Building retaining walls in aquarium

[Tarkus2112]

So....I think I finally have the layout of my tank planned. It took forever but I think it will be worth it in the end. I would like to create 2 "sandboxes" in separate areas for my cory's or loaches to dig and play. Since you can't buy adjustable retaining walls, I figured I'd do the next best thing and build my own. I have a mechanical design background and I'm fairly creative. So let's see what happens.

I plan on buying a bag of clear gemstones and a tube of silicone and physically attaching each gem to one another to build a retaining wall that will keep the "sandboxes" separate from the main gravel layer in the middle of the tank. The wall will not be attached to the tank so it will be removable for cleaning or placing in a different area of the tank. The wall will also be thicker towards the back of the tank and progressively get smaller towards the front to create the illusion of depth. The main gravel in the tank will follow suit. 3" in back sloped to approx. 1.5" in the front.

I haven't seen any step by step guides on how to do this...actually I haven't seen many people do this period...I think it's a brilliant idea and it helps me to utilize my creative side. The ultimate benefit is that my cory's/loaches will be in heaven and I won't have to deal with a tank full of sand!

I'm new here but I figured I would share my ideas with the rest of the AA community. I hope this helps someone save some time and avoid some headaches. Enjoy!

here's a basic layout of my tank
View attachment 25635
1.The large square in the middle is a space bubble meant to be the focal point of the aquarium. It could be anything, although I plan to use a large tree stump.
2. The areas in the left-rear and right-front are the "sandboxes"
3. All dimensions are based on the "Golden Ratio" for optimal visual appeal.
4. Feel free to copy my design and improve upon it where you see fit.


I will update this thread after I get some pictures and more info together. Stay Tuned!

 

[Fastfossil]

Give us some photos please I have to do something for my kuhli loaches.
The retaining wall how are you going to stick the gemstones together?
I have tired using a resin and hardener and would no advise using it.

 

[Tarkus2112]

Give us some photos please I have to do something for my kuhli loaches.
The retaining wall how are you going to stick the gemstones together?
I have tired using a resin and hardener and would no advise using it.

I plan on using regular aquarium sealant. The same kind used to hold the tank together.

Also, keep in mind that this is my first tank and I'm starting from scratch. This is the end result of months of planning. I have nothing, literally nothing in my tank right now. If you already have your tank up and running, I'm not sure how you would go about doing this unless you break-down the whole tank and start fresh.

I'll get some photos up once I start the walls. I still need to make a template and purchase my gemstones and sealant. I hope it works and looks as good in the tank as it does in my head. haha

 

[Fastfossil]

Hope so to
I will build mine on loose glass sheet and place at bottom of tank when sealant is dry so I can remove it one day if needed or move it to my other tanks.

 

[Wy Renegade]

I built the retaining wall in my bog using the same basic idea (check it out). Aquarium silicon and river rock. Mine isn't mobile like you're talking about, but the base idea should be fine. I'm not real sure about moving them around, as that would require you to not only move the wall, but also the sand within the wall - and in a tank full of water, that could be an issue. The next one I build is going to be done using eggcrate and sprayfoam mixed with river rock, then I'll silicon that into the tank.

 

[Fastfossil]

I will siphon the sand out of the tank using a 10mm acrylic tube I have attached to a meter of clear pipe as with a water change to remove the sand with some water.

 

[Tarkus2112]

I have some good news and some bad news:

The good news is: I got my tank up and running over the weekend. Everything looks and works great.

The bad news is: I couldn't get my retaining wall idea to work the way I wanted. Oh well. It was a fun learning experience, even though it cost me a few dollars to learn it wouldn't work. haha.In the end I ended up using red desert sandstone to build a wall.

 

[Fastfossil]

Lets us know what you tried to do ans used so we don't make the same mistake please.

 

[Tarkus2112]

Lets us know what you tried to do ans used so we don't make the same mistake please.

My main mistake was that I didn't support the bottom of the wall with something solid. So when I went to move it, it sort of acted like an accordion and just kept breaking apart, till I got fed up and abandoned the idea. It also didn't help that I made it approx. 4" tall. So it was really top heavy and was unable to hold the gravel back anyways. Also the gems were only about an 1" in diameter so they weren't the best choice. River stones that are about 3" in diameter would work a lot better.

It will work but I got fed up and didn't want to waste more money on an idea that existed only in my head. I think it needs to stay there. haha

 

[Fastfossil]

Thanks for that. At least you tried

 

[Tarkus2112]

Thanks for that. At least you tried

No problem. We're all here to help eachother. I couldn't imagine starting out in the fish keeping hobby without the internet and forums like this.

 

[WhiteDevil]

Tarkus, things were ALOT more simple before the forums came along, they just give every tom,dick and harry a place to gab.

The internet itself is great for the hobby but some of the hobbyists take it for golden rules.

I attempted this same feat, I was unsuccessful yet know where things went wrong. you need a nice L shaped piece of material(corner protectors for drywall work awesome for this) and reef epoxy. the silicone moves rather then becoming rigid thus causing breaks and tears. I used this as well as some egg crate to make the form I wanted then used the reef epoxy to mate everything together. it looked awesome but it was a design never meant to be moved around. Its still together but not in a tank, I scrapped the idea when I found some gnarly looking mopani to use as retaining walls instead.

