Need help with Rock arrangment.

A

Austintatious

This is for all you artist out there. First a little info. I am getting very close to transferring all my livestock to a 55 gallon tank. I will be emptying the 250 and doing a complete overhaul... I have given up on my DIY rock... I have been having mixed success with corals and have decided that even though my DIY rock may not be the problem, it is too large a variable to have in the mix trying to have a successful tank.

Now, I plan on removing all the rock and sand from the main tank and starting over with new sand and rock.

This is where I need some help... My tank setup is unique. This tank is 50 x 30 x 40 tall. To further complicate things it has closed loop returns and spouts in each of the 4 corners approximately 5" from each wall. To even FURTHER complicate this aqua scape, the tank is built into the wall and is visible from both sides!

So I need ideas on how to make a formation that will stay clear of ( or encircle/shroud) the closed loops and also stay off the side walls so I can clean them. Then It needs to be able to have some shelves or places to sit corals on to get them growing. Here is a list of things I want and dont want:

Want:
Open structure with some hiding spots / overhangs
A tall formation that will get within 12" of the water surface or less
A lot of "beach" or sandy area visible on the bottom
Lots of micro nooks and crannys for pods to hide


Dont want:

Hiding spots where livestock will go to never be seen again
Rock touching the walls
1 Huge piece ( wont be able to get it in tank)



The next issue is what to use for rock.. .I was thinking about buying some live rock but that seems pointless because to get what I am after I will need to "build" these formations... So Dry rock it is...

I went to Whiz Q today and saw the Lace rock, slim pickins. Also I shered a piece and it had all sorts of stuff in it, some looked like it may be metal... has anyone ever used this before?

Has anyone ever used mossy lava? The Whiz Q book says it is aquarium safe, however it doesnt look aquarium safe to me...

I am open to any Ideas.
 
@SRHxSPADExKING wrote:
I saw a nice aquascape recently. The owner of the tank stack flat rocks up like a deck of cards. It created caves big enough to see the fish and the fish felt safe also. I loved it and have been thinking about taking my rock down and trying this out. I'm not sure what kind of rock it was but all the rocks were flat rectangular pieces. said:
Cool, can you get a picture of that and find out what kind of rock it was ?
Click to expand...
 
Our last speaker (first of this month) had some terrific ideas about aquascaping. Did you attend that meeting?

Since I was not aquascaping anytime soon, I did not take detailed notes, unfortunately.
 
This is what I took from the last meeting... Build a structure using PVC and egg crate, zip tie together... the structures should be built in a 5 - 3 - 1 proportions. Angle the structures so they are wider at the front and closer at the back... this gives the tank and beach area a larger look... Drill holes in the rock and zip tie them to the structure so you can achieve the shelves you are looking for... Have the end structures tall enough to cover the return and the smaller structures in the center for balance... Buy using structures you use less rock and can achieve the look you want... If you go to Reef Addicts web site, Marc has a interview with a company who is selling reclaimed reef rock i believe for $2lb... http://www.reefaddicts.com/
 
Might check out marcorocks. Is lace rock porous or pretty heavy to lift. If it were me I would do pillars of rock somfish will just swim around
 
I forgot to mention... after reading several posts about using rock from wiz q stone, I decided to go purchase 75lb for base rock... After soaking for 2 weeks I thought it was good to go... Tank blew up with algae, first red slime, then green hair... Did massive water changes,(corals not happy) once a week for 6 weeks until the rock stop leaching and I got the pram under control... Worst mistake I have made so for in the hobby [smilie=sadsmile.gif] It was just like starting new, but this time I had fish and corals to take care of... Others have had success with the lace rock, I guess I should have cured it longer.
 
I got my rock from there also, I soaked it for all of 2 hours maybe and then put it in. There was a ton of hair algae at first but that could have been because it was a brand new tank as well.

Now those rocks are COVERED with coraline and I have ZERO problems. Dont attribute the rock to your problems, remember its common for algae outbreaks to happen at first. I personally love the rock (aka super cheap!)
 
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