Looking for Aquascaping Tips/Ideas **

[Pisces28]

Hello Everyone :bounce3:

I have just set up my BioCube 29, and aquascaped with live rock.

Unfortunately, I really dislike the way it turned out, and will be starting over. Any advice on aquascaping would help.

Here is what I would like to know:

1. I will be putting soft corals in eventually, so I am wondering if there are any shelf-like pr any cave-like rocks I can purchase.If so, where and what kind?
2. Is there a specific way this should be done for the corals to live properly on the rock?
3. Does the rock have to be live or can it be dry, or some other kind?

If anyone has pictures or can share some ideas, I would appreciate it because I am lost and cannot begin to cycle until this is done!

 

[pegasus]

Rocks are like cars... everyone has their own preference. There are shelf rocks available, but they come at a premium price. A viable option is to buy dry base rock and cut it to your liking. Most base rock can be cut with a hacksaw, bandsaw, or reciprocating saw. It mainly depends on the density of the rock, but all I have ever bought could be cut using any of those methods. Just be sure to give them a good blasting with water to remove the residue. Most corals will grow regardless of how they are positioned on the rocks. Other than meeting the lighting and flow requirements for each coral, it boils down to personal preference as to how you position them. Rock can be dry or live. I normally mount mushrooms and ricordeas on slabs of rock that I've cut, and mount them in a semi-vertical position. Easier to see, and they seem to like that position. As long as you have a few protrusions on the rocks, you can mount corals. Most corals come attached to a frag plug, and these plugs can be epoxied to the rocks in whatever location you choose. If I keep the corals on the plug, I normally cut the stem off the bottom and attach the plug to the rocks. Otherwise, I remove the corals from the plug and attach them to a rock. This method varies depending on the coral.

 

[Pisces28]

Hello,

Thank you Pegasus for your reply, as it was very helpful.
Although I do have a new problem now.

My water was very cloudy due to the sand, and I put all my rocks in there without any formation. The reason for this is because I am leaving on vacation for the week, and thought it would be a good idea to get the cycle process started while I will not be here. So my question is, how would I go about re-arranging the rocks when I get back in a week? If I touch it, the sand gets all cloudy right away and I cannot see what I am doing

 

[bang guy]

If the tank is cycled then the sand will not cloud for very long, if at all. The bacteria tends to keep the sand down.

 

[beth]

I have had that same issue with sand cloud and not able to see what I was doing while trying to arrange the rock. I then switched to doing my aquascaping (as rapidly as possible) without the water in the tank, or water just a few ins. on the bottom so I could actually see what I was doing. I sprayed down the LR with salt water very frequently, quickly getting the work done, then filled her up with water. You may find that you'll need to empty out your tank a bit to do the aquascape when you get back. Just keep your rock wetted down, and work fast.

 

[bang guy]

Great idea Beth.

 

[Pisces28]

If you guys can help me come up with ANY ideas on how to aquascape the rocks that I have, I would appreciate it. I know its tough to explain via a post, but any suggestions will be helpful. I have been at this for three days now, and cannot get it right
I will be taking everything out of the tank tonight, draining the water, and starting over.

So the red rocks in the second picture, I have already taken them out and broke them into pieces for better stacking. Also, in the second picture, the piece on the bottom right and bottom left I do not plan on using at all.

What I am going to use:

- All the white rocks in picture #1
- The large white one in #2 (The whitest one)
- All the red ones.

Thank you so much in advance!

 

[pegasus]

If you're having trouble deciding how you want your rocks to look in the tank, here's something you can do that will make it easier than trying to do it in the tank and stirring sand up. Cut a piece of cardboard the same size as the bottom (or top) of your tank. Put it on a table that is about the same height as the bottom of the tank. This will give you the exact angle that you will see the rocks once they're in the tank. Stack your rocks on the cardboard to find a design that you like. It may take a while to get the look you want, but once you hit the right combination, you'll know. Look at it from every angle that you will be able to see once they're in the tank. I didn't mention earlier that a hammer and chisel will also help if you need to chip a corner off or make a flat spot so the rocks will fit together better. You want the rocks to be secure so you don't have a rockslide in the tank. That's never a good thing. Then again, you don't want to close up all the openings... fish love to swim through these caves and tunnels, and it also helps with flow so detritus doesn't accumulate between the rocks.

