I think I have too much dry rock

[kdx7214]

I have a 75 gallon system that was started about a month or two ago. It has a single fish and I just added my first dry rock to the tank. I was at a really great shop in St. Louis (Seascape Studio) and picked up 30 lbs of Marco rock. They had just gotten a shipment in and this stuff is serious light. That 30 lbs has taken up 1/3 of my tank. Should I move some of it to the sump? I plan to get actual live rock (maybe 10 lbs) soon to go along with it.

 

[131696]

Piece to the right can be moved to close to glass ,you will need to clean there and theres no thing as to much live rock in a tank take a few minutes and look at others peoples tanks some have bottom to top the whole back wall is rock ,if you want more space in tank you can put some in sump.

 

[Jedi1199]

I have a 75 gallon system that was started about a month or two ago. It has a single fish and I just added my first dry rock to the tank. I was at a really great shop in St. Louis (Seascape Studio) and picked up 30 lbs of Marco rock. They had just gotten a shipment in and this stuff is serious light. That 30 lbs has taken up 1/3 of my tank. Should I move some of it to the sump? I plan to get actual live rock (maybe 10 lbs) soon to go along with it.

So lets start at the beginning.. First, there is no limit to how much rock you can have in a tank. The amount of rock depends entirely on the tank owner. As long as there is adequate flow around the rock to prevent dead spots for unhealthy bacterial growth, the sky is the limit!

In general, it is accepted that approximately 1 pound of rock per 1 gallon of tank space available is a fair goal. IE: if you have a 120G capacity tank, 120 or so pounds of rock. This is a guideline, not a rule.

More importantly, Are you creating the most natural habitat for the stock you intend? A pile of 120 pounds of rock in the middle of the tank, may meet the guideline, but will it create a place for your fish to live and thrive?

Fish need a home. Caves and pass-throughs are vital. Can your flow reach all of these areas? If you intend a reef, are you providing space for growth? Enough area under the lights for corals to survive?

Lastly, and least important for the tank, but highly valued to the observer, is your scape visually appealing?

My personal scape, I tried my best to address all of these issues. "Open and airy" with space for light to reach most areas, yet places for fish to make their home, and a visually appealing (at least to my eye) design.

 

[kdx7214]

So lets start at the beginning.. First, there is no limit to how much rock you can have in a tank. The amount of rock depends entirely on the tank owner. As long as there is adequate flow around the rock to prevent dead spots for unhealthy bacterial growth, the sky is the limit!

In general, it is accepted that approximately 1 pound of rock per 1 gallon of tank space available is a fair goal. IE: if you have a 120G capacity tank, 120 or so pounds of rock. This is a guideline, not a rule.

More importantly, Are you creating the most natural habitat for the stock you intend? A pile of 120 pounds of rock in the middle of the tank, may meet the guideline, but will it create a place for your fish to live and thrive?

Fish need a home. Caves and pass-throughs are vital. Can your flow reach all of these areas? If you intend a reef, are you providing space for growth? Enough area under the lights for corals to survive?

Lastly, and least important for the tank, but highly valued to the observer, is your scape visually appealing?

My personal scape, I tried my best to address all of these issues. "Open and airy" with space for light to reach most areas, yet places for fish to make their home, and a visually appealing (at least to my eye) design.

That's the kind of thing I want to do, I just don't trust myself very much. I suspect it's going to come down to trying a million different things before I settle on something. I'm worried that between what's there and another 10-15 pounds of rock, it's going to be too much rock for an open water fish (some wrasses, etc...)

 

[Jedi1199]

That's the kind of thing I want to do, I just don't trust myself very much. I suspect it's going to come down to trying a million different things before I settle on something. I'm worried that between what's there and another 10-15 pounds of rock, it's going to be too much rock for an open water fish (some wrasses, etc...)

OK... so first off. YOU are the Captain of your ship. OWN it!! In the end, who cares one rip what we think? It is YOUR tank. OWN IT!!

Every single one of us, weather we admit it or not, is just trying our best to imitate what nature does all on its own. We are not perfect. We make mistakes. We adjust and tweak our systems to the best of our own ability.

There is no "perfect" scape. Yes, some artistic people create dazzling scapes from the gate and it is beautiful, functional, and sufficient. Us mortals, yes even Jedi, do our best, and adjust as needed.

Do not EVER put yourself down! IE: "I don't trust myself" Stand proud, do your best, and if you make a mistake, learn from that experience and teach others of your misstep.

THIS is how we will progress this hobby! Not by blindly following a bunch of regurgitated information that someone had read and parroted.

Experiment. Do your research, and try what you think will work for your tank!!

 

[Jedi1199]

OK.. let me step off my soapbox for a minute and let's discuss something important.

I have a 75 gallon system that was started about a month or two ago. It has a single fish and I just added my first dry rock to the tank. I was at a really great shop in St. Louis (Seascape Studio) and picked up 30 lbs of Marco rock. They had just gotten a shipment in and this stuff is serious light. That 30 lbs has taken up 1/3 of my tank. Should I move some of it to the sump? I plan to get actual live rock (maybe 10 lbs) soon to go along with it.

You have a 75g tank with sump. One fish currently in-system. Based on your post, I infer that this will be intended as a mixed reef? Meaning you intend both fish and coral, correct?

What are your goals for this system?

This is crucial to define early as a direction of intent will determine what is needed for not only the aquascape, but also equipment you will need (or at least what will make it easier)

Do you intend a SPS dominated setup? A nice zoa garden? A blend of SPS, LPS and Softies? Have you even started reading up on the demands of these corals?

Do you even WANT corals? If you plan a fish only tank, what fish do you want? Your aquascape will be determined by the demands of the fish in that case.

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Put some rock in the sump yes.
Make a nice lagoon or wall or shelf or sloping pier structure for your fish to hide and swim around.
-d

 

[monkeyCmonkeyDo]

Have fun with it..looks good.

 

[kdx7214]

OK.. let me step off my soapbox for a minute and let's discuss something important.




You have a 75g tank with sump. One fish currently in-system. Based on your post, I infer that this will be intended as a mixed reef? Meaning you intend both fish and coral, correct?

What are your goals for this system?

This is crucial to define early as a direction of intent will determine what is needed for not only the aquascape, but also equipment you will need (or at least what will make it easier)

Do you intend a SPS dominated setup? A nice zoa garden? A blend of SPS, LPS and Softies? Have you even started reading up on the demands of these corals?

Do you even WANT corals? If you plan a fish only tank, what fish do you want? Your aquascape will be determined by the demands of the fish in that case.

Ideally, I'd get a mixed reef. My initial plan is to start with a fish or two, then move into a softie of some sort, and then build complexity by going to an lps and then trying an sps. I know I'll need at least an island for some zoas.

I've definitely been reading up on everything I can find regarding my intended livestock. Just trying to determine something that will look appealing. I'm about the last person on earth to come up with something that "looks good" lol