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View Full Version : Laying Live Rock Against The Back Glass?


Black Mammoth
09/07/2006, 09:27 AM
Currently I have a 75G setup. I'm about to move and when I do, I will be putting everything in a 90G. Anyway, when setting up my 75G, I read that the rock shouldn't touch any of the glass. I thought it was to help with flow. I figured there was a greater chance of algae growing back there and getting out of control because you can't get to it.

Well recently, I have seen a lot of beautiful tanks where the live rock does lay against the back wall of the tank. I'm thinking about a design for the 90G where live rock does go up against the back glass.

What do you guys think? What kind of problems are associated with the rock resting against the back glass? I plan on having all the rock secured.

HBtank
09/07/2006, 09:58 AM
I personally have never worried about that (within reason) and just make sure each rock is securly placed and supported on the bottom first, but if the best fit has one part of the rock using the back glass for a little support I don't mind.

I only really do this with the smaller top rocks too, I think the large base rocks should be fully supported from the bottom. I would never start a pile or wall by resting a large base rock against any glass. Only the uppermost rocks.

I worry more about a rock tumbling down and hitting the front and by having my pile so that some top rock is shifted towards the back with some resting on the back glass, I feel they have the least chance of doing so.

I never use epoxy either and have been doing this on SW and FW for a long time, some times with hundreds of pounds of round river rock in my cichlid aquariums.

Cleaning is more difficult, though cleaning the back is a chore any time.

drummereef
09/07/2006, 10:26 AM
My aquascape used to be the basic rock wall you are describing. Stacking the rocks against the back wall. The only problem I ran into was detritus buildup behind the rock structure. Now I left space between the back wall and the live rock. Much easier as far as maintanance goes.