I am looking for ideas/previous builds for a PVC live rock stand. Not necessarily "structural" ideas, but rather general ideas.
A few questions i have.
1. If putting the stand in first (adding sand after) Should i use "legs" under the stand to keep it propped up?
2. After reading enough of these builds, drilling holes seems to be mandatory to avoid stagnant water spots. A few questions regarding the holes
a. Do I drill holes throughout the entire frame? Even to the areas that will be covered by sand?
b. Should I use endcaps?
c. How big should the holes be? I have heard horror stories about worms up to 6’ in length living in people’s PVC stands.
d. Should I use a powerhead on one end of the stand to keep water flowing through, or the holes are enough?
e. I have heard people using the stand as their main return. This sounds like a good idea to me in theory but would rather hear from some professionals first. Would I forgo the smaller holes and just keep larger ones spaced out more? (maybe a large hole ever 1’ of pvc vs smaller holes ever few inches)
3. Anybody know of a good paint to use inside aquariums? It would be much easier to hide black pvc vs white J
4. I have heard that cement/glue is required from some people and others it is not. In your opinion should I be cementing down the PVC or just pushing it in so it won’t move?
5. I have heard people using “great stuff” spray foam to cover the empty spots on the PVC frame (what you can’t cover with rock). Has anybody used this in their aquarium before? I am worried it would “rot” after a while, or even worse, cause toxic issues in my tank.
6. Is there a “right type” of zip tie to purchase? How many years/months will the plastic last on the zip ties before they give out? It would be a most horrible thing to come home one day to find that my zip ties rotted and the entire shelf fell, breaking the tank glass. Worst case ceneraio I know, but I always take the worst possible scenario into consideration… (can you say BP oil spill anyone….)
A few questions i have.
1. If putting the stand in first (adding sand after) Should i use "legs" under the stand to keep it propped up?
2. After reading enough of these builds, drilling holes seems to be mandatory to avoid stagnant water spots. A few questions regarding the holes
a. Do I drill holes throughout the entire frame? Even to the areas that will be covered by sand?
b. Should I use endcaps?
c. How big should the holes be? I have heard horror stories about worms up to 6’ in length living in people’s PVC stands.
d. Should I use a powerhead on one end of the stand to keep water flowing through, or the holes are enough?
e. I have heard people using the stand as their main return. This sounds like a good idea to me in theory but would rather hear from some professionals first. Would I forgo the smaller holes and just keep larger ones spaced out more? (maybe a large hole ever 1’ of pvc vs smaller holes ever few inches)
3. Anybody know of a good paint to use inside aquariums? It would be much easier to hide black pvc vs white J
4. I have heard that cement/glue is required from some people and others it is not. In your opinion should I be cementing down the PVC or just pushing it in so it won’t move?
5. I have heard people using “great stuff” spray foam to cover the empty spots on the PVC frame (what you can’t cover with rock). Has anybody used this in their aquarium before? I am worried it would “rot” after a while, or even worse, cause toxic issues in my tank.
6. Is there a “right type” of zip tie to purchase? How many years/months will the plastic last on the zip ties before they give out? It would be a most horrible thing to come home one day to find that my zip ties rotted and the entire shelf fell, breaking the tank glass. Worst case ceneraio I know, but I always take the worst possible scenario into consideration… (can you say BP oil spill anyone….)
