Often bashed rock wall aquascape...often produces great results.

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

I am constantly fighting to create an open aquascape. The more visible sand the better for flow, right. Howver when some of the established tanks post pics on here they are often using the quickly bashed "wall of rock".
I like the open scapes for the "swimming" and "eye view" lanes, but the wall of rock has its' pros as well.

I know there are many ways to skin a cat, but does a wall of rock automatically mean a bomb waiting to go off behind the rocks as many would have you believe?

 

[zigzag1]

IME, no. I think flow and nutrient management are bigger factors. JMTC & GL!

 

[SushiGirl]

I have a wall of rock (it's a 55, can't do much else). I have the inflow from the sump aimed behind the rocks, and a Koralia aimed behind the rocks from the other side. Definitely no flow issues in the back LOL. Of course, only one small piece of one small rock is slightly touching the glass, nothing is leaned up against it.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Friends dont let friends build another coral wall. Long term problems with debri....and unatural appearance. Long term works so much better if you keep it open. No horizontal ridges, place your rock upright on its side and edge not flat like shelves. Let the coral fill in the holes and leave room for them to grow. Think about how the reef will look in three years.

 

[dvanacker]

I dont think its a bomb.....but a potential issue down the road maybe. I also think a more open scape is generally healthier.

 

[SushiGirl]

All depends on what kind of rock and how you place it. I have coral rock with a couple of nice pieces that are branched into flat areas on top and lots of open spaces between and through the rocks. Not much sand space for corals, but I have a sifting goby so there's nothing on the bottom but one rock of shrooms.

 

[chessmanmark]

The old way of thinking was pile as much rock as you can into a tank. Now many of the aesthetically pleasing aquascapes have less rock and more open "islands." IMO you can stack the rock up all you want, however keep it off the glass or it will be hard to clean the glass. You also want to keep it off the glass for circulation purposes. The challenge with a wall of rock is where do you place your corals? The select few get optimum lighting while the others on the wall will have to be pieces that thrive with less lighting. You also have to plan ahead so as not to shade out the lower corals.

There are many different ways to be successful, however having a vision of the future helps actually achieve that elusive success.

 

[E-A-G-L-E-S]

Friends dont let friends build another coral wall. Long term problems with debri....and unatural appearance. Long term works so much better if you keep it open. No horizontal ridges, place your rock upright on its side and edge not flat like shelves. Let the coral fill in the holes and leave room for them to grow. Think about how the reef will look in three years.

I both agree and disagree. The part I disagree with is that it doesn't look natural. The "wall of rock" looks just like the edge of a reef, whereas an open look usually looks nothing like a real reef.

 

[acroholicreefer]

No horizontal ridges, place your rock upright on its side and edge not flat like shelves.

Why do you not like the idea of "flat shelves" for placement?

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

I am constantly fighting to create an open aquascape. The more visible sand the better for flow, right. Howver when some of the established tanks post pics on here they are often using the quickly bashed "wall of rock".
I like the open scapes for the "swimming" and "eye view" lanes, but the wall of rock has its' pros as well.

I know there are many ways to skin a cat, but does a wall of rock automatically mean a bomb waiting to go off behind the rocks as many would have you believe?

Rock walls are not the best for long term stability. They making trying to get to almost impossible. Also, it's nice to see what's actually going on in the back of the tank. You could have something die and not even know about it for great lengths of time. Flow is huge and a lot of dead spot can form with excess rock in a wall rock layout. I've experimented with just about every aquascape and the open ones really have their benefits!

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Read down from: Birth of a New Tank

Has some great insight on this subject!

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2009-03/totm/index.php

 

[SaltwaterAdict]

Friends dont let friends build another coral wall.

:lol:

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Why do you not like the idea of "flat shelves" for placement?

Here are some images from my system today followed by an image of the tank a couple of months after i set it up. All the rocks are set on their edges. You cant see it in the images but they are laid to simulate ridges. As the corals have grown in they covered the rocks. As i cover more rocks I can stack them on top of the base on their edge. Since the corals are all growing from the sides of the rocks they are easier to stack. Eventually doing it this way, the corals grow into their places and cover the rock. Although this may look like a solid stack it is actulally riges with the open tops grown in and covered by coral to make tunnels. In the end i think it makes for a natural look. The bottom of the tank also stays clear so there is no debri build up in the tank and the fish love it as well.

 

[Dog boy Dave]

I both agree and disagree. The part I disagree with is that it doesn't look natural. The "wall of rock" looks just like the edge of a reef, whereas an open look usually looks nothing like a real reef.

Here it is yesterday. I thought it looked pretty natural till i read your post..... Serously, I think a ridge composed of coral looks much more natural than rock laying flat. Most of the time if, I see a rock poking out of anything in the wild, its an edge or end poking out. Seldom do I ever see flat rocks sitting on top of each other in the water or anywhere else cept in that road runner cartoon.....

 

[MammothReefer]

It really depends on how you have your tank orientated. Mine is 3 sided viewable with the long side against the wall (as most tanks are). My lights are centered. So it makes sense for me to elevate the back w/rock work in order to be able to 1 see the corals in the back of the tank, and 2, increase the light they get as there is fall off the further from the center you get. I also like having caves etc in the back of my tank for thinks like sponges etc to grow or places for fish to hide/sleep. I can see a good chunk of the back of the tank if you look at various angles. I also only put my "rock wall" just a little over half way up, allowing my corals room to grow up, and allowing for plenty of flow and swimming area. Ya I could shift my entire rock work forward and center it in the tank, but in the end I would have the same amount of rock that would take up the same amount of space and the only thing I would gain is ability to mount corals to the back of the rock which I wouldn't really be able to see all that well anyways, and I would loose the perception of depth in my tank.

 

[dvanacker]

Mammoth....in my definition of rock wall the wall must be against the glass and piled high in almost a vertical fashion. I dont think you would qualify.

 

[MammothReefer]

Hmm, mine is against the back glass, but I have a 24" wide tank so it comes forward as well. When I had my narrowing tanks I found that you really don't have much choice. Ah well I like how it looks and gets the job done.. I have a tenancy to "pack them in"

 

[JG1]

This is pretty cool

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2073747

 

[Dog boy Dave]

Mammoth....in my definition of rock wall the wall must be against the glass and piled high in almost a vertical fashion. I dont think you would qualify.

I think this covers it for most who would say oh but......

And JG's post proves there is always the exception.....

 

[acroholicreefer]

Here are some images from my system today followed by an image of the tank a couple of months after i set it up. All the rocks are set on their edges. You cant see it in the images but they are laid to simulate ridges. As the corals have grown in they covered the rocks. As i cover more rocks I can stack them on top of the base on their edge. Since the corals are all growing from the sides of the rocks they are easier to stack. Eventually doing it this way, the corals grow into their places and cover the rock. Although this may look like a solid stack it is actulally riges with the open tops grown in and covered by coral to make tunnels. In the end i think it makes for a natural look. The bottom of the tank also stays clear so there is no debri build up in the tank and the fish love it as well.

Oh yeah, I can see what you did with the rock structure. I have always liked the ridge idea . The more surface area of live rock for the light to hit always has seemed like a good idea to me.