How Much Rock - Is Too Much?

[Fantasma]

Wanting to start a Mbuna setup. I've got the substrate which is going to buffer the PH to around 8.3 and I've just spent £27 on rocks (10kgs of rock!)

My dad had a look and said that the bottom of the tank could start leaking because of the amount of rocks inside. Tell me what you think.

I'm pretty happy with how it's looking at the moment. I may add in some of those thin, fake plants that look like strands of grass behind the rocks though.

At the moment I've still got;

8 x Red Eye
2 x YoYo Loaches

The Red Eye will have to go, I'm not sure about the Yo-Yos because I've had them for so long. I've given them very small holes in the rocks that only they could fit in - they're pretty quick and have lasted in there with some other aggressive fish that I ended up having to take back.

 

[Duz]

You turning this into a cichlid tank? Because if you over stock it with cichlids then they shouldn't be aggressive to anything other than the very occassional nip. In which case I reckon your Yo-Yos should be ok.

As for the rocks. I have no idea what sort of weight the tank could hold. You got to bare in mind, that the glass isn't just holding the rocks, but the sand (which when wet weighs a ton) and all the water. Saying that, by adding the rocks you can't put as much water in. The manufactures would have to strengthen the glass on the bottom to allow for decor to be put in. But personally I have no idea.

 

[KittyKat]

I have about three times more rockwork in mine and always feel that it could do with more. I do have padding under the rocks: right now, I have UG filter plates and used to have polystyrene. Egg crate (plastic stuff) works well too.

 

[Lufbramatt]

the rock is only about twice as heavy as the water for the same volume, so once the tank is filled they effectively put half as much pressure onto the tank bottom as when the tank is empty. Remember picking weights off a swimming pool bottom when you were a kid and they feel "lighter" underwater?

You see tank with loads of rockwork in that hold up fine. Yours doesnt look especially overloaded at all- you could put 3 times that amount in a be fine imo.

Put plastic eggcrate mesh under the rocks to prevent pressure points and dropped rocks cracking the bottom pane.

 

[Jinkz]

Wanting to start a Mbuna setup. I've got the substrate which is going to buffer the PH to around 8.3 and I've just spent £27 on rocks (10kgs of rock!)

My dad had a look and said that the bottom of the tank could start leaking because of the amount of rocks inside. Tell me what you think.

I'm pretty happy with how it's looking at the moment. I may add in some of those thin, fake plants that look like strands of grass behind the rocks though.

At the moment I've still got;

8 x Red Eye
2 x YoYo Loaches

The Red Eye will have to go, I'm not sure about the Yo-Yos because I've had them for so long. I've given them very small holes in the rocks that only they could fit in - they're pretty quick and have lasted in there with some other aggressive fish that I ended up having to take back.

Is that Korean Basalt? Looks very much like what I have in my tank, which is Korean Basalt....lovely stone and your tank is looking great

 

[Lisa67]

I have atleast 3 times that many volcano rocks in my Mbuna tank with no problems. I avoid letting any of them rest on the sides of the tank.

 

[minnnt]

Eggcrate is brilliant for weight dispersal. I have seen aquariums with a hell of alot more rock work in it than yours, mine has had more than that in at some point and never experienced any problems.

Your tank looks stunning btw!

 

[StandbySetting]

The mass of the rocks shouldn't be a problem, if they're on top of the sand then they could be disturbed and fall over, especially with some species of Cichlid which enjoy digging, if it were me I'd use egg crate to increase the area under the rocks and ultimately reduce the pressure on certain parts of the glass.