Here's where it gets tricky trying to explain, but I'll do my best:

Once you have the design of your liking, remove the top rock(s) and without turning them in any way, place them away from the stack... preferably behind the stack. Remove the next layer, remembering how they may overlap each other, and without turning them in any way, place them behind the stack, preferably in front of the first rock(s). Once you've reached the bottom of the stack, you can take the bottom rocks and place them in the tank. It may take a little adjusting to get them in the same location as they were on your cardboard/table, but it's a lot easier than guessing in a cloudy tank. If you need to let the sand settle, find a pastime until you can see how to set the next layer. With a little patience, you will be able to recreate the exact rockscape you designed. As I previously mentioned... BE PATIENT! Patience is a virtue, and never so more true than when it comes to the saltwater hobby. Nothing good ever happens in a hurry when it comes to saltwater. If you go about it right, this will be a long-term (hopefully lifetime) hobby. Don't rush the cycle, and don't rush to stock the tank. Proper procedure will reward you with many years of happiness and satisfaction. There's no other hobby like it, and it's extremely addictive...

 

[pegasus]

PS: If your memory is anything like mine, you should probably take a picture of the mockup stack before disassembling it. This may help when reassembling it in the tank.

 

[silverado61]

Take pictures in stages as you disassemble it. Birds eye shots help better. That's what I did. Helped a lot.
Pegasus is right. Use patience. I must have tore apart and rebuilt my rocks, live, dry and diy, 10 times defore I got it just the way I liked it before I even put it in the tank.

 

[pegasus]

Looking good, Silverado. I love to see aquascapes that have diversity, and I really dislike those that are built to look like "vegetable stands". Rocks are on display, but it shouldn't look like a display... if that makes any sense. It should look natural and have dynamics to it, such as you would find in nature.

 

[silverado61]

Natural is what I was looking for. I don't know if I nailed it but I think I got close.

 

[bang guy]

One tip if you are not gluing the rocks:

Always have each rock supported by three points. Not two points, not four or five, exactly three points. This will allow the rocks to shift slightly and still be just as stable.

 

[Pisces28]

Hello,



I came home last night to an already finished aquascape!

My boyfriend (who wanted no part in this to begin with) had some fun with re-arranging the rocks, and Im pretty pleased with the results.

I cant say im 100% satisfied because I dont think thats possible when it comes to aquascaping


Posting some pictures.

Opinions are always appreciated!

 

[pegasus]

Pros: That's actually pretty nice! He did a great job of fitting them together. It looks like he used all the rocks instead of the few that you had mentioned earlier. He maximized space with this design, it has plenty of nice ledges to place corals on, and lots of caves and passages that fish love to explore. Your BF was sandbagging.

Cons: I can't tell if the base of the stack is against the back of the tank, because you definitely want flow across all sides so no detritus gets trapped and builds up. I believe I see space behind the stack in the last picture. It won't matter much if the top is touching the back of the tank, as long as there's a space around the bottom. I was concerned about the rock on the left side of the first pic. It looked like it was hanging precariously on one little point, but it appears to have been repositioned in the following pics. As long as there's no movement of any of the rocks and the stack doesn't wobble, it should make a great environment for the tank's inhabitants.

Summary: Going on the assumption that it's rock steady (pardon the pun)... I'm giving it two thumbs up!

 

[Pisces28]

Thank you!! Means a lot considering this was not easy. It will be covered in coral and polyp which is why I am not too concerned with the colors not matching (which i really dislike in my tank) but the rock formation is definitely "rock steady" haha it does not move when i touch it. The back wall is covered, but it is not fully touching the back. There is some space for water flow. hoping it looks good once it is established!!

So yesterday was the beginning of my cycle, and I know this topic does not pertain to aquascaping, but you seem to know your stuff and I need some advice!

