Make sure you put the rock against the glass, not on the gravel or sand.

 

[RnLGG]

The rocks are flat with no sharp edges, so no chance of it breaking the glass. And you say to put it against the glass? I'm planning on stacking them into a cave structure, and the ones that support the structure are going to be touching the glass for support, is that what you mean?

 

[HN1]

+1. The important thing is to place the rocks in a way that they won't shift or fall during maintenance or fish activity. Substrate after rock placement can help hold the rock in place as well.

 

[RnLGG]

Yeah, I was careful when I chose the rocks, and the structure is solid, thank you both for the help!

 

[mfdrookie516]

Yep, here's what mine looks like (second time tonight i've referenced this lol)

They're against the glass on the bottom, and the majority are against the glass on the back as well

 

[HN1]

That's a gorgeous tank, but my favorite part of the pic is hanging above it.

 

[mgamer20o0]

you can use egg create on the bottom of the tank to keep the pressure off a single point.

 

[RnLGG]

Yep, here's what mine looks like (second time tonight i've referenced this lol)

They're against the glass on the bottom, and the majority are against the glass on the back as well

Wow, so it's just for rocks like lava rock and other sharp rocks and when you have a large amount of weight in one spot that you'd use egg crates.

 

[mfdrookie516]

For the most part... I dont like eggcrate myself... my fish dig alot, and where I only like to have about 1-2" of sand, the eggcrate would cut down the depth 'diggable' quite a bit. I also have concerns about it collecting detrius. A lot of people have used it with good success though. I don't think you'd even need to think about it with smooth rocks, only for those with points which could cause excess stress on the glass. Thats JMO of course

 

[Mark Hewitt]

I've always steered away from rocks as unlike holow ornaments etc they take away water volume from the tank.