Live Rock placement

[nanahugs]

I am getting my new 40G tank and stand tomorrow. I have 28lbs of like rock right now in my QT tank waiting to be put in this new tank. How should I do this? I have seen some pictures posted that show the rocks stacked on top of each other. Is that the way I am supposed to do this? Also, I do plan on getting more live rock, so this will not be the total lb amount that I will have in the tank. Also, 40lbs of live sand will be going in this tank as well. Do I add the sand first, then the rock, or does this matter? I'm just trying to get some pointers.
~Heidi

 

[pbienkiewi]

I have read put the rock in first then the sand after. I did the opposite. Put the rock what looks best to you. If you get and sand on the rock, buy a turkey baster to blow any sand off the rocks. I have smaller rocks with frags atop the bigger rocks. They are just sitting there.

 

[richie1742]

yeah, what you want to do is stack them in a hollow type structure to allow maximum water flow, you also want to eliminate dead spots and such. be creative! good luck!
-richard

 

[pbienkiewi]

a example, a poor one i think

 

[1journeyman]

You want to place the rock on the bottom of the tank, then fill in sand around the bottom layer. This prevents fish and inverts from tunneling under your rock and causing an avalanche.

 

[gordie9]

Originally Posted by richie1742
yeah, what you want to do is stack them in a hollow type structure to allow maximum water flow, you also want to eliminate dead spots and such. be creative! good luck!
-richard
any tips on how to avoid dead spots?

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by gordie9
any tips on how to avoid dead spots?
Placing powerheads around for good circulation! :happyfish

 

[legendary]

place your base for your live rock on about a 1/2 to a 1" of ls then fill in around the base with the rest.. placing the LR is a challenge also everyone has diff ways of doing it . IMO you should start about 2" from the front of the tank building a shelf type reef upward and slanted back forming a peek at the rear of the tank.. stagger the rock to create caves and opening for water flow when done put some of the live sand on the rock for seeding ...in 6 to 8 weeks dim to mod lighting your tank should be cycled oh yea 1 more thing you will have lots of alge do nothing as this is normal you my clean the front and sides but leave the rear glass untouched. I hope this makes since

 

[1journeyman]

Originally Posted by legendary
place your base for your live rock on about a 1/2 to a 1" of ls then fill in around the base with the rest..
Why? You should place rock directly on the bottom of the tank to prevent burrowing issues.

 

[fishmamma]

What type of fish will you be keeping? You can tailor the rock work for their needs and like as well, but like everyone has said, just don't pack it all together too tightly against the back wall of the tank, that is a commonly made mistake.

 

[hot883]

IMO, place the rock in first then the sand for issues already listed. It's also a good idea to NOT put it to close to the front or side walls that way you can still get a mag float on the glass between the rocks and glass. Try not to stack it as you would building a rock wall, keep as much open-ness in there as possible to prevent dead spots of no circulation. It may take several times to stack it in a manner that you like. So what, be creative. Build caves and such so fish have plenty of hiding spots etc. Good luck.

 

[fishmamma]

Here are some pics of my tanks, pardon the encrusting algae, Mama is getting a scraper for Christmas!!

 

[fishmamma]

A couple of side shots:
( as far as sand or rock first, I have done it both ways and don't find one easier than the other. If you put the sand in first just make sure to get your base rock down to the bottom.)

 

[nanahugs]

Thanks Fishmama, and everybody else, for the advise. I like the way you did your tank Fishmama. That is something like I would like to do. The 28 lbs of live rock I have now is in my QT tank and will be transfered to my new 40G as soon as I get it up. Today is my birthday, so I am not sure how much I want to get done today. Anyway, the live rock I have now is beautiful with plenty of purple coloring etc on it. Under my 156 watts of light I have for my 40G tank it should look beautiful. I might do some soft corals if I have enough lighting, but that will not be till my tank is cycled for like a couple of months. My 20G Hex tank is finally cycled and there is currently a 2-1/2" sabae clown that is in it and sharing the entire tank with the live rock and a few hermit crabs.
Once again, thanks to everybody for giving me their advice. I hope that my tank will be as beautiful as some of the posted pics that I have seen in this forum.
~Heidi

 

[fishmamma]

Happy Birthday Heidi!! No doubt your tank will look great, show us some pics once you have the rock in there. How do you like your hex? I was considering a 40 gallon hex for my next tank since they go vertical rather than horizontal space wise. :joy:

 

[nanahugs]

Fishmama,
I like my Hex tank because it fits nicely into the corner in our dining room. It is vertical so you can stack the rocks up pretty high. (I'll post some pics as soon as I get the other tank up and running and I figure out how to post.) The only problem is with lighting. The light that came with the tank is only a 14w bulb. If you want to do corals, I think those pendant fixtures would be best to use with this tank because of the odd shape, but I am so new to this that I am not sure of what elso can be used. My Hex is glass, but I hear they make an acrylic hex as well. (By the way, a 20lb bag of sand gave me nearly a 5" sand base in my tank.)
I spent part of today bringing home RO water from the LFS, and my new tank and oak stand arrived as well, yippee. The water is mixing now in a big plastic trash can and I should be getting my sand tomorrow. I decided to go with a fine grade live sand instead of the extra fine grade that is in our Hex. No particular reason, just something different.
My birthday went great, thanks for the birthday wishes. I just got back from dinner and ate way to much, lol. Fasting might be in order for tomorrow.
Once again, thanks for the cool pics. Your tank is beautiful.
~Heidi

 

[jonnywater]

The only thing that concerns me about placing directly on the bottom of a glass tank is cracks and chips. I read about pockets that can build up, hopefully I never get any myself. But I just put about 2-3 inches of sand in, then dug the rock into the sand (as in twisted and turned till it went further down). Just conerns me having jagged, sharp, heavy rock directly on a glass surface.

 

[tinmanny]

I read that some use egg crate to buffer the rock then put sand. if you put sand then rock you make dead spots in the sand and that is bad.

Manny

 

[drea]

i dont get it.... dead spots? i thought it was ok to put sand down first, then live rock?

 

[mikeyjer]

Originally Posted by drea
i dont get it.... dead spots? i thought it was ok to put sand down first, then live rock?
You create dead spots by placing rocks on top of sand. You want to place the rocks on the bottom glass or egg crate, then fill with sand or push sand back around the rocks, depending on how you started the tank. :happyfish