Any advice?

[Nick C]

I'm starting into the hobby. This is my first tank. It is a 110T. 48x18x30. Below are pictures of the scape. It is a reef ready tank and the overflow is back left as you are looking.

Please provide any kind of feedback! (It's 102lbs of rock)

I went a slim on the tape to try and police space for my glass cleaner.

 

[Nick C]

.

 

[Nick C]

One more

 

[Daniel Waters]

Looks good.

If your tank is 30" in height, one thing you might consider is building your rock structure higher on one side (probably on the same side as the overflow). The rock built up around it also hides the overflow more and gives you like a wall type look on one side that then flows into the rest of your scape. Just a thought!

 

[theKoolAidMan]

I like the overall formation, but you also may want to consider making the footprint a bit smaller in case you end up buying corals that are best placed on the sand bed. Doesn't seem like there will be much room.

 

[starypotter]

I'm assuming that the tape is the footprint of the tank, and in that case it looks like your rock is going to be really really close to the glass. Many people don't like to do that because then you can't clean the glass, something to keep in mind.

 

[Prestomagic17*]

I would consider leaving some space between rock and glass for a magnet cleaner. but looks sweet

 

[Nick C]

I'm assuming that the tape is the footprint of the tank, and in that case it looks like your rock is going to be really really close to the glass. Many people don't like to do that because then you can't clean the glass, something to keep in mind.

I would consider leaving some space between rock and glass for a magnet cleaner. but looks sweet

Yeah the tape is the tank, but I did make the tape a little smaller than the actual tank in hopes to have space for my cleaner.

 

[Nick C]

Looks good.

If your tank is 30" in height, one thing you might consider is building your rock structure higher on one side (probably on the same side as the overflow). The rock built up around it also hides the overflow more and gives you like a wall type look on one side that then flows into the rest of your scape. Just a thought!

Yeah I thought tgat, but if u go too high, the light will be super strong up there right? What would you recommend putting there if I did? I have to radion xr30

 

[Nick C]

I like the overall formation, but you also may want to consider making the footprint a bit smaller in case you end up buying corals that are best placed on the sand bed. Doesn't seem like there will be much room.

I didn't even consider the corals in the sand. I feel like I have enough sand for a softer ( I really want a Mandarin) and a clam, but didn't think about corals! Thanks!

 

[Daniel Waters]

Yeah I thought tgat, but if u go too high, the light will be super strong up there right? What would you recommend putting there if I did? I have to radion xr30

You don't necessarily have to put anything. But corals will easily handle high par light if acclimated.

The principle I was advocating is that differing heights in your rockwork might look more interesting visually. You don't necessarily have to build it all the way up. But with a 30" height, I think a higher structure on one side will help capture the dimension of the tank better. For instance, maybe one structure goes as high as 20", leaving 10" of water space above, and then drops down where the next structure has 15" of water space above it. I'm just throwing out numbers here. Also, in the past when I've done different aquascapes, I always winding up wishing i had used less rock and had more open / negative space. If you build one side up using more rock, you could have more open rock work on the other structures. The part I used to like when I had a wall type structure (but with a lot of open holes in the formations) is many of the fish would swim in and out of the structures, which is just more interesting visually. I may not be doing a good job describing it. But your scape looks good and isn't a criticism!

 

[Nick C]

You don't necessarily have to put anything. But corals will easily handle high par light if acclimated.

The principle I was advocating is that differing heights in your rockwork might look more interesting visually. You don't necessarily have to build it all the way up. But with a 30" height, I think a higher structure on one side will help capture the dimension of the tank better. For instance, maybe one structure goes as high as 20", leaving 10" of water space above, and then drops down where the next structure has 15" of water space above it. I'm just throwing out numbers here. Also, in the past when I've done different aquascapes, I always winding up wishing i had used less rock and had more open / negative space. If you build one side up using more rock, you could have more open rock work on the other structures. The part I used to like when I had a wall type structure (but with a lot of open holes in the formations) is many of the fish would swim in and out of the structures, which is just more interesting visually. I may not be doing a good job describing it. But your scape looks good and isn't a criticism!

No i appreciate it! And i think i kind of get what you're saying. I personally think i'm using to much Rock, it's 102 lb's. For a 110 tank. I know number wise they say about 1:1 right? I just want to make sure i have enough surface area for bacteria and what not. Do you think i should take some out? Or would there not be enough rock in the tank for a proper set up?

