Rock Confusion Pukani, Reef Saver Eco, and Florida Rock From BRS or ReefCleaners

[carey]

Originally Posted by LarryS

Okay! Received the rock today in 3 pieces! Very cool. I've weighed it and seems that I have 57 lbs but paid for 55 lbs. That's fine.

I placed the pieces on a egg crate that is the exact footprint of the 65g: 36 x 18 x 24 (tall). The tallest rock is 18".

Looks awesome as is but the lady friend wants me to break at least one piece up and "build" something, e.g. arch, cave or whatever. Two of the pieces seem near perfect to me, interest wise... so I'm not keen on touching those.

That said, my mind is wide open to possibilities. I was going to place all 3 pieces in a Brute can to measure water displacement but she reminded me that the BRS instructional video recommended working scultpure with dry rock. I'm really excited - this part means I'll probably be placing the scape, sand, mixing salt and starting to fill the tank before the end of the weekend.

Hope to have photos for you guys tomorrow before doing anything to the rock.

You only got 3 rocks? That seems like a bit of a gip. LOL i guess you can break some up but I would have expected the pieces and variations that reefcleaners provides.

But it's porous and good right? Then no reason to worry! hehe

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by carey

You only got 3 rocks? That seems like a bit of a gip. LOL i guess you can break some up but I would have expected the pieces and variations that reefcleaners provides.

But it's porous and good right? Then no reason to worry! hehe

Oh, the rock is great! No a complaint. As posted earlier in this thread (to clear up any confusion as to why I have only 3 pieces totaling 57 lbs, here is what I posted on the day of purchase): "And, to my surprise... BRS called within 20-30 mins. of placing the order for 55 lbs. to ask me some questions as to the size of the pieces I want! After a 15 minute conversation, they suggested they will send 3 rocks at about 20 lbs each. So they're guessing I'll get an extra 5 lbs free."

That said, I've having problems posting the images. I can upload to the gallery area but not to the thread. I am using the button for images that then only prompts for a URL. Anyone have a suggestion? I'm sure the solution is obvious. :-(

[carey]

if you go into advanced posting it will have a place to upload from your computer.

[paulweck]

To post I upload all my pictures to Photobucket and then post the img. Code in the thread..

Hey Larry will u be Addig any more lr to the tank your just under a pound per gallon the suggested amount is 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon. And I can't wait to see pictures and that nice stand somebody built . I so wish I could fit a 65 gallon tank where my 45 is I'm so jealous..

[LarryS]

AWOL but have returned to post these. My apologies to anyone would need these sooner. Hopefully, you got whatever guidance you needed despite my delay - I know what it's like to be waiting on pins and needles ..ain't fun.

There are 3 pieces. They displace about 5 gallons of water. Weight: 57 lbs. That's a lotta rock for the money. Insofar as the folks that believe that it's all about weight and not surface area... well, to each his opinion, but the science is on the side of the surface area.

Let me know if you guys have any questions... as always, appreciate your comments and suggestions.

There are 7 images, so I will upload in 2 sets.

[LarryS]

Second set of photos.

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by paulweck

To post I upload all my pictures to Photobucket and then post the img. Code in the thread..

Hey Larry will u be Addig any more lr to the tank your just under a pound per gallon the suggested amount is 1.5 to 2 lbs per gallon. And I can't wait to see pictures and that nice stand somebody built . I so wish I could fit a 65 gallon tank where my 45 is I'm so jealous..

Paul built my stand. So, I kn ow he's anxious for me to post the photos. And, I promise to do that once I've caught up critical chores that keep popping up , e.g., major plumbing issue in 2nd bathroom, and life's other crises.... lol Sorry Paul but this will happen!

[LarryS]

If these photos are too small, let me know and I will upload the larger versions.

[HalfMoon B]

That stone looks great!

[paulweck]

Wow looks great that's some big rock

[newbjank]

Great looking rock!
I recently just order 15 lbs. Of pukani rock, and 5 pounds of refugium rubble. Even though its a small buy, I think it's my best in sw fish keeping. I highly recommend BRS

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by paulweck

Wow looks great that's some big rock

LOL Oh, yes. Not having done this before, when BRS called to ask me what sizes I wanted (as I had enclosed a note for them with the order that I want some large pieces...they called before filling the order), I naively said, "Just send the largest pieces you have."

