new and need some rock help and other things

[tifluvsu80]

I have had my tank set up since October and have been getting live rock as I can. I don't have many critters in my tank, just the ones I got to cycle the tank. Since I have been getting more rock I am at a loss how to arrange it. I want to move all my rocks differently but don't have a clue how to move them all so 1. They look nice and 2. I don't upset my whole tank.

I have a friend that got me into the saltwater but he is temprimental and only wants to come and help when he wants. All the saltwater fish store are like 40 min from me so it's not like I can just go hang out at the drop of a hat.

I want to start getting more fish and really get my tank going. Any help, advice or ideas would be great.
Thanks, Tiff

[NanoGurl]

WELCOME TO RC!

Arranging your rock is called aquascaping. Seeing other tanks in person is always a good idea to get ideas from. If LFS are far from you, I would check to see if you have any Reef Clubs that are local to you. They coud help you a lot.

If not, check RC for photos of other tanks. Look in the nano tank forum for ideas for smaller tanks. The more tanks you look at the better feel you will have for what you like.

I wouldn't worry about moving the rock around too much. Try not to disturb your sand bed. Be careful of placing the rocks down on top of anything live in your tank.

Once you have a setup you like start testing your levels. Once they are correct, start adding! Add slowly as each new fish added will increase the bioload and will take your tank time to "catch up" to the new load.

Happy Reefing!

[Avi]

I wouldn't worry too much about completely rearranging your tank. I thought mine was looking good when I first set it up but by now, having acquired more rock, it's completely different and I like what I have a whole lot more.

When you put the rock in the tank it's best, I think to put the larger pieces of rock on the bottom, and best, too if the rocks you place on the bottom are more or less flat on their bottom sides. As you place rock on top of other rocks, one by one, push down on them to make certain that they are stable and don't shift from the pressure you put on them. It's useful to have the kind of exopy we use for fragging coral to the rockwork, so you can put some inbetween rocks as you build up because that will help to prevent shifting and give you better stability.