A little goes a long way, alot is the best way?

[mbdave]

Fellow reefers,
I am curious to people’s beliefs on live rock placement and amount? I personally prefer little live rock and a very open structure. I never go by the pound per gallon ratio because I believe with the many different densities of rock it’s not a good way to determine the amount of rock needed, "have you ever bought a case or two of rock and saw the many different densities"? Personally I don't even like stacking much rock I like a way open reef. Soooooo let me know how you determine your live rock amount and how you think your structure should be if you would like to say what kind of rock you like please be specific of rock shape, like branchy, smooth surface, or plates, something to that nature, "sometimes location descriptions are not as easy to envision". Let me say also I like smoother rocks I believe it’s easier to get strong flow without to many branches, “though my current tank has some rocks with allot of branches”

The only branches blocking flow should be my sps :bouncer:

Hopefully I am not beat_dead_horse

My tank has changed a little since this pic but you get the idea I hope.

 

[Val]

I like the look of an open structure better. I'm going to try that in my next tank.

 

[LPS_Blasto]

I have always wished I had a large enough tank for an atoll look. The idea of a lagoon in the center, with an exposed rock rim around the outer edge has always intrigued me. The tank would have to be very big to accomplish the right look. I envision a few holes or breaks in the outer rim that would allow water to pass in and out of the center lagoon. Wouldn't want the lagoon to stagnate. I've often wondered if the hermits would spend time both in and out of the water.

I'm dreaming of this purely from an aesthetics standpoint though. I'm not sure I would be able to keep the lagoon from becoming a festering pit of detritus.

 

[WVUReefer]

I think it depends on the type of coral and fish you are keeping..I love softie and zoa gardens that have minimal rock but the bed is covered..lps looks nice with a few pillars and a fully covered bed...SPS is great with a table top rock look...mixed reefs looked great with pillars and table tops...

 

[Dweezil]

Put me down for the "open look" club.

 

[DesertOrchid]

Ijust aquascaped my new 72 bow with a more open pattern. Three arches and shelves. Came out very nice. Makes it a little more difficult to add corals that might get big and over balance the look but love the swimming space for the fish and the shimmering lights on the sand. Put me down for the open look club too!!

 

[thereefersspot]

i like 50/50 rock and open space

 

[Eric]

I have come to believe that flow around less rock is actually more effective at being a natural filter then a large pile where flow cannot penetrate as well.

Having said that I prefer a more open look with well placed rock for the most use of the surface space.

 

[Pez]

Ideally I would stack rock almost to the top. More room for corals, + bio-filtration, and it blocks the scenic view of the back of the tank and makes the whole aquarium seem more like a rectanguar chunk taken off a real reef.

 

[mbdave]

It seems "open" is so far pretty popular.

Fragfarmer; So your atoll would have rocks exposed at the surface of the tank? If what I'm envisioning is the same as what you envision, "I like it"!

WVUReefer; I'm with ya on the "I think it depends on the type of coral and fish you are keeping What I ask is when you say the bed covered are you describing the sand bed?

Dweezil; Tammy the Sedosa is waiting for you let me know

DesertOrchid; "Makes it a little more difficult to add corals that might get big and over balance the look" Exactly, see I like the low setting with very few actual "stacked" rocks at least for sps, with this style you have plenty of room for vertical growth.

thereefersspot; 50/50 Meaning 1/2 rock and 1/2 water?

Eric; I have come to believe that flow around less rock is actually more effective at being a natural filter then a large pile where flow cannot penetrate as well. Having said that I prefer a more open look with well placed rock for the most use of the surface space. Eric we are definitely reading the same page at least for mixed or sps tanks.

Pez; Ideally I would stack rock almost to the top. More room for corals, + bio-filtration, I see but do you believe that more water gives a little more room for possible errors? Also I'm curious it will leave more room for coral, but won't that impede growth and cut back on circulation due to the much rock?

Great responses it makes me think and get some ideas for future tanks. Let me throw another thing in the discussion who has really tried to make their reef look like a reef?
I knew a guy who based his reef on a picture of a reef in a book and though we will never exactly imitate a reef his final project looked pretty darn good. "Mother Nature doe's a great rockscape.
I saw an aquarium online I believe "and have searched for the picture and description of it to no avail" that was around 150 gallons and had 6 to 8 corals total, the growth was just amazing and the over all health and ease in caring for it was more amazing. Myself I always have great intentions of only having so many corals and have yet to live by what I declare! :maddown: Doe's anyone here have that kind of self control? I see picture’s of reefs with like 50 frag plugs in the sand and no room for anymore corals on the rock its like a baseball card collection, "you never have enough". Now if that is what you like more power to you, just not for me, also though I have one up at the moment, "I hate frag racks":columbo:. So back to rockscapes, with all my years in the hobby for sps a low wide open solid rockscape is the best "for me" I can see almost the entire sand bed and circulation is hardly blocked at least until the stags grow some.
Lets here more on rocks!!!!!
Thanks,
Dave

 

[saltyreefkeeper]

I had my 75 with a lagoon look with rock work only on the ends it was actually pretty attractive in my eyes but I picked up a 130 and luv it all show pieces and i figured the best way to set up a big tank with perfect circulation is to take PVC I prefer black and let it run all the way across the back of my tank and the PVC will have small tiny hole all along the PVC coming from a pump from my sump so that it has great circulation and ditritus will never settle under or behind my rock work perfect circulation from behind And in the front that's actually my next project tank!!! "the PVC will be hiddin behind my rock I will post pics when I start my next build hope you reefers can join me

 

[BLAKEJOHN]

My first tank (current tank) is stacked with 95lbs (110gl), I dont care for the look or the flow around the rocks. Since we are moving and tank is coming down, I plan on an open tank and pegging the rock with either the same or less rock. I also had a 10gl tank with about 2lbs of rock. It stabilized well and I really liked the clean look.

But really I think your rock structure should be planned for the fish and corals you plan to keep.
I think the amount of rock should be whatever it takes to make your planned structure.
I also agree that less can be more. Less rock with more available flow around it will do better than more rock that is only partilly available to flow. Although some may argue about low oxygen and crytic spaces.