stones in cichlid tank

[sushant]

i have seen many cichild tanks with lots of stone kept in it,though it looks pretty nice but the idea really scares me. so can anyone plz tell me wats the maximum weight of stones that can be kept in a glass tank without breaking it.

[cocoa_pleco]

The trick is to stack the rock so it is not leaning on the side of the aquarium too much, you want an even weight on the bottom.
I have found the best rock is slate, its light and stacks well. I use it in my 20g high krib tank and I dont have and leaning on the side.

[Incredulous_Ed]

Also make sure that you don't use a large substrate. It increases the possibility of the rocks resting their weight on a single piece of gravel.

[cocoa_pleco]

that too. You dont want much bigger than pea sized gravel

[Fishguy2727]

The best thing to do with any decent amount of rockwork is lay down eggcrate (plastic light diffuser with all the little squares in it) under the substrate, this will spread out the weight of the rock. It also gives the rock something to grip into to prevent shifting.

[f1oored]

My gravel is larger than pea sized and I didn't use egg crate and my rocks are all over the sides of my tank. It's tempered glass and you really don't have to worry about it as much as you might think. Just don't drop anything. I have over 200 lbs of rocks in my tank and no worries. Tempered glass is pretty strong.

[sushant]

thanks for providing me with with all these valuable suggestions

[A340]

I'm probably a bit late on this one, but this little tip of mine might help some others.

If you're worried about the weight of gravel/rocks on the bottom of your tank breaking throught the glass, all you need to do is grab a piece of plywood and cut it to the same size (or a little bit smaller) of the bottom of your tank. Then cut it to the same thickness between the glass and frame and place it on your stand (doesn't need to be fastened) and place your tank on top of it. This way all the weight of the gravel/rocks goes through the glass and is evenly spread out onto the piece of plywood and stand.

Hope that might help anyone with these concerns,

Patrick :22:

[cocoa_pleco]

almost 2 months too late. lol

[A340]

almost 2 months too late. lol
Oh well, better late then never .... thumbs2:

I've got 3 slate stones dividing the middle of my tank. The front has about 1.5 inches of gravel and on the other side of the stones I've got close to a foot. Very uneaven weight distribution, but the plywood trick is the most guaranteed way of saving your tank bottom (and carpet)!

Patrick :22: