Making your own coral encrusted live rock.

This is how I use to put my corals onto the aquarium walls in the eighties, I am back at it again.
This is the second lot for this aquarium.

First up I have my sterilised dead rock that I have trimmed the back off to a smooth surface to sit against the glass wall of my aquarium and there are cuts for the glue made with an angle grinder with a diamond blade.

Then it was put in hot water with chlorine for two days and it is very dead.

The dead rock from there has been sitting on top of my media in the “wet section only” as my bio filter which runs my tubs waters.
This was for two months to get rid of all dead life and the chlorine on and in it as well.
This is it in the bowl and there are some tools,glue,tissue and rags all ready to make a piece of wonderful live rock, which at this stage has only bacteria and protists on board from my other bio system.



The hole drilled for hooking on glass hook glued to rear of aquarium is ready.


Now I drill holes and cut ridges to make sure the glue stays attached as this dead rock is still wet.






All coral pieces are sat on wet tissue paper ready to have cuts put in the rear of them so the glue attaches them to the dead coral really well.


All corals are glued on and have wet tissue paper on them to keep them cool and wet while the epoxy resin glue cures.


I pour cool salt water, that I put in the fridge, from the tubs over them once each hour to keep the corals closed, dormant and healthy.


Glue has set and the piece of dead rock is ready to be sat over the glass hook I glued onto the back of the aquarium some days ago.


This is the same peice of dead rock four month's later.