placing live rock tips

[jamie1210]

Hi, just wondering how everybody places their live rocks in a reef tank. Do you guys set it all the way against the glass? Or do you leave a space in the back for fish to swim? I've seen some great reef tanks that have coral and live rock very nicely placed, but when I do mine, it never looks right for some reason. (My tanks is 25 gallons, and when I have live rock against the glass, it just looks kinda crowded overall) Any tips on aquascaping would be great! Oh, and pics are greatly appreciated too

Thanks!

 

[Nautilus1]

This tends to be a individual choice but I can tell you somethings that work for me. Flat rocks are the best. They can be used for building shelves and bridges. Try to not have a lot of rock in contact with the bottom/substrate. It is best to maximize water flow under the rocks. I usually find some sturdy rocks and will place them about 6 inches apart and then take the flat piece on top and bridge it across. Try to make caves. I like the look when i have patches of sand in between the rocks. Dont just line the whole back of the tank with rocks. Leave gaps with no rocks so that u can still se the back of the tank. THis will leave some swimming room and add some depth. SOme ppl dont like walls in the tank cos its hard to get anything to stay on a vertical wall. Corals if glued to a vertical wall look sweet.

 

[Anonymous]

Or do you leave a space in the back for fish to swim?

Yes, it's best to leave space between rocks and walls. The reason here is to have flow going all around the rocks. If they're up against the wall, you'll have dead spots without flow where detritus will collect.

Have Fun!
Jh

 

[Anonymous]

I usually get one or two big rocks that are either flat or have a flat side. Then I use smaller rocks to make a tripod. I think having at least one 'centerpiece' larger rock is the key, and I see a lot of people trying to aquascape with all the same size rock. I think you need variety in rock to make it look interesting, and without variety you generally get a more difficult time aquascaping and often get the look of a pile of rock.

 

[jandree22]

IME, it's best to make sure that you keep the rock at least 1" away from the glass at all places. Flow is very important, and going along with that, if there's not enough room for snails/magnetic algae scrapers to pass, it'll be a major PITA to get a razor blade in there for algae removal.