Live rock

[ggreene66]

Ok. So i have a cool foam backwall on my 125. My question is with this foam backwall, can i use less live rock or more? I figure i could use less because the nitrifying bacteria would also populate in the holes and crevices and on surface of the wall. Is this correct or am i way off?

 

[eli@fijireefroc]

Ok. So i have a cool foam backwall on my 125. My question is with this foam backwall, can i use less live rock or more? I figure i could use less because the nitrifying bacteria would also populate in the holes and crevices and on surface of the wall. Is this correct or am i way off?

I think your wall work is great and will have some bacteria on the surface as it probably single cell foam nothing compared to live or dry rock for surface.
for minimal look on live rock maybe load your sump with rock or even cheaper rubble.

 

[ggreene66]

Yea. Im going for the minimalist look. Im thinking 2 or 3 islands with shelves and small rock rubbles at base. I think im going to use brs reef saver dry rock. Whats your input of that aquascape? And how much rock in sump?

 

[aquaph8]

Its not so much about how much rock you have but how you stock it and how you export nutrients. Add your fish slowly, dont add an insane ammount and do your maintainence and you'll be fine with minimal rock work.

 

[ggreene66]

What do you mean about exportimg nutrients? Sorry im a newbie haha! Also im having a really hard time finding a sump refugium for it. I tried making my own but failed horribly and not really good at diy things. Any ideas or anyone selling one for a good price?

 

[aquaph8]

I mean water changes and having a decent skimmer. Go talk to Fishybizness, they'll get you set up

 

[ggreene66]

Ok. Awesome thanks. Ill go there tomorrow

 

[sillygoose]

Yeah -- your foam looks great. Remember you can use your wall real estate for corals too. One thing I wish I had done with mine was implant/glue some small rubble bits (more realistic) or coral plugs (uglier) into the foam before I put water in. Although I made tiny shelves to put corals on, it is harder to attach to the foam than I thought it would be. It's much easier to glue a frag unto a different kind of material. Just a thought.

 

[ggreene66]

I was thinking of placing corals in the foam after im all set up a running. What troubles did you run into while trying to place the corals in the foam?

 

[sillygoose]

Trying to glue onto the foam was hard because the surface is very slick at a micro level. Things didn't stick well and gluing corals underwater is tricky enough for me. I end up gluing my fingers instead. I was thinking if I had embedded some better surfaces like bits (1" or less small so they are not too noticeable) of rock into the foam before I added water, I could drill/carve out places and epoxy or superglue the bits into these little holes. Then when I have a frag with a wet glob of super glue plunging into the water, I have a receptive surface to aim for. Other people may not have the same issues I do - just something I wish I had done differently.