New aquascape height

[stAlphonzo]

I just did an aquascape for my new tank. I was pretty happy with it, so I put in sand and water. Now that I'm looking in the morning, I see the top piece of rock is only about 3-4 inches from the top of the water. Is that ok for coral? Is there any conventional wisdom regarding how far from surface rocks and corals should go?

 

[acro-ed]

It depends on the type of coral you are growing and what you intend to have for swimming space for the fish. The last few tanks I've done I only have rock at half the height of the tank, but I am also doing primarily SPS and want lots of swimming room for the fish.

-Ed

 

[andrewkw]

It's okay if you are only planning on putting 3-4 tall coral on the rocks.
In most cases this will probably be a problem but in some it wont. For instance if your plan is encrusting corals it's not going to get much taller then the rocks. If you are thinking acros, or even leather corals they will never have the opportunity to grow tall.

 

[NY_Caveman]

FWIW, I usually shoot for 2/3 the height to the waterline.

By any chance is your username a Zappa reference?

 

[lapin]

I gona guess that it is only 1 rock thats high and you have places lower in the tank that you can place coral? If this is correct then I see no problem unless you want to place a tall growing coral in top of it. I have seen tanks with a rock that comes out of the top and has a mangrove tree on it.

 

[stAlphonzo]

FWIW, I usually shoot for 2/3 the height to the waterline.

By any chance is your username a Zappa reference?

Yes it is

 

[stAlphonzo]

I gona guess that it is only 1 rock thats high and you have places lower in the tank that you can place coral? If this is correct then I see no problem unless you want to place a tall growing coral in top of it. I have seen tanks with a rock that comes out of the top and has a mangrove tree on it.

That's right. It's a 40 breeder, so there isn't a ton of height, but yes, there are a few arches that incrementally get higher, but lots of low spots too ... you know, stand by. I am going to upload the picture if I can figure that out.

 

[stAlphonzo]

Hope this show well. Here is the best I could for the fist time using rocks, etc.. The angle on this picture isn't great, but that top piece is the one that concerned me.

 

[madweazl]

Just keep in mind that most anything you place up there will block light for things below it. I try to keep the rock at half the height of the tank so there is plenty of room to grow (the rock is the base, not the end goal). If you want it to look like what you've created with the rock, knock everything down by 50% and the corals will fill it in.

 

[stAlphonzo]

FWIW, I usually shoot for 2/3 the height to the waterline.

That sounds right to me too. I have a second version which moves a few things, that accomplishes a similar height.

 

[stAlphonzo]

Just keep in mind that most anything you place up there will block light for things below it. I try to keep the rock at half the height of the tank so there is plenty of room to grow (the rock is the base, not the end goal). If you want it to look like what you've created with the rock, knock everything down by 50% and the corals will fill it in.

Good point, I hadn't considered that either.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Yes it is

Nice, I love Zappa and pancake breakfasts.

I would watch to keep a couple of inches free on all sides of your aquascape too if you wish to keep the glass clean.

 

[madweazl]

Things really do grow fast!

20 Nov 2017

15 Sep 2018 (10 months later it's six inches tall and about ten inches wide). And my wife broke a good sized branch off the back right of it LOL.

 

[stAlphonzo]

Nice, I love Zappa and pancake breakfasts.

My favorites

I would watch to keep a couple of inches free on all sides of your aquascape too if you wish to keep the glass clean.

Thanks, that's a good point too. I generally have that, though it's hard to see with the angle of the photo. The only place that's suspect is the smallish overhang on the left. There is a small spot that's only an inch away from the glass. I was able to shift that back another 2 inches ... thanks!

I also pulled the top arch off and flattened it's lower right support. I used that top rock to make an arch between the right base of the main thing and the small cave in the back right. It doesn't look much like a cave from this angle, but my hope is it's a nice burrow for a goby.

 

[stAlphonzo]

Things really do grow fast!

20 Nov 2017

15 Sep 2018 (10 months later it's six inches tall and about ten inches wide). And my wife broke a good sized branch off the back right of it LOL.

Wow, that is fast! I really need to do some more planning. Thankfully I have a long cycle ahead of me. That should give me time to sort out more details. Those are really beautiful corals!

 

[Indymann99]

You also need to take into account how low your DT water level drops during WC.

 

[stAlphonzo]

You also need to take into account how low your DT water level drops during WC.

So, are you suggesting that coral can't be out of water? I thought as long as they stayed moist they would be ok. In a 40 breeder I can manage a 50% change in about 15-20 minutes if I have the salt water ready to go and don't futz around too much.

 

[andrewkw]

Most corals are fine out of the water for some time. Maybe if you were running a 400w metal halide you'd be concerned with them out of the water, or had a tank full of sponges. I've transported corals wrapped in wet paper towels many times and they were fine out of the water for hours.

 

[stAlphonzo]

Thanks for the clarification! I think my latest revision will keep everything submerged anyway, at least for the typical 10-20% change.