Tank-scape ideas (Tang Police welcome......)

[danmhippo]

If we pile up our rocks all in the center and leaves wide enough rooms around the rock pile, does that increases the tank's capabilities to keep fast swimming fish (such as larger tangs)?

Sort of creating a race track for the fishes. By careful positioning of powerheads, we can make water currents to move around the rock pile in a circle. This way, the faster swimming fish does not have to pace back and forth from end to end. I am thinking this is much easier to accomplish if the tank is wide enough to allow for aquascaping like this.

What do you guys think?

 

[Tybond]

I saw a tank like this a while back when I was in chicago.

It was a very interesting display.

The owner had made the center "pile" stable by drilling the rocks and used 1/2" pvc to plug the rocks into each other. I wish I had taken a photo because it was very neat.

to give you a visual, he had a large rock on the bottom that he has chissled flat across the top. he then drilled the top to fit the pvc. Next he used a couple of medium size rocks and drilled and secured them so it created a level that had openings between the rocks to create caves. On the top layer he had used a different kind of rock that was oblong but sorta flat and when he fixed them together it made the top look like sort of a shelf that overhung the lower level. For a neat way to hide the plumbing and permit good flow between his rocscape, he drilled water outlets in the 1/2" pvc where it connected the two rocks together and hooked the pipes to a main pipe he had hidden under his DSB conected to his return line from his sump. He then used a closed loop that pulled in water on the right end of the tank and return was placed in the left end to make the same flow pattern you describe.

ty

 

[danmhippo]

The drilling part is more elaborate than what I have in mind (a simple rock pile), but neverless, that would make the rockscaping very eye pleasant indeed. How big was his tank? What does he keep in it that would not be possible if it wasn't rockscaped that way?

Tang police members, I would also like your inputs too..........

 

[Tybond]

I don't think he had designed it around the choice of occupants as much as from an asstetics point of view.

I didn't get a gallon figure but I would say the deminsions were different thats for sure.

The tank was at least 4 feet front to back by 4 feet long and at least 5 feet tall.

The tank was viewable from 3 sides and the cabinet work made the system stand floor to ceiling.

The tank was designed around looking like the end cap of a room divider. A big room divider.

All his pluming was hidden into the stand and back wall. the back wall housed the closed loop and was accessable from a closet door in the other room. In the closet, he had two decent size tanks that were long and narow to be able to walk (sideways) between them. maybe about 55gallon tanks? one was a refugium sytem that was divided in the middle to grow macros on one side and he had a mud bed and mangroves growing in the other half. The other tank was his sump which contained 2 heaters and a skimmer. this tank was also divided so the other half was being used as a place to hold the chiller coil and as a refill point for his top off system. the sump tank and refugium were plumber together with the refugium returning water to the main tank and water entered the sump by means of a overflow in the main tank.

The neatest part of the install was he had a drain connected to his sump that went to his house plumbing so he could simply turn a ball valve to drain water for needed water changes. under the cabinet in the main tank he had a hose fitting that he could hook up to fill the sytem back up with fresh SW and know when to stop filling by watching the level go up untill it reaced the overflow.

He did have a powder blue tang I remember seeing because it continually swam laps around the pile just slowly circling the pile like it was drifting along with the current. Every once in a while it would swim counter current and just dart around the rocks like it was playing in the current flow.
It looked very healthy and happy.

for lighting he was using 2x400w MH but i dont know what k rating. looked like 6500 and had 4 vho actinics I believe. maybe 6 can't remember for sure.

The tank only had soft corals in it. No SPS. just colts, sinularia, and a very nice yellow leather and BTA I wanted to adopt . other than that there were sea mats, shrooms zoo's and a section of the front corner had macro of some type growing that looked almost like corkscrew blade leafs that were at least a foot tall.

ty

 

[wombat1]

Sounds like a cool setup idea. It would definitely help having a circular tank, if you can get one. With some of the requiem sharks, they have to have a minmum distance so they can "glide" without swimming and conserve energy while still having water go over the gills. I have no idea if tangs do this, but it might be one of the reasons why they do so much better in big tanks. What kind of tang(s) were you thinking about Dan??

 

[danmhippo]

The RDO forbidden ones.

 

[EmilyB]

The RDO forbidden ones.

OH 8O

Well, now that is out of the way...... I have my rock centre stacked in my 120g (no pics on my website yet ) Several swim throughs in the rock as well, so they do swim around but also do all kinds of lazy figure eights - and, in comparison with the six foot length in the 155g, I'd have to say they seem to be much more relaxed in their swimming patterns, and it probably means I should do the same with that tank. Although I'd prefer to just get one 6X4... :lol:

That's my perception of their behavior anyway.

 

[naesco]

RDO forbidden ones??

Because tangs like to swim they need the length that larger tanks provide.
By placing the rock as you suggest, the tangs have more room to swim quickly to and fro which is what they like doing.
Placing a powerhead, especially nearer to the top of the tank is also a good idea. I have observed tangs swimming against the current which they seemed to enjoy and the powerhead will provide more oxygen in the tank which is also beneficial.

 

[danmhippo]

OMG! Naesco has given the first ever approval for the forbidden tang!

(I feel I am gonna cry............)

NO. I am not getting one........yet. But just thought I would throw that idea out for those that needs it.

On the second thought, maybe I will try it in my pond.