Do I have to feed the tank during this process? I know lights should be kept off, but thats about all I know about cycling.. I have 40 lbs of live sand, about 20 lbs of live rock (mixed with dry rock) and 18 gallons of Nutri-sea ocean water. So everything in there is living, and I am not sure if I have to add food or anything like that or just let it be.

Would appreciate some input

 

[pegasus]

You have to add something to kick-start the nitrogen cycle, and something to keep it going. You can add a pinch of food daily (ghost feeding) to do this. As the food breaks down, it will create ammonia. As the nitrosomonas bacteria that consumes ammonia populates the rocks and sand, it will start converting it to nitrite. This process will soon be followed by the population of nitrobacter bacteria that consumes nitrite, and converts it to nitrate. With 40 lbs of live sand, I'm sure there will be nitrate consuming bacteria that will populate the anaerobic (oxygen-free/lower) regions of the sandbed... which is a good thing. Anaerobic bacteria converts nitrate into nitrogen gas, which escapes into the atmosphere. This final stage can help reduce water changes! Each process takes awhile to develop, so be patient. I've said that before, haven't I? It depends on how much beneficial bacteria is already in place as to how long it takes to cycle the tank. Some tanks cycle sooner than others. It's a wait-and-see game. You will need to feed the nitrosomonas bacteria, which in turn will will feed the nitrobacter, which in turn feeds anaerobic (if present). You get the picture. If the cycle gets broken, you have to start all over. You'll want to test the water every few days until the ammonia and nitrite levels fall to zero. Once this happens, you will be okay to S-L-O-W-L-Y stock the tank. Many people rush to cram the tank full of goodies, which is a recipe for disaster! Add a fish, and you will see a spike in ammonia, and consequently nitrite. The system has to have a chance to gradually adjust to the bioload. This is another time when patience (really... again?) is important.

PS: These bacteria do not consume each other, but rather consume the waste of other bacteria. Nitrite is ammonia poop, and nitrate is nitrite poop... so to speak. If you stop feeding the nitrosomonas bacteria, it will die, and a domino effect will happen. All the bacteria will die. Be diligent, and most important... be patient. Don't worry, one day you will appreciate that word. What word? Patient. LOL!!!

Some people begin a cycle with a piece of raw shrimp, and remove it once ammonia levels rise. As you can see in my explanation about breaking the cycle, this isn't such a good idea. A few flakes of fish food will yield the same results, and a few flakes daily will give you the completed cycle you seek... and it won't stink up the house.

 

[pegasus]

It will be covered in coral and polyp which is why I am not too concerned with the colors not matching (which i really dislike in my tank)

Don't worry about the color even if you don't cover them right away (I hope you don't... patience) because if you have good water and lighting, those rocks will get covered with coralline algae. They'll match once that happens.

 

[Pisces28]

thank you for the info! very helpful information because as a beginner, I am very confused. I have tried this about two years ago and failed miserably due to a lack of patience. I have since learned the importance of patience and have no desire to rush into this. I know it will be a while but I would rather do it right and wait than rush into it and fail.. again! As far as fish food, is there any specific type I should use? I will go buy some and put a few flakes in the tank daily. You've been very helpful thus far and I appreciate it!!

 

[bang guy]

Flaked food for maintaining an ammonia level during the cycle is fine. Feed about what you would feed your first fish. The idea behind ghost feeding is to maintain a low and steady supply of ammonia to grow bacteria colonies. Low for me is 0.25ppm - 0.5ppm.

It's just an opinion but I do not use flaked food for saltwater fish (again, for the cycle it's fine). Although very nutrient dense, a lot of the nutrients dissolve into the water before the fish eats them. Not a problem for the fish, it's a problem for the water quality.

My first recommendation is to make your own fish food using wild caught seafood products. You can tailor the food to match your tanks requirements and it's a lot cheaper than a good quality frozen fish food.

If that's not convenient then I'd suggest a combination of frozen Mysis Shrimp and Cyclop-Eeze. Don't confuse Brine Shrimp with Mysis Shrimp. "Enriched" Brine Shrimp has the same issue as flaked food.