 

[glassbird]

Just in the last two weeks, I set out to make retaining walls, too. It is too soon to tell if my results are a complete success, but I can chime in a bit on what I did and what I wish I had done differently.

I have quite a bit of "lava rock" on hand, sold mostly to go into gas grills apparently, but I had used it for biological filtration on my outside fish ponds, the first year I had them. In the second year, I discovered scrubbies for that purpose, and hence, have lava rocks sitting around and doing nothing. So...I collected a good batch, and sat down to glue them into walls. I wanted a stepped effect in my 75 gallon tank. I quickly discovered that I could only do one row of rocks at a time, because the silicone takes so long to dry. (I used GE One, the doors and windows, no-mildewcide version.) I ended up doing one row a day, for 4 days in a row. As I went, if any silicone was visible on either side, I stuffed aquarium gravel into the silicone, in an attempt to hide it. They looked darn good by the time I was done. I let them cure for 4 days after the last row.

When it came time to install them, I realised that they were too light to really hold back 3-4 inches of gravel for long. So I cut some eggcrate to fit the tank, and used 25# test fishing line to tie them down. (I made 4 separate sections, and lined them up end to end.) I added the gravel, plants, and water, and it looks good! But, oddly, there is A LOT more silicone showing than I realised. I apparently did cover the bigger areas really well with gravel, but there is MUCH more that I did not see when they were dry. Not sure how that works, but I wish I had known about that before. I would have used a lot less silicone! Anyway, I think a few more plants strategically placed will hide most of that.

I did take pictures, and if anyone wants to see them let me know. I will get them posted once the tank is done.

 

[Fastfossil]

Please do post as it would be interesting to see and a learning curve for when I am ready to do mine.

Thanks

 

[glassbird]

Just wanted to say that I have not forgotton to post the pics. I want to get some shots of the tank when it is done, as well. Probably in a few days. If I were to do this project again, I would do the gluing in an area with MUCH better lighting, so that I could see where the silicone shows. AND, I would not just use aquarium gravel. I would find some finer material, sand maybe, and pour that onto the silicone. Maybe push some gravel on top of the sand too, to help the walls blend into the rest of the tank. But I would definetly find some sand to hide the silicone. It is really showing up badly. I will be making some moveable bunches of plants, with lava rock at the base, and place the bunches to hide as much as possible. Oh well, live and learn!

 

[Tarkus2112]

Here's what I came up with then. I am really pleased with how it turned out. This wasn't my original plan, but it turned out to be a blessing in disguise.

I just hope my Corys appreciate all the time and effort that I put into this.


View attachment 25920

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View attachment 25923
I even created a little cave with 2 of my leftover rocks. I specifically picked these 2 rocks at the LFS because I loved the way they looked, so I had to find some way to incorporate them into the tank layout.

 

[Fastfossil]

Nice one looks good did you attach the rock or are they loose?

 

[Tarkus2112]

Nice one looks good did you attach the rock or are they loose?

They are loose, no silicone was used. I laid them out on a piece of cardboard first, (I drew a line on the cardboard that I wanted the rocks to follow), then transferred it to the tank 1 piece at a time. If you tried to do this in the tank you would scratch the crap out of the glass, and in the end it probably wouldn't fit the way you wanted it to.

Make sure you lay everything out on paper/cardboard outside of the tank, then fit them together to make your wall. I bought approx 40 lbs of red sandstone but I only used about 15 lbs. Luckily my LFS let me return the unused sandstone for store credit. The reason I bought so much was to be able to have my "choice" of rocks to use in a certain space. That way I wasn't limited to using a rock that did not fit well. Does that make sense? haha

I spent at least an hour at the LFS making sure all the rocks I picked would stand up right and not wobble and fit together somewhat good. It was definitely worth it. I was even lucky enough to find 2 rocks that had flat sides and used them as the 2 end pieces that contact the glass. It does a great job of keeping the gravel out of the sand and the sand out of the gravel.

Honestly I think I just got extremely lucky in that everything fit together and stays upright by itself.

 

[Fastfossil]

Nice you lucky you have a pet store that keeps that sort of rock and that they so willing to help you. Just wanted to mention it if you have not thought of it already but you can extract the sand very easily using a pipe to siphon the sand out and leave the stones behind when you do need to take it out.

Did you just switch off your pumps and pour the sand into the corner?

 

[Tarkus2112]

Nice you lucky you have a pet store that keeps that sort of rock and that they so willing to help you. Just wanted to mention it if you have not thought of it already but you can extract the sand very easily using a pipe to siphon the sand out and leave the stones behind when you do need to take it out.

Did you just switch off your pumps and pour the sand into the corner?

Yeah, it's "That Pet Place" in Lancaster, PA. Apparently it is one of the best and largest Fish stores on the east coast. I highly recommend them. It's been there longer than I've been alive. I'm 26 and remember going their as a kid. WOW!, I feel old now. They even have an online business that you may be familiar with. ( www.thatpetplace.com) The only downside is that they have a bigger selection/ better prices in the store.


Nah, I put the sand in before I filled it with water.