You've Got Your Tank....what's Next?

[Matthew5664]

Coooolllllll....

Do you still have some of the tank rock comming out of the water? If so could you get a pic of that too???

 

[Aquascaper]

Ok, first up a picture of a nasty little hitchhiker that came in on my Zoo rock - it's a Zoo eating Nudibranch, if you see one of these squish it or wave bye bye to your zoos

Next, the newly designed tank layout:

(Still having issues with Photobucket not allowing full size )

 

[Siamese Fighter05]

Your tank is looking amzing now! looks really clean and healthy. Good Job

Are those pods covering the glass in the nudi picture?

 

[crazyelece]

Looks great aquascaper!

Doesn't your seio blow your sand around at all, pointed down like that?

 

[Aquascaper]

Your tank is looking amzing now! looks really clean and healthy. Good Job

Are those pods covering the glass in the nudi picture?

Thank you, the bits are 'pods and allsorts that are everywhere in the tank - that's what you get with 80kgs+ of live rock in a small system

Looks great aquascaper!

Doesn't your seio blow your sand around at all, pointed down like that?

Thank you, you'll notice there is a slight depression in the sand level just below the central Red Tree Sponge - that's all it does and the level is stable now (although I have changed the Seio back to the upright configuration as it looked better)

 

[brewyn]

Aquascaper, I like your tank, I have in the last week decided to take the plunge and set up a marine tank myself, I have gone as far as getting a 48x18x18 tank, a high powered external filter, a protein skimmer and a T5 and tubes, 2 white and 1 blue. MY question is, could I just use tufa rock in my tank and then introduce the inverts as I go along, surely over time the tufa will become living rock. the reason I am thinking against living rock is that you are not sure what is growing on it, or in it, and It may grow in a way that I dont want it to. I have found after some searching the setup I would like to achieve. surely If I save on such expensive rock, I have more to spend on more established bits to cover the tufa. what are your thoughts on this, cheers.

tony


http/www.guppiesforyuppies.co.za/uploads/BFA_Dsc03233.jpg

 

[SkiFletch]

Well, although I'm not aquascaper I'd like to chime in if I may . I too tried to shortcut and go without quite as much of the reccomened LR when I setup my tank. I added about 15lbs of LR and was given close to 75lbs of long since dead base rock from someone who had it laying around in his basement. Things went great until I had a measely snail die and my lack of filtration and natural bio load provided by LR lead me to have a massive cyanobacteria outbreak. I knew I was running the risk by not using LR to start off with, and took it as a calculated one anyways... Payed the price for that one. Moral of the story, LR is as good as people say it is

 

[Aquascaper]

It may grow in a way that I dont want it to.

A marine tank is a natural, living thing. It will never adhere to rules or do exactly what you want it to, that's the beauty of it. A marine tank is not some artificial, plastic ornament filled replica of the real thing, it is the real thing, it is a small piece of the ocean and the creatures in it will go where they damn well please, grow where they damn well please and do what they damn well please.

surely If I save on such expensive rock, I have more to spend on more established bits to cover the tufa. what are your thoughts on this

It sounds like (I may be wrong) that your view is you'd rather spend money on nice looking bits of rock covered in established coral than buying the natural and best filtration system for your tank and letting the corals grow naturally, where you put them and of the types you want? My question would be: How do you think you are going to be able to sustain the corals without good water quality provided by the live rock filtration?

Although you are never sure what is growing on or in live rock, guaranteed it will be beneficial to the tank in some way or another (yes, even Mantis shrimp play their part in the ecosystem), if you get a coral frag that is unsuitable to your conditions it will die....simple as. This is what fuels the cycle in the first place so is an essential part of the process of starting a marine tank.
Tufa rock contains a lot of Iron and Silicates and these degrade into the water and fuel cyanobacteria and other nuisance algae blooms, it looks unnatural IMO and will never be as good at filtration as true live rock.

JMO

 

[brewyn]

keep in mind that I have never kept marine before, that I have many tanks set up with rock work, and that yes, I do want a tank that looks different! Its because of the link I have left, that I have decided to finaly go for a marine set up. I am only just begining to understand the natural benefits of live rock and have taken the steps today of ordering 26kilos of the stuff, but I am still under the impression that live rock does not contain that much in the way of interesting creatures and I would much rather do without a marine set up if it meant looking at a tank full of dirty looking rock. I am not wanting to create a small part of the ocean, I am wanting to keep various soft corels and have an attractive aquatic garden. thanks for answering my question for me.

 

[Mr Miagi]

but I am still under the impression that live rock does not contain that much in the way of interesting creatures and I would much rather do without a marine set up if it meant looking at a tank full of dirty looking rock.

wow, just wait until you get the LR. To say youve researched live rock, and then say your under the impression it doesnt contain that much in the way of interesting creatures is a bit crazy. Maybe different people hold different opinions about whats interesting.

I am not wanting to create a small part of the ocean, I am wanting to keep various soft corels and have an attractive aquatic garden.

Whats the difference between the two? Im pretty sure parts of the ocean contain soft corals, an look like aquatic gardens.

Without LR, your going to need filtration, probably mechanical, since its not bioloical. This will raise nitrates, and your soft coral garden will not be at its best.

 

[SkiFletch]

I'm assuming that you want a tank that looks something like this?

One just covered in corals. If thats teh case, the corals are going to need live rock to be anchored to at some point

Edit: This is NOT my tank, nor did I come across this shot on TFF

 

[brewyn]

thats it ski fletch, thats what I want, when I say creatures on the live rock, thats what I mean. am I buying live rock purely as a biological filter, or because it has all these corels etc adhered to it, or even both. I have my lfs saying I dont need LR, that once I start to introduce inverts etc the rock would over time become live rock? I do know why I put off keeping marines but this time I'm taking the leap.

sorry I feel i'm hijacking aquascapers thread here, will start another as I do appreciate the info. the more help the better, never been a theory person, only practical, so I think Its going to be the hard way!!!!!!

 

[SkiFletch]

Yeah, I have to disagree with what your LFS told you. Two months ago when I started my tank I got that very same idea in my head. After a full-fledged war with a cyanobacteria infestation that my tank was prone to because it had very little LR, I very very much regret not having purchased 50lbs or more of LR right off the bat (got a 45g tank). I currently have about 70lbs of assorted rock in my setup (some live, some not) and I still may need more to get a tank as fully covered in coral as the one I posted above.

 

[brewyn]

I am interested in what you folks are saying, so If you would like to help me to understand the marine system and how to best set one up, then please read the topic that I have started as I feel I am hijacking this one, which wasn't my intention. cheers, tony.

 

[Aquascaper]

Put simply:

A tank with corals is a 'Reef' tank
A 'Reef' tank cannot live/thrive/flourish without live rock

To obtain a tank like the one Ski pictured requires pristene water quality and years of painstaking effort, something that cannot be done with copious amounts of live rock and copious amounts of patience.