Re-arranging live rock...

[javajoe]

I have a 55 gallon tank, 48 inches wide by 12 inches front to back. When we first got our live rock, i placed it all down the center, making sure that their was adequate room behind the rock for waterflow, as well as making it easier to celan the glass. I was also worried about leaning rock against the back- thought it might damge the glass or pop the seals if it got heavy enough.
This was fine when we started with only 40 pound of live rock, but we are slowly building up to 100 pounds or so, and quickly running out of room.
Is it ok to place the rock agaisnt the back? and if so, is rearranging rock a good or bad idea? I have a DSB about 5 inches, and i kow that moving the rock will stir it up a bit. what do you all think? Leaning the rock against the back and covering the back of the tank WILL amke it easier for cleaning, as i wont see taht it is dirty....
Oh- for those of you who have read my posts about the algae problems,e tc- if i do move my rock, i am going to wait till everything settles out.... just trying to get some info now....

 

[mlm]

I have they same size tank with about pounds of live rock. I don't see how you fit it all. But anyway I have mine against the back glass. From what I understand it is a good idea not to clean the back glass and let it get covered with various algea. This may help to filter some pollutants out of the water. I would not see any problem rearranging the rocks.

 

[mlm]

That should read about 60 pounds of live rock.

 

[javajoe]

Mlm...
we currently have 55 pounds, and i am not sure how we CAN fit 100 pounds unless we let it rest against the back of the tank. not using any external filtration except for a protein skimmer, so we want to make sure we have 2 pounds of LR per gallon.
Also- in case you didn't know, you can go back and edit your own post by clicking on the notepad icon with the pencil in your post... that way you can add stuff you forget without posting seperately--- no big deal- just thought you'd like to know....

 

[kelly]

JavaJoe,
It is not a good idea to lean rock on the back of the tank. I have done it in my 80 gal with no problems though. I have moved my rock with no problems, when you get new rock, you will probably want to change it. I know that I do.
The little bit of sand that you move will not cause any problems. I have not cleaned the back of my tank since setup... Not that much build up on it. I hope this helps.

 

[broomer5]

Personally I've never heard of a tank leaking due to excessive amounts of live rock leaning against the back glass, although I suppose anything's possible.
I've always tried to maintain at least an inch or two of clear path behind the bottom couple stacks of LR near the bottom of the tank - and point a powerhead on one end pointing down this unobstructed alley. It seems for keep the substrate clean of detritus/wastes. With sandbeds, you need to insure that the powerhead is secure in your rockwork or if you use the crappy little suction cups on glass, that they don't come loose and stir up the sand.
Also I've always tried to lay down a base of medium/small pieces of LR as a base, then add larger pieces on top of those, creating caves and bridges near the substrate for better circulation. Then build upon that set up. A few light pieces that happen to fit nicely, that may lean a little against the back glass has never caused me any problem, and it does seem to secure the reef somewhat.
Rearranging LR is part of the fun, as long as you don't disturb the corals too much.
Water change time seems to be a good time to do some rearranging. You can keep the LR in a bucket of the removed water, keep it wet and go at it!
Cover the back glass with a background if you want, and don't worry too much about the looks. Eventually if all goes well you'll get a nice covering of corraline back there anyways
Good luck - have fun - move that ROCK !
Broomer

 

[fshhub]

there are others who will disagree, but mine leans against the glass, and i know of one individual, who is a vendor(so i won't mention any names) and is very well known throughout the hobby, for 30 or so years, and sllof his tanks lean the rock against the back glass, leaving space at the bottom for circ. nad snails to get thru , just to note his 715 has been this way for @ 15yrs or so ( i think),
and as for the amount of lr, i prefer to have 1.5 + lbs per gallon, 2 should be fine, this also depends upon the density of the rock also, you can use about 1/3 of your tank space(maybe more with no fish)
as for place ment, try ato place it with some holes betweeen for fish to swim thru, and try a couple of arrangemant, when you think you have it the way you want, then secure it in place
HTH and good luck

 

[thereefer]

I have a 90 gallon reef set up with 180lbs of LR. I have a wall built up along the entire back of the aquarium. I move stuff around all the time and never have a problem. I also run another 15lbs of live run in my sump. I lean all kings of rock agianst the back glass with no problem. I have also colored the outside back glass with black. Make sure your rock is sturdy and won't fall over. I have had this happen a couple of times. No deaths to any corals but some have had to recover from damage. Good Luck and have fun. Its like moving your bedroom around.