# Silicone help gluing rocks



## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

Hey everyone

I'm toying with the idea of gluing some or all of my dragon stone together that I intend to use in my aquaruim. Is there one type of silicone better than another for this application?


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## Cichlidrookie (Apr 6, 2014)

Not sure what kind of silicone will help but you can try what salties use to glue their rocks together that's epoxy.

Some drill holes in their rocks and use acrylic rods.

There are many kinds of epoxy on the market. Here are some types.

V-Colla Voila Reef-Safe Epoxy (4 oz) - Vertex

AquaStik Underwater Epoxy Putty - Coralline Purple - Two Little Fishies

The only problem is that most reef epoxy is purple in colour.

Good luck.


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## carl (Feb 11, 2010)

Use aquarium silicon only, do use the stuff from Home Depot as it will kill your fish. If you can't find it in a store I sell it


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## infolific (Apr 10, 2016)

If you're looking for a lot at a good price and have one of those caulking guns, GE Type 1 Clear 100% Silicone is said to be safe by the King of DIY (Joey). I'm guessing since 100% silicone is the key, then all aquarium-safe silicone will perform the same.


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## ameekplec. (May 1, 2008)

Silicone won't work unless the surfaces are really close to each other. With the rock you're trying to bond, silicone won't hold them together well as the surfaces are too uneven.

As mentioned above, epoxy and superglue is your best bet, and it's what reef keepers use to bond rock together. A simple sandwich of rock+super glue+epoxy+superglue+rock wil hold things together fairly well. The epoxy gives a tightly fitting surface for the superglue to bond the rock, and will allow for fairly strong joints. Without the epoxy, the joints are too big for superglue to work effectively.

You can also find epoxy in grey. A little practice and the joints are fairly inconspicious.


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## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

Thanks for the tips guys. I had a feeling this wasn't going to be easy.

Ameek good to hear from you.


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## altcharacter (Jan 10, 2011)

Literally go to the dollar store and buy 10 tubes of GEL super glue. Not the thin water type stuff.

One thing you'll want to do though is put some glue on the rocks first without putting the rocks together. Once the glue gets a bit tacky, take a chopstick or skewer and make sure to poke the glue and move it around a bit to get it to bond to the rock better. After a few minutes once the glue starts to get harder, take the rocks and put another patch of glue on them. This new glue will bond the other patches that you just did together. 

I've found this method to work best for gluing rocks together. If you just put glue on each rock and put them together I've found that there isn't enough air to dry out the glue between the rocks and the bond ends up breaking. By letting the glue hit the air first it'll help out the bond a bit.

Good luck!

Also, when you want to switch to saltwater give me a shout 
We have beer and BBQ's....


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## Fishfur (Mar 4, 2012)

There is some even newer super glue out there now that might be great for this. It's literally as thick as toothpaste and comes in a tube. It is NOT cheap but I suspect would work very well for the uneven surfaces. One issue is that it takes longer to cure through its thickness, and some care has to be taken so you don't end up with uncured glue in the middle of too thick layers.

Look at some higher end hobby shops and online sources for this stuff, never seen it in the average glue aisle.


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## carl (Feb 11, 2010)

JJ Downs sell tubes of gelled acrylic, make a ring of salt dough on top of the bottom rock then squeeze in the gelled acrylic and place the top rock in place and then complete the structure let it dry a couple of days, fill the tank with water and when the salt dough is soft brush it away or even faster use a pressure washer or hose to clean your completed rock wall. I am going there Friday I can get some for you, if you want to meet me on my travels to pick it up


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## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

Thanks for the offer Carl and thanks everyone for the help. I wont be doing this until the spring ill contwct you if i need anything. Looks like there is more than one way to skin this cat.


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## BillD (Jun 5, 2006)

carl said:


> Use aquarium silicon only, do use the stuff from Home Depot as it will kill your fish. If you can't find it in a store I sell it


This is totally untrue. GE silicone I for windows and doors will not kill fish. As well, Rona and Home Hardware have house brands that are aquarium safe.


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## tom g (Jul 8, 2009)

*silicone*

I have used ge 1 silicone from home depot , in my tanks and my sumps with no ill affect .
jm2c


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## Fisheye (Jan 13, 2015)

Hi Planter,

I just finished a new hardscape and want to echo what everyone has already said.

I have black lava rock acting as a wall between two substrates with manzanita secured to the top of the rock.

To secure the rock to the bottom of the tank I used Marineland Silicone from petsmart...it's $10.99 and I have lots left over. Those rocks aren't going anywhere.

To secure the wood to the porous lava rock, I drilled some pilot holes in the wood and used the Instant Ocean Aquarium Epoxy in Gray from Big Al's for 16.99. It comes in green and red too. I had better success kneading the putty for 2 minutes rather than one. It kind of stinks like a hair salon. I let both cure for 48 hours before adding water.

If you are making crazy bridges or anything, there is a product called E Marco 400 which is a cement.

http://www.petsandponds.com/en/aquarium-supplies/c378148394/p17740037.html

Might be worth looking into whether it would be suitable for dragonstone?

Have also read lots of people who use the epoxy/superglue combo (only cyanoacrylate is aquarium safe) Gorilla glue makes a gel as well as the regular glue.

HTH and have fun!

Jackie


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## planter (Jun 9, 2008)

Thanks Jackie


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