New Tank, Aquascape or Fill First?

[drwerner]

New 295g seamless piano wave glass aquarium. Will fill with with 5-stage RO/DI water. Base rock already added. I plan on adding live rock and live sand once the water is up to temp and salinity.

I have a bunch of coral pieces from my last aquarium after a fire destroyed it. Logic says they should sit on live rock - which can't be added till the water is up to spec. But it sure would be easier to Aquascape it now while it is dry...

Please share your thoughts!

Thanks in advance

 

[High ICP]

“After a fire destroyed it”

Was it too close to the fireplace?

 

[Jon Fishman]

You're gonna add the water...... THEN the salt? I wouldn't do that.

 

[HOOPDEEZ]

I cut a piece of ply wood a little bigger than the foot print of my aquarium and taped off the dimensions. Then I played around with my aquascape in my garage, where I cant accidentally tap a rock against the glass and the mess isn't an issue. I also made structures out of acrylic rods and epoxy and messed with the rocks a lot in order to get the aquascape I liked. if you're not going to have a complex design, then maybe it doesn't matter, but you should definitely think about maintenance and flow when doing it. Nice Tank!

 

[drwerner]

You're gonna add the water...... THEN the salt? I wouldn't do that.

Why? I'll add salt to the sump as soon as it is full and running while it is coming up to temp.

 

[drwerner]

“After a fire destroyed it”

Was it too close to the fireplace?

No, surprisingly, the fireplace doesn't radiate much to the side.

Fire started in the master, inside a wall where there was a gas fireplace. It followed the vent for the fireplace, burned up through the roof and across the top of the house . We rebuilt. Took over a year.

 

[W1ngz]

Can you elaborate on what a 'bunch of coral pieces' are? Are these coral skeleton rubble, or live frags you have in another tank?

What's the goal with the live rock? Is it just the bacteria colony you want or are there other organisms you hope to carry over?

Given the size, placement and height of that tank, I'd forget mostly about live rock and sand, and do the aquascape dry. Plan one or two pieces of live rock near the top of the aquascape, and keep them wet and warm in a bucket somewhere. These will seed the tank once it's running. From there, fill and add salt the way you planned. It'll put you back a couple of months while it cycles but I think it's the surest way to get things the way you want without knocking the glass, or converting your living room into a water mixing line. 300 gallons is an awful lot of salt water to have to moving around in buckets or rolling brute cans across a hardwood floor. Not to mention the mixing time for each.

It should go without saying that most anything live will die off when it's soaked in freshwater before adding the salt.

 

[W1ngz]

Also, is the base rock seated on the bottom glass, or on the sand? I'd dig out under each rock and have it stable right on the bottom in case you have diggers.

 

[TriggerFinger]

Just aquascaped a full 90 gallon. 10/10 do NOT recommend. Do it while it’s dry. I’m soaked in saltwater and I hate the rock placement. Will have to do it again when my back isn’t hurting.

 

[HunterW]

No, surprisingly, the fireplace doesn't radiate much to the side.

Fire started in the master, inside a wall where there was a gas fireplace. It followed the vent for the fireplace, burned up through the roof and across the top of the house . We rebuilt. Took over a year.

So sorry about that fire, but glad you recouped.
About that tank. How did your aquascaping work out. Doing my template for two small tanks tonight and going to post if I have time.