Their response was classic, "How big a tank do you have? Because we'd need a tractor trailer to move the largest piece to you!" Not sure if he was stretching the point, but at that point I was clueless about what I should get... so after going back and forth for a few minutes, I suggested he select the 3 coolest pieces he could break/find...figuring that I can always make them smaller but not bigger.

I'm planning on breaking up at least the smaller of the 3 pieces... get some rubble for the sump and to create some other scape interests..

So, here I am... now wanting a larger tank to put them in. I have some concerns that the 57lbs for my 65 gallon is taking up too much swimming room for the fish... so, I measured the water displacement using a 32 gallon Brute and looks to be a bit under 5 gallons.

That said, the 5 gallon displacement does not take into account the "physical space/area/volume" the rock will take up in the tank...it's no longer on the living room floor... I needed to move it after I got it wet as it's... so I'm relying on memory, but it certainly filled up the 32 gallon container to the 25 gallon mark.

Maybe I'm over thinking this...

[LarryS]

Finally...

Here are some shots of the aquascape we are considering using the Pukani. To my surprise, I seem to have managed to place all (but some rubble created as a by-product of chiseling and hacksaw work) of the 57 lbs into the display tank. Originally was going to use the rubble in the fuge but now am considering using mud.

Re: special grade reef sand. Not all in place. Just wanted to get a sense of rock volume and placement, etc.

What do you guys think?

QUESTION:

As noted in the photo, the center section is comprised of multiple pieces, so it's not stable. How best to glue or attach? Super Glues have been suggested, but the rock is now damp as I had it in a 32 gal Brute with water to check displacement volume. And so the rock is still damp after almost 10 days of drying. Any ideas?

Hoping to get this resolved today so that I can mix and place the saltwater.

[Ibrahim]

Silicone it in the center. It can dry wet

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by Ibrahim

Silicone it in the center. It can dry wet

Takes too long to set. Using Super Glue Gel, I've glued two test small test pieces (not in the tank) and will check in the morning to see if in fact they have held together.

For the odd fitting, I thought drilling and using vinyl rod which I read about today.

[Unicorn]

Originally Posted by LarryS

Takes too long to set. Using Super Glue Gel, I've glued two test small test pieces (not in the tank) and will check in the morning to see if in fact they have held together.

For the odd fitting, I thought drilling and using vinyl rod which I read about today.

Why not use the aquarium safe putty? I used it all over my tank for the rocks

[LarryS]

Originally Posted by Unicorn

Why not use the aquarium safe putty? I used it all over my tank for the rocks

What brand have you used and, for gluing live base rock to itself?

I'm asking because product results reviews vary from the resellers I've visited.

[Unicorn]

I think it was "aquastick" by two little fishies

[cabezon]

The putty barely holds frags. I would go with the rods.

However, unless you are hanging some pieces up to create a swim through, I wouldn't bother. I might also flip one of th rocks over so that the narrow end is on the bottom.

[LarryS]

After lots of research and weighing the pros and cons of several approaches, including epoxy, drilling and using either vinyl or acrylic rods, CA glues and/or a combination of different techniques... I elected to have the structural benefits of the Pukani work for me and take the easiest approach.

Pukani being very lightweight and very suitable to a Lincoln log approach, I took care to work with the rock... have it tell me... where each piece was added to have some sort of interlock with another piece. In this way, every piece stood or hung on to another without glue, etc. This allowed me to use very straightforward CA glues as all I really needed was some reasonable amount of adhesion.

Before gluing I spoke with both Loctite and BSI (makers of IC-GEL). Charlee from BSI was very helpful. Cannot say the same for any product info I got from Loctite, so I went with IC-Gel and Krazy Glue. The liquid form of CA was applied on top of the gel - this helped the gel permeate deeper into the pores of the Pukani (which because it is so porous worked for me). BSI recommended letting this combination sit for 24 hrs. before adding saltwater. So, the saltwater will be added either tonight and/or tomorrow.

The final scape is very similar but different than posted previously (above). Lots of running (swimming room) for fish and generous viewing from front and sides - very important to me, especially as my favorite leather chair is cater-cornered to the right side of the tank... and I look into the back, front, and side.