hello everyone I am new here and I have an 80 gallon saltwater corner tank. I am looking for cool or interesting ways of setting up my live rock. Also how many pounds of sand should I use in the tank?
cool or interesting ways of setting up rock?
- Thread starter saltwaterulz
- Start date
saltwaterulz;3721842; said:
As far as setting up the rock you could either stack it so its sturdy or kinda "glue" them together. There is a putty you can buy that is made for attaching live rock to eachother. I used to just add enough rock to my old salts tanks so it looked good to me. At one point I had about 18 pounds in a 10 gallon. Looked good but wasnt much room for active fish to swim. A lot of people recomend about a pound of rock for each gallon of water.
I started out with the "wall of rock" look which is common, but now have the "U" formation which I love. I would say the more space you keep in front, the more you'll see your fish. When I had my rock placed in the middle of the tank, the fish tended to stay around back more. After pushing everything back it was much cooler.
For the sand I have 60lbs in my 55, usually thay say 1-2lbs per gallon so anywhere from 80-100lbs depending on how deep you want your sandbed.
Here's a pic of both aquascapes, good luck!
For the sand I have 60lbs in my 55, usually thay say 1-2lbs per gallon so anywhere from 80-100lbs depending on how deep you want your sandbed.
Here's a pic of both aquascapes, good luck!
My one rule about live rock is that i dont ever tell other people how to set theirs up. Its a work of art, and it should be unique to you. Now I will give out points that people should keep in mind when they set up their live rock.
What fish will you have, and what are their swimming patterns?
- Tangs will want sparse rock, exe: lots of swim throughs
Do you want corals?
- Set up some tables, lots of nooks and crannies for frag plugs
Keep your construction solid, but as "open" as possible.
- What I mean by this is making caves, ledges things that look cool and allow your stock to feel at home, while making it sturdy to hold up against whatever might happen, while ALSO making sure it doesnt get so dense that it cuts off flow, and creates dead spots behind your rocks.
I also reccomend the use of expoxy. It wont enable you to defy the laws of physics, but it will allow you to have a little more freedom with your design.
Some people drill their rocks, and the use pvc pipe to hold it up, or just use a pvc frame to help stack their rocks.
Long story short, tinker till you like the looks, your animals like the looks, and your tank stays clean.
What fish will you have, and what are their swimming patterns?
- Tangs will want sparse rock, exe: lots of swim throughs
Do you want corals?
- Set up some tables, lots of nooks and crannies for frag plugs
Keep your construction solid, but as "open" as possible.
- What I mean by this is making caves, ledges things that look cool and allow your stock to feel at home, while making it sturdy to hold up against whatever might happen, while ALSO making sure it doesnt get so dense that it cuts off flow, and creates dead spots behind your rocks.
I also reccomend the use of expoxy. It wont enable you to defy the laws of physics, but it will allow you to have a little more freedom with your design.
Some people drill their rocks, and the use pvc pipe to hold it up, or just use a pvc frame to help stack their rocks.
Long story short, tinker till you like the looks, your animals like the looks, and your tank stays clean.
You may not be able to tell but my rock has many levels & even a good-sized shelf. Also lots of nooks & crannies to swim thru & the whole back is open for fish to feel safe.
Wow, beautiful tank Pufferpunk! My 55's just a FOWLR for now until I get some decent lighting down the line. I also think the "wall of rock" suits a coral/reef tank better.
Pufferpunk;3722126; said:
Your tank is awesome! I wasnt trying to come off as being like you shouldnt tell him what to do, I was just saying that when friends set up tanks they usually ask me "How should I set up my rock?" and I will usually say if I like the way things look or not, or mention things Ive done in the past, but from the artisit vantage point, I usually keep out of it.
Yeah, i knew what you meant. I definitely agree--it's a personal choice how you want to work your "art". Just showing mine. 
Pufferpunk;3722025; said:I prefer the "wall" look myself (I can fit more corals on there):
Very nice tank. I can only see two fish tho. The toby puffer on the bottom left and what I beleive is a wrasse on the top left.