Tank arrangements

[duanegraham]

I've had my aquarium running now for just over a year, a 90 gallon stocked with fish, live rock, invertebrates, and some soft corals/ and an anenome. All seem to be striving atm (including fish in QT) but I can't help but notice almost all tanks on here have their live rock bunched to the rear, or stacked in the corner. My guess is this is mainly to make it easier to keep sand clean? What are the up and downsides to layout in a tank? I have mine centered in the middle throughout the length of the tank, I believe it make the tank appear "fuller" with more hiding spots, any thoughts? Is it purely based on personal taste? I also don't see how the water flow can penetrate a deep stack of LR, maybe that's not as necessary as I thought,..

 

[Indymann99]

Couple of reasons for the "stacked at the back" / rock wall look.

1. tanks that are shallow (front to back) require the rock to be placed in the rear to permit swimming space and coral placement up front.

2. for predominantly coral tanks people want to "see" the corals so making more room in front, means rock placed in the rear.

3. many people place the back of the tank against a wall and have a canopy that blocks viewing from above. This placement would waste space behind the rock. not viewable and difficult to clean.

With deeper (front to back) tanks you can often place rock such that you have space behind and in front.

 

[duanegraham]

Couple of reasons for the "stacked at the back" / rock wall look.

That makes sense, I do have trouble with cleaning certain areas but not impossible. I do however somewhat disagree about the swimming room, as I see my fish constantly swimming in and out of the rock formations which I believe would create some stimulation. But I am planning on adding to my coral collection which could turn out to be an issue later on space wise. But how does one set up with all the LR to the rear bunched together without leaving enough room for a sick fish to go and die and create parameter issues? I'd like to think ahead as I don't want to any more rock adjustments in the near future.

 

[A.Astore]

What are the dimensions of your tank? If you notice there are some people that have great success with not having it all piled as one or in a corner even with coral present. It will truly depend on how you build the aquascape and the places you build into it that will result in a rock formation down the center working. I know I prefer to have varying rockwork and not have it all against the back or corner. I think there is a lot of mere preference in designing the scape of the tank. My other thing though is I don't only want a tank that looks good from the front. My family views the tank from three different sides even though it is not a peninsula tank so to put all the rock against the back would not provide us a new viewing experience by walking to the side to look. The way the rocks are in mine (which is 60x24x24) makes it so there is an area in the back corners that you can't really see from the front well so walking to the sides of the tank allows for something new to looks at as well as more for the inhabitants to explore and hide in. I don't know that there is a right or wrong but I know how I have mine currently is right for my personal preference. I completely agree that I don't want a point in the tank that I would have to tear out rock work to get to should there be a sick fish back there and would end up pulling a lot of fish out prematurely and un-needed if I had that spot in a tank just to avoid it.

 

[duanegraham]

I completely agree that I don't want a point in the tank that I would have to tear out rock work to get to should there be a sick fish back there and would end up pulling a lot of fish out prematurely and un-needed if I had that spot in a tank just to avoid it.

Precisely, is this ever an issue for any reefers or even fish only tanks? But mine is a standard 90 gallon tank 48x24x18 I believe, and I only have a viewing angle from the front. I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons as the layout I have now I'm not satisfied with.