Aquascaping Ideas

[sammyman]

I have had a tank now for a few months and my ideas and approach have taken a drastic turn. Originally, I thought it would be best to do everything on a "budget" and find the cheapest tank, cheapest rocks, cheapest fish. I have learned that some corners can not be cut. Now I think it is much better to start off with the "goods" so you don't wish you did something differently down the road.

 

So I am wishing I did something differently, and I want some advice:

 

Originally I purchased some cheap live rock from a crappy LFS. I believe it was the cheapest in the bay at $4 something a lb. I bought 3 large pieces thinking that this would be the best setup for my biocube (I should have purchased many smaller pieces). Here is a picture of my tank with live rock before I added anything else:

 

 

It is an average setup for aquascaping because there is a slight overhang, and some places for fish to hide. However, I feel like I should sell my one huge 10lb rock and buy many smaller pieces before it is too late and my corals grow over everything! Also, the rocks I bought do have some good surface area, but could be much better if I spent more time looking for rocks with holes etc. What should I do?

[wsamsky]

I found some fiji LR on ebay for $2/lb and i dont think i paid more thank 15 bucks shipping for 30 pounds. The stuff i got was about 10 smaller pieces no super cool features but still damn cheap.

[supreme_spork]

i don't think it's that bad, actually.

 

grap a small bucket when you do your next water change and fill it with your old tank water (enough to cover the big rock), throw the big rock in the bucket and break it into a couple of pieces with a hammer and chisel -- it should only take a minute or two. this way you won't need to worry about another cycle and you won't need to spend any more money.