Juiceman Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I started working on my New Aquascape, I purchased plenty of JB Water Weld. The first 2 simple 3 rock formations I tried to make didn't hold. I don't want to waste the rest of the JB Water weld if it's not going to work. What else do I need to use? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SChrisEV Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement Works awesome! http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-20-lb-Hydraulic-Water-Stop-Cement-112620/100318534#.UfEzpo3bN1E A little goes a long way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jestep Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 Other option is the cement from marco rocks. It doesn't need any curing like hydraulic cement, but does cost quite a bit more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 Not really worried a out cost at this point. Just need it to work! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 +1 Hydraulic cement this piece was done with hydraulic cement, is ~15 pieces of tonga branch and weighs over 50lbs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 Ok, any tips on using it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 wear gloves wear gloves wear gloves mix small batches at a time make a thick paste...oatmeal like consistency form into a ball put between the two pieces you want to join...press firmly make another ball and use like you would bondo or wood filler around the connection you just made support the structure while it drys...allow 2-4 hours for drying (longer the better) support from the bottom while moving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 After 20 min set time dip a finger in water and smooth as wanted then dry fully. After doing what capt said above Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 I'm doing this with live rock. Is that going to be an issue for drying? Should I do a bottom of some type like egg crate etc? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 cover it in wet newspaper and you will be fine, there will be some die-off but not a ton if you need the base to be more stable...sure use eggcrate, I didn't Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 yeah egg crate will help, I personally staked mine so many times until I found a structure that was a solid support, place it on egg crate in the tank then covered the remaining area with sand so it couldnt shift at all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SChrisEV Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 I'm doing this with live rock. Is that going to be an issue for drying? Should I do a bottom of some type like egg crate etc? I did this with live rock. I used towels, got them pretty damp with tank water then wrapped the curing pieces for about 5 hours keeping the towels slightly damp. Worked well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted July 25, 2013 Author Share Posted July 25, 2013 Picked some up. We'll give it a shot! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 for quite some time i had no idea what this miracle cement was.. then one afternoon, I was patching our little outdoor pond and thats when I noticed the 'hydraulic cement' at the bottom of the bag... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted July 25, 2013 Share Posted July 25, 2013 oh yah, i highly recommend supporting the structure from the base, and any top heavy sections of the piece. Even though it'll be 'dry' its fairly brittle at this stage. has anyone tested for phosphates after using this on live rock using the short timer method? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
(Bio)³ Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 oh yah, i highly recommend supporting the structure from the base, and any top heavy sections of the piece. Even though it'll be 'dry' its fairly brittle at this stage. has anyone tested for phosphates after using this on live rock using the short timer method? No idea what that method is but I did a Hanna check on the tank weekly as it sat and never saw a rise Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmike015 Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Hydraulic Water-Stop Cement Works awesome! http://www.homedepot.com/p/Quikrete-20-lb-Hydraulic-Water-Stop-Cement-112620/100318534#.UfEzpo3bN1E A little goes a long way +1, I went and bought a big bucket and It works great. I made my rocks and put back in my tank 6 hours later, no problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted July 26, 2013 Share Posted July 26, 2013 Good luck! I have a bag of it, but haven't had a chance to get to work. Let me know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted July 30, 2013 Author Share Posted July 30, 2013 The Hydraulic Cement is working very well. Here's my first rock structures that i've made. I found it hard to make much unnatural formations and have the rockstay there long enough to cure and hold. I'm going to try some morerisky stuff and see what happens as I go!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+SChrisEV Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 I had some pretty off balance stuff, It looked funny, I used chop sticks (thank you Panda Express) and wire ties to provide support to the heavier areas that needed to stay in place while it cured. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmike015 Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 Looks great!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
esacjack Posted July 30, 2013 Share Posted July 30, 2013 looks good! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Capt. Obvious Posted July 31, 2013 Share Posted July 31, 2013 Those pieces look great Capt. Obvious: lobbyist for hydraulic cement. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted August 6, 2013 Author Share Posted August 6, 2013 Rockscape continues I put the first 2 scapes in. The Corals are just sitting for now until I finish all the scapes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Juiceman Posted August 7, 2013 Author Share Posted August 7, 2013 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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