Artificial decor

[Wills]

Hi just looking for advice on using artificial decor as I've not had it in years and worried about stagnating water.

I'm getting some artificial rocks that are hollow with a hole top and bottom so it would fill with water - what are the risks with this?

I was thinking of part filling them with sand and sealing the holes somehow either with silicone or something and cover it with black sand?

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Wills

 

[WhistlingBadger]

Interesting question, Wills. As you probably know, I tend to do heavily planted, heavily hardscaped tanks, and I really don't like dead zones in the water: Places where detritus and uneaten food can accumulate, places of little or no oxygen, or at best wasted space where the fish won't want to be. In nature, moving water, even extremely slow moving water as in a pond or lake, is always better habitat than stagnant. So I tend to be very aware of water flow. It doesn't have to be fast, but it has to move. (By the way, I'm not dogmatic about this. Heavily planted, Walstad-style nano tanks, shrimp bowls and such, can do just fine without artificial water circulation)

I haven't had a chance to read your whole thread about how you're doing your rocks, silly career and home improvement projects getting in the way of the finer things in my life at the moment. But just from what you've said here, I think filling the rocks with sand and sealing the holes is a great idea, because it would reduce their buoyancy as well as eliminating dead water zones. Both good things. Could you just fill the holes with sand, then spray over them with a little bit of your foam to seal the holes? If that doesn't work, I've found that sprinkling uncured silicone glue with sand is fairly effective at making it disappear into the aquascape.

 

[Wills]

Interesting question, Wills. As you probably know, I tend to do heavily planted, heavily hardscaped tanks, and I really don't like dead zones in the water: Places where detritus and uneaten food can accumulate, places of little or no oxygen, or at best wasted space where the fish won't want to be. In nature, moving water, even extremely slow moving water as in a pond or lake, is always better habitat than stagnant. So I tend to be very aware of water flow. It doesn't have to be fast, but it has to move. (By the way, I'm not dogmatic about this. Heavily planted, Walstad-style nano tanks, shrimp bowls and such, can do just fine without artificial water circulation)

I haven't had a chance to read your whole thread about how you're doing your rocks, silly career and home improvement projects getting in the way of the finer things in my life at the moment. But just from what you've said here, I think filling the rocks with sand and sealing the holes is a great idea, because it would reduce their buoyancy as well as eliminating dead water zones. Both good things. Could you just fill the holes with sand, then spray over them with a little bit of your foam to seal the holes? If that doesn't work, I've found that sprinkling uncured silicone glue with sand is fairly effective at making it disappear into the aquascape.

Yeah thats what I thought any dead space within them is just going to harbour something. I was wondering about using cotton wool or tissue with super glue and a bit of sand or soil to darken it? I did also think about melting them shut? Soften it up with heat and then push the hole together.

I got a delivery of 5 more today and its looking good! One of the big ones did come smashed which is annoying I've put the bits in the tank at the moment but I think I'm going to send it back... the smaller pieces could be sort of useful though but not sure how I'd manage to do it? I thought about getting some pond foam and filling in the back but not sure if the foam will be porous or if its water proof? Otherwise the foam could again harbour some nasties...

Wills

 

[Wills]

@WhistlingBadger do you think either of these would be ok to put in the hollow rocks?

https://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/products/scaping-foam-375ml-superfish?_pos=1&_sid=bec26a980&_ss=r
https://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/produc...60671&pr_ref_pid=7167665078335&pr_seq=uniform

When I do it I bet I'd get a little spurt over the top that I'd need to cut off but I'm not sure if I cut it if that surface would be porous and the foam would essentially be a sponge or would it remain hard and repel water? Its the later that I'd hope is the answer!

 

[TNG]

Hi just looking for advice on using artificial decor as I've not had it in years and worried about stagnating water.

I'm getting some artificial rocks that are hollow with a hole top and bottom so it would fill with water - what are the risks with this?

I was thinking of part filling them with sand and sealing the holes somehow either with silicone or something and cover it with black sand?

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Wills

What you’re proposing to do to seal the holes up should work, although I wouldn’t think the risk of stagnant water in holes of artificial or real rock is significant.

That said, when I first kept fish in my early teen, a guppy decided to investigate a hole of my seashell and got stuck. I had to destroy my precious shell using a pair of pliers to save the fish. All holes big (or small) enough for fish to get stuck in are now filled up.

 

[sharkweek178]

Hi just looking for advice on using artificial decor as I've not had it in years and worried about stagnating water.

I'm getting some artificial rocks that are hollow with a hole top and bottom so it would fill with water - what are the risks with this?

I was thinking of part filling them with sand and sealing the holes somehow either with silicone or something and cover it with black sand?

What are your thoughts and experiences?

Wills

I think I'd want those holes sealed up out of concern that some kind of organic matter (fish poop, uneaten food, etc) would get in there and fester in an enclosed space.

 

[WhistlingBadger]

@WhistlingBadger do you think either of these would be ok to put in the hollow rocks?

https://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/products/scaping-foam-375ml-superfish?_pos=1&_sid=bec26a980&_ss=r
https://www.aquatix-2u.co.uk/produc...60671&pr_ref_pid=7167665078335&pr_seq=uniform

When I do it I bet I'd get a little spurt over the top that I'd need to cut off but I'm not sure if I cut it if that surface would be porous and the foam would essentially be a sponge or would it remain hard and repel water? Its the later that I'd hope is the answer!

Yes, I think either of those would work fine. When you cut the surface of foam like that, you'll often get a surface that looks like a sponge, but it's a closed-cell foam, meaning the little bubbles don't connect to each other. So your surface is still going to be waterproof. If you don't like the spongy look, either sand it smooth or put on a thin coating of silicone glue and cover it with sand.

 

[Wills]

Yes, I think either of those would work fine. When you cut the surface of foam like that, you'll often get a surface that looks like a sponge, but it's a closed-cell foam, meaning the little bubbles don't connect to each other. So your surface is still going to be waterproof. If you don't like the spongy look, either sand it smooth or put on a thin coating of silicone glue and cover it with sand.

Perfect I thought with it being PU foam that’s basically plastic. I think that’s the plan then might add a bit of sand on the ends as it will be a bit un natural to have plain black dots all over

Found some Oase pond stones that are quite affordable and quite big too! Biggest one is 47cm wide! Not 100% the same but they will make great bases for the other rocks and add a bit of layering for the Mbunas