Setting up a "tall" tank

[Keith P]

I'm sooo close to filling my 65G Tall tank.
The tank has a center internal overflow box.
There is starboard on the bottom.
I have enough sand for a 4" sand bed.
Should I avoid leaning rocks against the glass?
Is it worth the effort to install acrylic rods to make "towers"?
Should I put the rocks down to the starboard?
Make acrylic props to hold the rocks off of the sand bed?

Please give me some advice.

 

[hijinks]

I think the main reason people say not lean rock is you won't be able to clean that area of algae.

 

[nanoreefer22]

Yea I wouldnt lean the rocks against the glass. Use the acrylic rods to make structures around the center overflow so you can place corals all around the tank, maximizing your space. It's definitely worth drilling and using rods cause you can create structures you couldn't otherwise. I would feel safer putting the rocks down to the sandbed in case you decided to get a burrowing fish, like a jawfish that would dig under the rocks and could cause a rockslide if they arent sitting on the bottom of the tank.

 

[nanoreefer22]

I think the main reason people say not lean rock is you won't be able to clean that area of algae.

And it creates lots of dead spots behind the rocks

 

[LeslieS]

make sure the starboard is sealed. it can become a detritus trap and cause high nitrates. the flow in my tank has gradually pushed enough sand under one corner of the starboard that it actually sticks up about an inch. All the rocks on top of it are now unstable.

 

[Keith P]

make sure the starboard is sealed.

Are you recommending I silicone it down?

 

[nanoreefer22]

Are you recommending I silicone it down?

That would be ideal

 

[NYreefNoob]

keith if you dont silicone it down it will allow debris to get under it and trapped later causing problems, out of curiousity if you are using sand why the starboard anyways. dont put the rock on the glass as others have said, makes hard to clean glass as far is it worth it to do acrylic rods, well thats up to you to see how you want the rock work, pending shape ect, i used epoxy and zip ties

 

[Keith P]

I figured I would be stacking the rocks up pretty high, the starboard is like a safety net.

I'll start siliconing it down tonight. I'll pickup some acrylic rods tonight.

 

[tonep]

I am very interested in how things are going.
Do you have any pictures?
I have a 65G setup (glass and tall) and a 40 G (acrylic), I am deciding which one to set up.
I am nervous about the 65G because it is tall and I would have to create a larger rock formation which has the possiblity of falling down and breaking the glass.
What kind iof lighting are you planning?

 

[NYreefNoob]

Most Of My Rock Is Stacked Into Towers That Are Abour 20" High, Alot Depends On Type Of Rock Also, I Have A 24" Tall Tank As Well

 

[Keith P]

When gluing down the starboard, should I just do the edges or should I squiggle a bead in he middle too?

 

[KathyC]

You can squiggle in the middle but you need to seal it along all of the outside edges or the detritus will still get under there.

You said you wanted to use the starboard as a safety precaution, but keep in mind that will only help if the rocks fall straight down, but chances are excellent they will first 'roll' into the side glass and break that. IMO I'd skip the starboard entirely and just make sure your rock starts ON the bottom glass.
When using the acrylic rods, or zip ties, you can also use epoxy to attach the rocks together, just remember it isn't a glue (and takes a while to cure), more like something to bond the different rocks together for strength.