Rescaping with heavy rocks. Suggestions? Sponge?

[Mordecai13]

Hi all, I am going to be rescaping my 10 gallon soon, replacing some wood with 2 pieces of rock. The rock is significantly heavier, i think a total of 5-10 lbs combined. Will this be okay for my tank given that both the rocks are placed on the left side? Should I put something under to give it some cushion? I've seen others use filter floss, i was thinking a thin sponge-- will this work/be beneficial?

Thanks!

[johnnyxxl]

I put my rock on some of the sand for it to sit level.  It's been fine for around 6 months now 

[Airborne 82nd]

On 7/3/2024 at 6:18 PM, Mordecai13 said:

Hi all, I am going to be rescaping my 10 gallon soon, replacing some wood with 2 pieces of rock. The rock is significantly heavier, i think a total of 5-10 lbs combined. Will this be okay for my tank given that both the rocks are placed on the left side? Should I put something under to give it some cushion? I've seen others use filter floss, i was thinking a thin sponge-- will this work/be beneficial?

The only thing the cushion would do on the inside would be to keep from doing damage to the inside of the tank. Weight would have to taken care of under the tank.  i think a total of 5-10 lbs combined is not the same as I know it is 20-50 lds. 

Wih your size tank I don't see a issue with 10 to 20 pounds. There is no long span and it is in a corner. However I don't know the thickness of your glass. All in all I think you will be just fine.

 

[Tony s]

Figure the bottom glass of most aquariums is rated about 15 lbs per gallon. So weight isn’t going to be an issue. On the sand for a bit of cushion to keep from scratching the glass would be good. On the other hand, if you did scratch the glass on the bottom. Would you even notice, or care?

[Tony s]

On 7/3/2024 at 6:18 PM, Mordecai13 said:

Should I put something under to give it some cushion

Underneath the tank itself? As long as you’re putting it on a flat surface, you really don’t need to. But whatever you put it on, make sure it can hold around a hundred lbs. figure around 10 lbs per gallon including substrate, plants, water, decor, and fish.

[Rube_Goldfish]

On 7/3/2024 at 6:18 PM, Mordecai13 said:

Hi all, I am going to be rescaping my 10 gallon soon, replacing some wood with 2 pieces of rock. The rock is significantly heavier, i think a total of 5-10 lbs combined. Will this be okay for my tank given that both the rocks are placed on the left side? Should I put something under to give it some cushion? I've seen others use filter floss, i was thinking a thin sponge-- will this work/be beneficial?

Thanks!

If you're putting it on any kind of substrate, I wouldn't think twice; you should be fine.

If you're putting the rocks directly on the bare glass, if they're not rounded rocks, then you could have a problem with concentrated weight oj a small point or points. Filter floss or a thin bit of sponge could work to diffuse that weight, yeah. You could also put a thin bit of styrofoam, cut to match the rock(s), like MD Fishtanks did at about the 6:38 mark in this video:

Though if you put down styrofoam, then rocks on top of that, with no substrate to cover up the styrofoam, that might end up looking strange, too.

[Tony s]

On 7/3/2024 at 11:21 PM, Rube_Goldfish said:

If you're putting the rocks directly on the bare glass, if they're not rounded rocks, then you could have a problem with concentrated weight oj a small point or points

Yeah, quite correct. You could create a hot spot. If all the weight goes to one spot. On the other hand, not going to get a truly heavy rock in a 10g. Just be aware of the possibility 

[Tlindsey]

Don't place rocks on a sand substrate if you have fish that like to burrow. Wouldn't do that with cichlids either. 

[mynameisnobody]

It depends on your stock, if you have diggers then more care should be taken with installation. If you don’t house diggers then you’re good on top of sand.