Setting Up Rocks

[Fenix]

Sorry about all the thread but i didn't find a thread on this when i searched.

I currently have my rocks set up pretty high in my 10 gallon tank about a inch from the water surface. I have 17 pounds of rocks. Is that too much?

Do you guys put a lot of space between the rocks and the back glass? Do you have it so the rocks are leaning against the back glass? I ask this because when I get corals i don't want them to hang out in the back or else I cant see them.

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[~Erik3.8.07~]

my biggest piece of LR is against the back glass but the rest are in about the middle of the tank to theres still room for the fish back there

[Dave66]

Its too much if the fish or motile invertibrates don't have room to move around. As to the space from the back, my reef layouts are U-shaped or pyramid-shaped. The latter gets close to the back, but not on it.
Stacking live rock against the back glass puts pressure points where the rock touches, which can cause breakage, especially of the thin glass used in your 10 gallon.
I'd go with about eight pounds of live rock and build your reef about two-thirds back from the front. A U-shaped layout will give you ample room (for a 10) for coral placement.

Dave

[Fenix]

Thanks for the replies

this is how it currently looks.

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I choose mainly big rocks (4 of them). Then like 3 small ones

[Fenix]

I have another question.

The place i will buy my coral from comes with a rock per coral. I don't thnk my tank can handle anymore rocks. How exactly do you remove a coral from a rock?

[Dave66]

That's the common way to ship coral frags; epoxied or super glued to a plug, either a manufactered ceramic or a chunk of live rock. Its done not only because its easier and safer to handle a coral by the plug, its also because a large number of corals form on hard surfaces (Live rock, dead coral skeltons.)
You don't take them off it; you gently and carefully wedge the plug between rocks and fissures. I use underwater epoxy to attach the plug when the coral is moved to its final placement.

Dave

[~Erik3.8.07~]

Sorry if im hijacking the thread for the moment but ive always wonedered about the plug myself, do they permantly stay attached to the coral? In matured tanks i never see any plugs, were they removed somehow?

[Dave66]

Sorry if im hijacking the thread for the moment but ive always wonedered about the plug myself, do they permantly stay attached to the coral? In matured tanks i never see any plugs, were they removed somehow?

Corals grow, and cover up the plugs. Some cut the plugs off, and epoxy the coral to the rocks, but I wouldn't suggest an inexperienced reefkeeper try it, as it can go badly wrong.
Many kinds of hard coral will, over time, incoperate the plug into their skeleton. You won't see the plugs in established tanks, but in the vast majority of the time, they are there. Soft corals can grow so fast they cover whatever they are attached to in a hurry.

Dave

[cocoa_pleco]

ditto, i keep the plugs too, im scared i would screw up trying to cut them off

[Fenix]

Thanks for the help guys.

So basically you re telling me there is no way I can remove the coral from the rocks, mainly because it will be pretty hard. So I guess I'll just have to incorporate the rocks into my tank. Hmmm

Heres an updated picture of me rearranging my rocks.

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[~Erik3.8.07~]

looks good, i think it looks much better now

[Fenix]

Thanks, can it be due to the dust settling?

[Tigerbarb]

If I were you, I would not have any LR against the back of te aquarium, because it would not leave much room for cleaning.

[Fenix]

I'm about to start adding coral to my tank but with my current configuration I m worried that it will be hard to do.
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The rock on the top left needs to be replaced I think because it doesnt have any good spots to add coral to it. What do you guys think?

[coachfraley]

It's kind of hard to say what is going to be a good resting place for the coral, because you never know what kind of rock your coral will come on (unless you get coral on plugs). You could always wait till you have the coral and then try to set it up. If it doesn't work out, just put the corals in the sand, and redo the rock formation.

[Fenix]

do i add coral slowly or can i add lots at once?

[cocoa_pleco]

slow is better, never rush a reef

[Tigerbarb]

The corals I have seen for sale are usually atleast $50 :ssuprised:
Good luck with your aquarium.

[Fenix]

i killed a coral :( a cool one too. I was trying to minimize the size of the plug it was on then all of a sudden i felt it die. Not sure but yeah i threw it in the trash.

[~Erik3.8.07~]

what do you mean you felt it die?

[Tigerbarb]

I couldn't imagine how that would have felt if I were you...
Did you get a warranty on it or keep the receipt? You might be lucky and able to get your money back.

[Fenix]

Well i was removing some of hte plug and i kinda yanked on it and then all of a sudden it just jerked and all these tentacle like things just came out of it, they are retracted when they are alive. I dont know what it was but it was nice. Then all this liquid ozzed from it.

[cocoa_pleco]

Then all this liquid ozzed from it.

be EXTREMELY careful with that ooze, it can kill EVERY living thing in the tank. condylactis anemones expel a toxin when they die that does just that. when slimming down plugs or propagating its best to have a spare tank around 5-10g to work in

[squirt_12]

that sucks....sorry to hear about that...i suggest that next time you just leave it the way it is. just so you don't lose your next one.

nice tank.

[Tigerbarb]

I probably would have made the same mistake.
have you success fully attached other corals yet? If so, I would like to see ow your tank looks with them.

[Fenix]

I think i ll make a thread about my tank cause i have so many pictures and it would make a cool to see the progress. Cause right now i have all these threads about specifics and i m stealing other peoples threads too. Well I ll post a quick pic now and i ll make hte thread 2morrow.

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[squirt_12]

WOW...awesome tank...i love the purple coral in the bottom right.

[Tigerbarb]

Nice coloring. The lighting looks nice too. :)

[jimpierce]

your tank looks really good!!

[~Erik3.8.07~]

looks nice, what coral is that in the lower right hand side?

[squirt_12]

looks nice, what coral is that in the lower right hand side?
arn't they brown zooanthids????

[Tigerbarb]

I think so.

[cocoa_pleco]

the ones in the front right are brown polyps, i have lots of them

[Tigerbarb]

I love polyps. I will definitly get some of those if I get a nano reef, but I think I will aim towards a FOWLR system first.