Landscaping advise please

[MarcoPolo]

I have a minimalistic BB SPS tank measuring 150x80x50h with overflow in a corner. The good thing about this set up is that I can easily suck up detritus and have good water flow.

My sump is filled with Live Rock. I am thinking of transferring the bulk of the live rock from sump to display tank to make it easier to maintain the sump, make space for my new macroalgae and make it easy to access all the equipment.

But I'm unsure how best to place LR into main tank withou loosing the ability to suck all detritus effectively and maintain good circulation.

Do most of you place rocks against the back of the tank or?

 

[M007]

Stack your rock with as many open swim throughs as possible. You may have to epoxy some pieces to achieve stability. Check out the Bansai inspired tanks here on RC for some great examples.

 

[reefmanmatt]

if your sticking bb you should stack them up the back and pin them together with acrylic dowels (or old plastic cloths hangers) . then you have plenty of space , great aquascape , and ease of cleaning . sounds like a win - win situation !start with your bottom rocks just out and lean your structure towards the back wall as you go up if your house ever shakes ya might want to epoxy the bottom ones to the tank, as they may have a tenancy to slide in the event of an earthquake depending on how high you go ... since theres no sandbed to grip them . just a thought - i dont know brussels attributes , happy reefing

 

[MarcoPolo]

Thanks guys. I'll do some research including those Bansai tanks (where do I look for them?). But if I stack the rocks on the back, how do get the detritus which will deposit there in the back?

 

[ChicagoReefOne]

Personally I wouldn't lean your rock on the tank walls at all, the weight can crack the glass plus the problem of detritus settling there.

I'm +1 for M007's advice, just stack the rock in an open structure so fish and flow can move through it. Or you can get creative and drill out the rock for dowel rods to make it even more open. Of course the only thing that will keep the detritus suspended is constant random flow so the rockwork is only half of it, designing the flow and powerhead placement is the other. You'll probably have to manually blast out nooks and crannies monthly, just part of the maintenance.

The bonsai thread is really easy to find, it's on the frontpage of the SPS forums right now. Google search "Bonsai inspired reef central" if you have problems.

 

[M007]

Prepare to be amazed http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1288059