How do you build your rock pile?

[fishnet]

I just swapped out my crushed coral substrate for about 80 lbs of Southdown in my 55 gallon tank (what a sandstorm!). I’m now doing a little aquascaping with an additional 30 lbs of live rock. My question is this: when you place your rock, do you allow it to touch the sidewall glass or is it better to be free-standing? I’ve tried keeping it off the glass, but I have one piece that is leaning against the back. Since it is a glass tank, I’m not too worried about scratches.
What do the rest of you do?

 

[jdragunas]

i have mine leaning against the glass, but that's because i have an engineer goby (he burrows in the sand and tunnels under the LR), and it helps support the LR better so it won't tumble.
The reason most people don't like the LR against the tank glass is that it makes it difficult to clean the algae off of the glass. BUT, if you have it against the back wall, there's no reason to scrape algae off if the LR is covering it.

 

[reefnut]

It is best to keep the rock off the glass... to be honest I always stack mine against the back glass but shouldn't.
Cleaning is another issue when creating your aquascape... be sure to leave enough room between the rock and the glass to fit a magnet cleaner, or a cleaner of some sort so you are able to clean the glass.

 

[crazyzeus1]

I also think I read somewhere that by avoiding stacking it against the glass, you allow for better waterflow through out the tank...

 

[reefnut]

That's a good point crazyzeus1!!

 

[oceanists]

silicone , or aquasafe plumbers putty (you can get it at most LFS , or just get rocks that fit eachother and build like a puzzle , that what i did

 

[chipmaker]

In a lot of setups its next to impossible to place lr without it touching the back glass. Just make sur eyou can leave some space, as small as it may be for better circulation, and try and have as many parts as possible touch so there is not one localized pressure spot. Its really not going to hurt anything, and it would be pretty hard to stack it tight and cut off all water circulaton.

 

[fishnet]

Thanks for the insight. There is really only one spot where it is touching (not not really putting much pressure, I think), so I think water flow will not be an issue. I might try to reposition them a bit, but I think I really like the way it is -- so if I can't fix it, I'm not going to worry too much. Thanks.

 

[thomas712]

When I created my system I used egg crate on the bottom of the glass, then sand and then placed the rock on that. I do have some rock that touches the back glass in one corner, other than that I built it away from the glass, and up from the sand in spots. Perhaps if you take a very very early look at my tank you can see the balancing act I pulled.

 

[bill f]

Why the egg crate Thomas, to prevent drifting sand piles?

 

[oceanists]

i think the egg crate is for better stability for the bottom rock , and also so you dont have alot of weight and a hard rock on a part of the bottom glass creating a weak pressure point the would be suspect to shattering ..... right ?

 

[fishnet]

Originally Posted by Oceanists
i think the egg crate is for better stability for the bottom rock , and also so you dont have alot of weight and a hard rock on a part of the bottom glass creating a weak pressure point the would be suspect to shattering ..... right ?
So... you don't put the rock on top of the sand? Is this to prevent anoxic zones from developing under the rock?

 

[thomas712]

I used it for:
1. Equally distributing the weight of the rock
2. To prevent an reefalanche that might happen if a rock were to fall.
3. Since I only have 1.5-2 inch sand bed in the main, I simply seated the rock and gave it a few twists until it hit the egg crate.
I would think that there are anoxic regions under my rock and in between the squares of the egg crate under the rock. Thus it can process nitrates, albeit very slowly.
I also aquascaped the way I did to maximize flow, and sandbed area.
I just felt safer with it in there. I never see it and sometimes hardly even remember that I did it. I just cut it a couple of inches shy of the edges of the glass.
Thomas

 

[aquapro_1]

I read from the experts, to use base rock on the bottom. 'cause it's dead. VS lr on top of each other. It should be freestanding. Reason...dead zones. It causes levels to spike. DR get populated by lr so no chance of decaying matter. I live by *unauthorized link deleted*. Author Fenner is a guenius & I have never gone wrong with his insite to the sea world.

 

[thomas712]

Well I don't happen to live by their words but I do exhange opinions with them now and again. I enjoy conversing with Fenner and Pro and the others, and I do value their opinions.

 

[aquapro_1]

I guess every topic is by preference. Opinion is just that. But they have filled my head w/ more knowlegde than any other site.
Experience is the best knowledge!!

 

[reefnut]

lol... as well respected and knowledgeable as Fenner, along with a LONG list of others are... they are still learning as we are. New things are constantly being discovered or figured out and countless "expert opinions" that were, in their day, very respected, are now being proved wrong or simply better ways have evolved. In reading some text that once was hailed "The Bible for reef keeping" which I beleave was published in 1994, it's clear to see how our hobby is progressing. Although like Thomas I do value their opinions, I still do what works best for me and my tank...

 

[seahorse11]

Thomas, Wouldnt putting egg crate at the bottom almost be the same as putting in an UGF? Wouldnt all the waste sink to the bottom and collect UNDER the egg crate and throw off all the parameters?
I personally think that the egg crate is a great idea ( so the rock isnt sitting on the bottom glass) but I was worried about all the crap that would collect and be unable to get it out.
thanks

 

[thomas712]

Well I would never recommend that anyone use crushed coral with it or a UGF. No I'm not worried about anything like that. Water still cirrculates, and its a shallow sand bed. I find that when I clear some of the sand that I have tons of worms that have actually anchored themselves to the egg crate. If anything I figured that with the sand between the squares and if no infauna ever cleaned it up then I would have denitrifiying bacteria in it and that would be fine with me.
My 90 has been up for about 3 years now, no problems from using the egg crate.
Thomas