My Rock Work

[aquamax]

Here's my new 50 gal reef tank. I'm not really satisfied with how my rocks are stacked so I hope I can get some ideas that can improve on my overal look of my tank.

[aquamax]

heres the side view..

[aquamax]

is it so boring that no one wants to reply?

[alde]

Not boring at all. It looks great. Is the tank 36" long?

[cecilturtle]

Hey Aqua...I like the rockline (centered and flowing) but the whole seems "dense". I can't really make out the details but an interesting feature would be to add a cave. My shrimp and clown tend to play quite a bit in mine. Ledges will also allow you to add differing corals down the road. By layering, you also add along the planes as opposed to just one level or two. A good guide for me has been to use larger pieces for base with an added branching rock or two, and the more porous pieces for the upper levels. Leave room on sides for cleaning. HTH....

[aquamax]

yes it is 36" long.
U think its good for coral placement, water circulation, etc?

[muxx]

Looks nice, how much LR is that? Where did you get the rock from?

[kashi410]

where did u get your LR from? what part of california are you in, and what is your favorite LFS in the area?

[wanareef]

:thumbsup: looks great are there any caves for critters to hide in :confused: maybe some caves of tunnels for the current to flow through

just my .02$

[griss]

Looks good, thanks for sharing your pics.

Griss

[J-Bomber]

Yo Max,

Actually, from the photo, your aquascaping looks pretty sweet. You've got some nice rock to work with.

Here's a suggestion: instead of going from left to right across your tank with a single pile o' rocks, why not work from front to back diagonally with two piles? Looks like this: [ // ] or this: [ \\ ], depnding on the primary viewing angle. The diagonal crevasse in the middle creates intrigue and allows better water circulation in the back of the tank, where dead zones can form. Also, you're two stacks can be of different sizes, with the front stack being smaller. You can even build a small stack towards a front corner and curve the rear stack around the back, sloping it up as it ends at the back corner. Leaving a 1"- 2" gap between the stacks creates a really neat effect, seperates territory (as needed), and allows you to drop in a nice LPS llike a frogspawn, fox, or bubble towards the bottom of the tank.

My .02,

j-bomber

[aquamax]

thanks for replying..
Emmm i got the rocks at aquatic outlet which is in inglewood. Its about 55 lbs of Figi live rock. i wasn't going to buy my set up there but i just did while i was checking out the store.( i got ripped) I really regret though... i visited like strictly and orange coast and they all seem to be great lfs's. And the owner at strictly said i could've got a better set up for way less. i'm a high school student and i jsut cant believe that i just spent 1500 on a tank in one day that i saved for a year. there's a long story behind it that makes me want to cry. hehe... my tank is having constant problem because the main tank tries to over flow all the time. i called aquatic and the guy said he'll send me flow regulator for my rio but i haven't got it eventhough it has past 2 weeks. the guy at stricly said that no one really uses my over flow which is a drilled hole basically but use a overflow box which is the right way to do. the people at the aquatics clearly said i was getting the best stuff at best price. oh well i learned a lesson. Also i made a mistake of choosing a deal which was either a seaclone skimmer or 200 dollars worth of fish and corals. i picked the seaclone. i cant even turn the sea clone on cause the water outlet is too high up and water drops which make loud noise and bubbles. i am kind of ****ed but i really love this hobby and i wish that i could fix my problems one at a time.

[gonereefin']

At least you've got a start now!!! Everyone has setbacks, lots of small ones and a few larger ones. The live rock looks good and $1500 doesn't go to far these days. I'd try and exchange the SeaClone for the fish though. Try ebay for a skimmer, there are many for sale for pretty good prices. Maybe if you start "hard" shopping now, you can get back to "about right" on the overall cost of your setup. I'm sure you have many more things on your wish list and thus time to make it up. If you are much of a DYI'er that is a good way to save and enjoy.
Good luck and have fun, Randy

[SaltwaterSensei]

gease thats some really nice rock, it looks fresh out of the ocean!!!!!

I'd open up yoru rock work alittl more do it doesn't look like a dense pile but more "flowy". But ultimatly its how you like it, not how I or other r/c peeps like it....

Trust me you going to change it million times be fore you're satisfied...lol

[Paul B]

You could build a base out of concrete that you can put your live rock on. This way you will not have a tank of small pieces like everyone has.
Paul B
Build your own rock (http://www.geocities.com/CapeCanaveral/Hangar/6279/RaiseCementHomemadeConglomerateRocks.html)