Life rock too big for smaller tank?

[Maverick10gk]

Hello All,

I am a new reefer and I am debating whether or not I need to up the size of the tank I select to accomodate the piece of caribsea life rock we purchased. The tanks in either case would be peninsula AIO tanks.

My concern is whether having the rock so close to the front and back of the smaller tank’s glass is really an issue?
The smaller tank’s floor dimensions are 30”Lx 19”W. (50gallons)

I could opt for a larger tank which would have a floor space of 34”L x 24”W (64 gallons) granting about 2” of extra room on

I have uploaded some pictures of the liferock inside the smaller tank including multiple angles. I had to use the colored pins to model how high the water line would be. I also included a picture of a pink triangle to represent a 3” clown fish. I also included a picture of the life rock to show how hollow it is and what you would see through the peninsula.

I plan to keep a mixed coral tank with about 8 small fish.

Thank you all in advance!



-Mav

 

[MoshJosh]

Get a bigger tank or try to cut the rock. . . though likely would need a lot of cutting.

It will be a huge pain trying to clean between the glass and rock. Also, if the top of the box represents the top of the tank. . . it's going to be too tall for most applications. If I recall, the "usual" recommendation is for rock work to be 50-75% of the tanks height.

 

[Jekyl]

Biggest mistake I made when setting up my tank was using rock that's too large. Put it in a pillowcase and beat it with a hammer. Then create a scape with the smaller rocks to allow more caves and sleeping areas. Wont have the pretty purple paint anymore but that gets covered with algae either way.

 

[Maverick10gk]

Get a bigger tank or try to cut the rock. . . though likely would need a lot of cutting.

It will be a huge pain trying to clean between the glass and rock. Also, if the top of the box represents the top of the tank. . . it's going to be too tall for most applications. If I call the recommendation is for rock work to be 50-75% of the tanks height.

Thank you! The top of the colored pens would be the water line so the brown box is a little less than half the height of the actual tank. So above the rock would be about 10” of water.

 

[MoshJosh]

Will the "back " panel also be for viewing, or will it be against a wall? If it wont be a viewing panel you could push the rock all the way against the glass as a lot of people don't clean the back glass. I would still cut it if possible. A hack saw could probably do the job. you could try to cut the back pieces to they are shorter and flush with the back panel. Then cut any pieces that would prevent you from cleaning the back or sides. . .

or bigger tank. . . or smaller rock/.

 

[Maverick10gk]

Will the "back " panel also be for viewing, or will it be against a wall? If it wont be a viewing panel you could push the rock all the way against the glass as a lot of people don't clean the back glass. I would still cut it if possible. A hack saw could probably do the job. you could try to cut the back pieces to they are shorter and flush with the back panel. Then cut any pieces that would prevent you from cleaning the back or sides. . .

or bigger tank. . . or smaller rock/.

So this would be a peninsula tank. With the small tank it would be about 1/4” to 3/4” of clearance at the foot of the rock. That back single foot you see is the closest to the glass which is about 1/4”-1/2” . The front feet have about 1/2” and 3/4” clearance respectively.

As the legs taper to the top, the clearance would then gradually increase to 1”-3” of clearance at the front (two feet) and 2”-8” at the back (single foot).

I’m not sure if my video works but I end up panning around it in the smaller aquarium model (albeit the model is cut to half the height).

Thank you again for helping!

 

[MoshJosh]

In that case I would go bigger tanks or smaller rock. Think you will find cleaning/maintenance a hassle. Also may be limiting/effecting flow

 

[killer2001]

Looks like a job for a sledgehammer.

 

[Maverick10gk]

In that case I would go bigger tanks or smaller rock. Think you will find cleaning/maintenance a hassle. Also may be limiting/effecting flow

Thanks Josh we will go with the bigger tank. It’s $700 more, but it will provide more space for the rock since we like it so much and as a bi-product we will get a little more stability buffer from the extra 14 gallons.

 

[V A R I A N T]

Hmm, I am going to tell my wife the reason I purchased a larger tank was because the rock wouldn’t fit in the smaller one. That explanation should suffice

Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[jabberwock]

Lots of good advice here, I personally would not build a tank around the rock. Especially not the dry painted purple stuff. In my opinion, real ocean live rock just can't be beat.

 

[jabberwock]

I also wanted to mention that you are being very thoughtful and analytical about your choices which is good! Keep it up.

 

[Jekyl]

Regardless of tank size large rocks aren't the best. Figure you need a private area for each fish you intend on keeping. 1 or 2 caves equals 1 or 2 fish. Everything needs a safe/hiding place of their own.

 

[Maverick10gk]

Hmm, I am going to tell my wife the reason I purchased a larger tank was because the rock wouldn’t fit in the smaller one. That explanation should suffice

Thanks for the suggestion!

Lol in my case it’s been a joint decision / Journey since it will be a family Christmas gift so not sure how that will work in other scenarios but you could probably sell it

 

[Maverick10gk]

Because I couldn’t help myself I took photos of the tripod rock sitting true to size models of the 50 gallon and 64 gallon models respectively. This way I could better see clearance all the way up the glass.

It really is a big difference.

 

[Maverick10gk]

Regardless of tank size large rocks aren't the best. Figure you need a private area for each fish you intend on keeping. 1 or 2 caves equals 1 or 2 fish. Everything needs a safe/hiding place of their own.

It’s a good point. I was thinking to position at least one powerhead lower in the tank so that it moves water underneath the tripod rock and around its three legs.
Do you use mini caves for fish homes or would tiny arches do?

 

[Jekyl]

It’s a good point. I was thinking to position at least one powerhead lower in the tank so that it moves water underneath the tripod rock and around its three legs.
Do you use mini caves for fish homes or would tiny arches do?

As many caves and swim throughs as possible is best. Your fish will pick an area that's their own for sleeping. If you run our of those areas it can lead to aggression.

 

[((FORDTECH))]

You will regret if rock is to close to glass making cleaning glass a lot harder or impossible in that spot. Unless tank is being looked at from all 4 sides I’d either not use the rock or slide it toward the back of tank more to give you more room upfront to clean and put stuff

 

[jabberwock]

"Life rock" is a marketing name. It is not alive...

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Looks like a job for a sledgehammer.

If even! More like a jackhammer! That stuff is basically cement... VERY difficult to frag coral off of.