Live Rock Display

[kristynplu]

Hello....I am new to this hobby and am planning on setting up a 56 gallon fish only tank. I'm planning on adding live rock for the filtration and my question is....
what is the best material to use when designing your live rock formation? What I mean is what should be used to form the tunnels inside of the rock? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you.

 

[marty]

Not sure I follow your question, but maybe here is my answer....
I added 50lbs of live rock to about 30lbs of base & live rock. I just set the new live rock in position that looked pretty good. After I added the fish, I saw that there were tunnels between various rocks. I guess what I am trying to say is that when you add alot of live rock, position them so that they are stable and that you like the appearance. Because the rock is such different shapes, I think you will see that you will automatically create tunnels in the rock structure.
I wouldn't add anything other than more live rock and base rock to your structure. Maybe using smaller rocks to position longer rocks onto of two other rocks will help create the tunnels.
Hope this helps.

 

[c_bell]

I have a 55 gal with 50 lbs of LR. Its hard to plan tunnels and cave until you have the LR because each peice is shaped differently. What i did is picked a few small peices and a few large peices, when you put them together make sure there sturdy and you will see some caves, tunnels, and overhangs start to emerge. If you get tired of that in a few months you can switch it around a little.

 

[clarkiiboi]

I agree, I have a 75 gall. with about 80-85 lbs LR. Once you start getting all your pieces, (some small and some larger) they just make their own caves and tunnels by the way the fit together. You just have to keep messing with it to make sure it is sturdy, I have changed mine around numerous times because of adding new pieces to get it right, but it just works out in the end.

 

[ocellaris_keeper]

Quickcrete, aragonite sand and a drill.
Mix the aragionite woth the quickcrete - add water and mold as you would like the rocks to fit together, Drill as many holes as you like all through the thing, break pieces off when they don't fit the way you like and use as base/layout.
Place LR around your structure and it will become part of the filtration system. Search for GARF, Geothermal Aquaculture Research Foundation. They'll help

 

[frankl15207]

All of the comments and suggestions are accurate. Even when you think you have it perfect, something will happen that change it (like a leak in the tank <img src="graemlins//eek.gif" border="0" alt="[eek]" /> ).
The only suggestion that I will add is using pieces of PVC piping to support your bottom layer of rock. This will keep the sandbed exposed and limit the chances of something getting caught inside of the rock and polluting the tank. I saw the suggestion on a site that sells live rock.
Besides that, it's your tank, make it look the way you want it to look.