Rock against the back wall?

[cjrudy]

Does anyone put the rock against the back wall of their tank, I have a 29g BC

[tahoe61]

I think over time you will find that putting any rock againist any side of a tank is not ideal.

Makes it much harder to clean.

I know that a 29 gal does not leave alot of space but I would go with less rock rather than putting it against the back wall.

[Frick-n-Frags]

tahoe said it. i also found, after a while, i really needed to get behind there to clean.

now i never put rock against the glass, so that i can clean behind it.

[Drewbaby]

I did it in my 55 and was happy with the look untill waste built up between the rock and glass and caused a massive hair algae battle that I've been slowly winning since. I have rearranged 2 times since and have no rock against the glass now. And will never do it again.

My 180 on the other hand does have a few larger rocks that are against the glass, but there is enough room for snails to get in there and clean for me.

[cjrudy]

right now there is enough space for me to put my hand back there, maybe I will just leave it

[nvdiz]

he has a 29 BC... its not a glass back, but instead a false wall. You won't have to worry much about cleaning it, but coralline algae will eventually build on it. You'll be fine.

[tahoe61]

he has a 29 BC... its not a glass back, but instead a false wall. You won't have to worry much about cleaning it, but coralline algae will eventually build on it. You'll be fine.

I think the point is back wall not weather it is glass or not.

Regardless it still makes cleaning sand and such harder.

[builderguy]

why clean your back wall? It gets covered with coraline algae over time, you don't look through it, most people cover or paint it black as well.

The main concern is with detritus build up...but that can happen anywhere rock is stacked, whether it's a pile or leaning against the wall...that's a circulation issue, not a rock placement issue.

That being said, most of the "gurus" (Calfo, Fenner, etc) say to leave 3-4" behind your aquascaping for flow behind the rocks so that you avoid "deadspots" there. Open rockwork is the key...not just where it's placed.

[nvdiz]

I think the point is back wall not weather it is glass or not.

Regardless it still makes cleaning sand and such harder.

algae tends to grow on glass because its smoother and light is easily reflected on it. the back wall of a BC 29 is not glass and its black, therefore much less algae if any at all will grow on it.

in the case of rocks not being against the wall, why would you even bother cleaning the sand between the rocks and wall?

[BigAl2007]

The less "dead spots" the better for your tank over-all. I can assure you from first hand experience that if you stack rock against the back wall you are indeed creating (to some degree) a dead spot and detritus will settle out in that area and accumulate over time.

When I re-arranged my rock I was shocked at just how much was back there like that. I moved my rock-scape out a couple of inches from the "False Back" and it even helped cut down on some NO3 build-up.

[ser_renely]

I do, no problems. so far...

[dcombs44]

I prefer a cleaned back panel in my tank. I personally think coralline crusting over it makes it look dirtier. I've had narrow tanks where I couldn't clean all of the back glass because rock was against it. Always bugs me. :)

[cloak]

i do, no problems. So far...

+1.

[sdime0]

I have the rock on the back wall of my 55. If you stick a powerhead back behind rock you can prevent a lot of build up. Just an option if you really want to put it up against the back. In a 29BC it wont be too much to pull a rock or 2 to clean back there.Just an idea good luck.

[Shotgunlew]

I do, I just blow it out every couple days with a huge turkey baster that I use to feed my sun corals.

[bobparker]

I will never do it again. If you have a sick inhabitant, he may very well find the area that you can not get to as it's final resting place. IMO water quality is safer without it all piled up against the back glass. With a small tank especially. Things can go south quickly.<p> Since I have a lot of stock in my 55, I created a slope from the back 2 corners where the only rock touching the back is at the very top of the tank. Branching Fiji rock works great for this rock scape technique. I can slide a algae magnet behind it while allowing good water circulation.