Time for Aquascaping

[pnyxxpress]

The day has finally come. I have 200 pounds of rock on the way and need to know the best way to keep everything in place.

Recommendations. . . anyone?

Thanks

[acpoweradapter]

How big is the tank?

[Avi]

Well, start by chosing the best pieces for the base. It takes some effort to "mix" stability with aesthetics but you have to have a stable base on which to place the rock. If you find that you don't have any pieces that will accomplish that for you, then I (annoyingly, no doubt) suggest that you get some before you go on. But, with 200-pounds, you probably have some suitable rock for that purpose.

As you build up from the bottom, press down on the rocks before you put more on that. This will ensure that you have stable rockwork.

By the way, it's handy to have some epoxy that's reef-safe like the kinds they sell labeled for that or Aquamend that's widely available, so that if you can't get a stable contact and the rock seems to shift as you press down, you can put some of the epoxy between the rock. That really helps and there'll be no shifting when you use that. But, be sure you want the rock the way it is before you use the epoxy. On the other hand, even if you change your mind after using it, it can be undone.

Try to post some pic....and good luck and have a good time with this.

[sharko88]

You are about to embark on a two hour journey that will get you mad. Have fun.

[The_Browns]

I jsut ordered Fiberglass rods 1/2" and with using those a drill gun, some epoxy, and zip ties, we are going to be creating our custom aquascape out of 100 lbs of live rock.

[SDguy]

I threaded all my rock onto 3/8" acrylic rods. Holes drilled with a 1/2" masonary bit. Never any collapses here :D

[Thinslis]

Yea, watch out for rock slides. I got a couple small scratches on my glass when I was trying to setup my aquascaping.

I also did the nylon rods, I made two nice pillars with it.

[qfrisco]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=11614262#post11614262 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by sharko88
You are about to embark on a two hour journey that will get you mad. Have fun.

Hehe - at least that, and also several sessions of it. I rearranged my aquascape three times in two weeks when I first started my 90g up - and this wasn't just moving a rock here and there. This was a complete overhaul of 140 lbs of LR each time. :-) I think I'm finally happy with how it is setup, though.

A few things to keep in mind:

- if you can, build up from a wide base to a narrow top - this ensures you've got shelves at various light levels to accommodate different types of coral

- build in lots of caves and tunnels for fish to swim through and hide in, as well as for flow to run through, preventing build up of detritus where you can't go to it

- try to keep enough room between the rock and glass all the way around the tank so you can fit a Mag-Float through there for cleaning

- keep a towel on your shoulder so you can dry your arm each time you take it out of the tank, to minimize the mess on the floor. :-)

[leoslizards]

This is some great info. I just got some LR a couple of days ago and is now curing. I will be using these tips in a month or so. I have a question though. Should the rocks be slightly raised off the sand bed? I noticed some people don't use sand at all and have the rock raised up on eggcrate. What's the purpose of this?

[qfrisco]

I have my base rock dug into my sand bed, but I only have about a 3" sand bed. As Avi mentions above, press down on the rock (or wiggle it) so it digs into the sand, which provides more stability.

People use eggcrate to provide a non-movable base for the rock, but also to raise the rock out of the sand so the LR they spent all that money on isn't essentially being hidden buried in the sand.

[el Deutche]

They don't use the sand during the curing process so any detritus that accumulates can easily be siphoned out. Also I read that during curing, if you elevate the LR any critters that fall out, can't get back in so you can sort thru.

[Feclar]

Yea LR placement is killing me
3 weeks and I have re-aranged all my rock like 6x now

I think I will do the fiberglass rod thing to make pillars then connect the pillars