 

[fermentedhiker]

I'd definitely reduce the amount of rock. You'll have plenty of surface area for bacteria even with half what you have. The 1:1 ratio isn't recognized as a real rule any longer. So make a scape that pleases you and don't worry about how much rock you do or don't use. I will say from personal experience I will never out rockwork closer than two inches to the glass. It makes cleaning, making adjustments, recovering frags and even dead organisms a pain

 

[Nick C]

I'd definitely reduce the amount of rock. You'll have plenty of surface area for bacteria even with half what you have. The 1:1 ratio isn't recognized as a real rule any longer. So make a scape that pleases you and don't worry about how much rock you do or don't use. I will say from personal experience I will never out rockwork closer than two inches to the glass. It makes cleaning, making adjustments, recovering frags and even dead organisms a pain

Well thats good to know! I was pretty worried but if i could take out a 1/4 or some of what i have that would make it a lot easier. I'll play around and see if i can get it to go higher, but i'll probably remove some! Thanks!

 

[Daniel Waters]

I agree with @fermentedhiker , the old guideline of 1 lb per rock per gallon is outdated. Besides, rock weight is probably a horrible measure of a rocks contribution to filtration and biodiversity. Lighter, more porous rock is better than denser, heavier rock in my experience.

You have plenty of rock. Create the aquascape you want for visual appeal and functionality, even if you wind up removing a lot of the rock. If you plan on using sand, you will have a huge area that bacteria can grow on. If you are really concerned about bacteria populations, get some ceramic media like a marine pure block or some balls and throw in your sump. Those will house significantly more bacteria than your rockwork.

Now I may be totally wrong in the below view and I hope others will correct me if it is incorrect, but I have held the view that our bacteria populations are largely dependent on the bio load that is present in a tank and surface area. For instance, a tank with 2 fish producing ammonia are going to support less bacteria than a tank with 6 fish for instance. Bacteria typically will multiply and populate as ample food sources allow. Certainly there is an upper limit to this process, and you also don't want to add too many fish at once, as your bacteria have to adjust to the increased ammonia production (not to mention other nutrient issues from overstocking). Your system will create a balanced eco system over time given your bio load. There is usually plenty of surface area for bacteria to grow on inside the tank, so I usually concern myself more with proper stocking levels for the tank size and nutrient export methods available than the amount of live rock I use.

 

[Nick C]

I agree with @fermentedhiker , the old guideline of 1 lb per rock per gallon is outdated. Besides, rock weight is probably a horrible measure of a rocks contribution to filtration and biodiversity. Lighter, more porous rock is better than denser, heavier rock in my experience.

You have plenty of rock. Create the aquascape you want for visual appeal and functionality, even if you wind up removing a lot of the rock. If you plan on using sand, you will have a huge area that bacteria can grow on. If you are really concerned about bacteria populations, get some ceramic media like a marine pure block or some balls and throw in your sump. Those will house significantly more bacteria than your rockwork.

Now I may be totally wrong in the below view and I hope others will correct me if it is incorrect, but I have held the view that our bacteria populations are largely dependent on the bio load that is present in a tank and surface area. For instance, a tank with 2 fish producing ammonia are going to support less bacteria than a tank with 6 fish for instance. Bacteria typically will multiply and populate as ample food sources allow. Certainly there is an upper limit to this process, and you also don't want to add too many fish at once, as your bacteria have to adjust to the increased ammonia production (not to mention other nutrient issues from overstocking). Your system will create a balanced eco system over time given your bio load. There is usually plenty of surface area for bacteria to grow on inside the tank, so I usually concern myself more with proper stocking levels for the tank size and nutrient export methods available than the amount of live rock I use.

Perfect! Thank you for your insite! I will will definitely come back to this when i get off work!

 

[DWPhilli]

I also think making one side taller would look good as well and give you options for higher light requiring Also, it does seem like a lot of rock overall, but it could just be the pic of the tank being taken from further back

 

[Nick C]

I also think making one side taller would look good as well and give you options for higher light requiring Also, it does seem like a lot of rock overall, but it could just be the pic of the tank being taken from further back

This is what it ended up looking like in the tank, this was last night. This morning the water is Crystal clear. I ended up taking 3 of the rocks and throwing them in the sump