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I have always kept tanks with fake plants and bogwood and drifwood that are easy to move and clean around.

I am thinking of doing some sort of cichlid tank with some stone/rock work. I have heard that it is good to glue the rocks together so that the rocks don't slip and hurt the fishy. How do you clean around such a structure. just curious.

I have a 55 gallon cichlid tank with about 100 lbs of Texas Holey Rock. I have not glued the rocks together, but have carefully stacked them so that they are leaning against each other and/or the tank itself. The rocks become quite a bit more boyant than I thought they would, and settle nicely in the tank.

For cleaning I remove any that I fear might be moved by my clutsiness, and go up into and around the rocks as close as I can. Then I plan to periodically (every 3-6 months) removing all the rocks and redoing the appearance of the rocks, in this process also cleaning where I have been unable to clean. So far all is well, and the cichies are doing great...

Just my 2 cents on this...Heidi

"I've got a great ambition to die of exhaustion rather than boredom." Thomas Carlyle

another possibly more important reason to glue the rocks together is to keep the rocks from hurting the tank. don't get me wrong, none of us want our little fishes to get hurt by a falling rock, but most fish are quick enough to dart out of the way if something is about to fall on them. most cichlids like to dig, and if they do dig and expose the bottom glass with a big, unsteady rock pile nearby this could spell disaster. I will admit that I have several piles in my various cichlid tanks and none are glued/siliconed together. just be sure they are very sturdy so they won't fall over.

also, because cichlids like to dig it's usually recommended to sit the rocks (at least the bottom layer) directly onto the glass bottom. or better yet, get a sheet of eggcrate material from your local Lowes or other Home improvement store. You'll find this in the lighting section as it is used as a cover for flourescent lighting. you can get a sheet that's 4' x 8' for like $7-$8. cut this to the width and length of the tank and lay it directly on the bottom glass. then stack the rocks the way you like them and then add the gravel. this way the rocks are sitting directly on the bottom of the tank, but if something were to happen the bottom glass is protected. also, with the rocks sitting directly on the bottom there's no way for waste to build up underneath and all you have to do is gravel vac all around the big rocks and your tank should be perfectly clean.

in case you're not familiar with the eggcrate material I'm talking about I've decided to add a pic for you. the white box on the right side is made out of the eggcrate material.


Last edited by jason_r_s at 11-Feb-2005 23:44[/font]

Hi All,
Another option for cichlids if you don't have a good supply of holy rocks, is pottery ornaments that look like caves with different size holes for differnt size cichlids. As they grow larger, they move out into a larger size cave/ hole and small er fish move into the one they vacated. They look good and are bit cheaper than some rockwork and are easy to keep clean, tidy. Shall try to post a picture. Good luck.Muss

They look good and are bit cheaper than some rockwork

not if you go out to local streams/rivers and collect your own rocks. all of the rocks in the pic I posted came from a stream behind my best friend's house. they are a pain to clean but it's much cheaper than, well, anything because they're free.