Pisces28 Posted January 21, 2015 Share Posted January 21, 2015 Hello EveryoneI have just set up my BioCube 29, and aquascaped with live rock.Unfortunately, I really dislike the way it turned out, and will be starting over. Any advice on aquascaping would help.Here is what I would like to know:1. I will be putting soft corals in eventually, so I am wondering if there are any shelf-like pr any cave-like rocks I can purchase.If so, where and what kind?2. Is there a specific way this should be done for the corals to live properly on the rock?3. Does the rock have to be live or can it be dry, or some other kind?If anyone has pictures or can share some ideas, I would appreciate it because I am lost and cannot begin to cycle until this is done! Link to comment
alanwest09872 Posted January 22, 2015 Share Posted January 22, 2015 Live rock has 1. Live bacteria 2. Maybe Wanted hitchhickers 3. Maybe unwanted hitchhickers 4. Needs to cure for about a month (till no ammonia or nitrite is found) 5. Expensive 6. You never get the amount you actually order since they include water to keep the live rock alive 7. Need express shipping which is expensive Reef Cleaners Rock. (which I am buying in 6 days.) 1. No Live bacteria (will take about 2-3 weeks to make it become live) 2. No Hitchhickers (Good or bad there will be none) 3. No curing needed at all just put it in the tank 4. You get the amount you order 5. No overnight shipping so its much cheaper 6. Much Much Cheaper. Heres a link to reef cleaners. I suggest checking it out. He also does custom clean up crews http://www.reefcleaners.org/aquarium-store/rock Link to comment
rnmike Posted January 23, 2015 Share Posted January 23, 2015 Hey friend. Check out the dry rock at Bulk Reef Supply. I went with the Reef Saver and live sand. It is super easy to scape with, and it almost locks together. Here's a pic: The dry rock is much cheaper, it has no hitchhikers, and you're not paying for the water weight. Just a suggestion. Good luck! P.S. That's only 5 or 6 pieces. They lock together soooo well! Link to comment
Ncfishguy Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I used dry from Marco rocks Link to comment
D Z Posted February 4, 2015 Share Posted February 4, 2015 I used dry rock to scape my tank. The main reasons I did so was to save money, have something that I could work with out of the water over a long period of time, and avoid unwanted hichhikers. Honestly, if I had to do it again, though, I would probably use good quality cured live rock. While I absolutely love the scape that I was able to create due to it being dry rock, my tank has taken such a long time to stabilize(still isnt really there) due to the fact that it was started with dry rock. Going into it, I though that I could mitigate this by supplementing different bacteria supplements, but it just is not the same. Don't get me wrong, it is still a personal preference. If you really want to use dry rock and have a good enough reason to justify it in your head, then by all means, go for it. Some people also really enjoy the look of a fresh, clean scape made up of only dry rock. I just wanted to give you my personal experience. Now, with that all being said, here are my answers to your questions. 1) Yes, check out marco rocks. They sell quality dry rock that is pretty much guarenteed to be phosphate free(this is important when it comes to dry rock.) They also sell some pre=made scapes, as well as, dry shelf rock. 2) When building a scape for the first time, it can be hard to invision how the coral will attach and look after it is all completed. Just try your best to make something that has a combination of shelves, nooks and crannies, caves. Remember that different types of coral like different intensities of light, as well as, different levels of flow. Try to already have an idea of where you will place things like powerheads to ensure it will work well with how you set up your scape. 3) I have already somewhat answered this, but one thing to make sure of is if you are starting with dry rock, you will need to supplement some kind of bacteria. There are a number of them on the market. Just make sure to do your research and pick 1 or 2 good ones. Some other suggestions: 1) Take your time so that you make sure you end up with something you like. I spent about 5 days working on my scape. I cut a piece of wood that was the same footprint as my tank and set it up in the garage. I would work on it for an hour or so and then come back to it later. 20140808_232425 by cchsoracle, on Flickr 2) Look at other scapes before working on your so that you have an idea of what type of scape you like. Look up the rule of thirds. A lot of people use that when creating their scape. I personally like the 2 islands and negative space/open sandbed type. 3) Make sure to use epoxy to secure your rocks, and it is easier to do so with the rocks dry and outside of the tank(if you are using dry rock) 4) Make sure you leave room in between your rock structure and the glass so that you can get some type of tool in there to clean the inside of the glass. This goes for the back wall as well. Hope that helps. Link to comment
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