Aquascaping Question

[jims47]

Well there I went reading again, :roll: I read in a book(the new marine aquarium) that it isn't a good idea to have the LR up against the back glass. Sooo I took mine all down as the back was getting dingy looking and there was no way to clean it with the LR inplace. Now after rearranging it IMO it looks like @#$% The few fish don't seem to mind but the look is terrible. Should I have left it the way I had it and not read so much or was it the right thing to do to get it off the rear glass? I had a lot of cirulation through out it before, as I do now ,but it looked much better when I could use the back glass to prop up the LR the way looked best to me. If it doesn't matter how long should I wait before re arranging again :roll: . This is a 30G FWLR and a few mushrooms, polyps. It has been established for 8 months. Thanks for any replies.
Jim

 

[krullulon]

it's much easier to not stack the rock on the back of the glass if your tank is at least 24" wide... it would be tougher to pull-off in a 30g.

if you're going to do freestanding in a 30g, try to build a pyramid that's wider at the bottom and narrower at the top. freestanding at that size though is going to mean smaller pieces of rock that you can better configure -- if you have big pieces currently you might want to break-out the hammer and chisel and break 'em up into more manageable pieces.

post a pic!

 

[Anonymous]

If you can get some motion behind the wall on the glass, than I say make it look the way you like it.
I think you can muck with it right away.

 

[jims47]

I had plenty of movement before with the rock against the back glass. My pieces are fairly big, with a few small. There is 60 lbs of it(fiji). I wasn't concerned before but after reading about not being able to clean the glass I thought I should move it. Trouble is all the life has started to mature on it, feather dusters, xenie(sp?) etc. and I really don't want to take the hammer to it,lol. I plan on getting a 72 gal bowfront in the future about 6 mo. but for now I want it to look good. As it is, IMO I think it stinks, given I only have 12" to work with. So if your all saying it does'nt hurt to let the glass go (back) on cleaning then I'll put it back the way it was(hopefully), one more thing. A friend is giving me 11 frags of acro's(unmounted from his 180 gal tank. I currently have two 96 watt pc's and will be getting two more. I was going with the 50/50's will this be enough on a 30 gal(18" high) for the sps? 192watts. I can't afford a MH light as yet. Thanks again for all your help.
Jim

 

[ChrisRD]

Having the rock touching the back glass isn't necessarily a problem - just try to minimize the contact points and make sure you have plenty of flow behind the rock structure. What you want to avoid is a place where detritus builds up.

Your acro frags should survive under your lighting, but growth rates and coloration may be less than what you'd like to see. Lots of flow, good water quality and good Ca/Alk levels are other major factors in how they will grow and color-up.

HTH

 

[jims47]

Thanks Chris. I did have good water flow before, I also placed small dead rock under it all to minimize contact points of the larger rock. I plan on getting MH lighting to supplement, but I was thinking of getting two 70 watt's 10k's and having them come on seperate IE right @11am then left@noon and then have the right go off @6pm followed by the left @7pm. I was hoping to simulate sunrise/set. But 2 70 watter's is probably too little.
Jim

 

[Anonymous]

mine is all the way to the back of the glass but i have very few contact points with the glass itself..besides, you cant see the back so why do i care if its cleaned..?

 

[ChrisRD]

I plan on getting MH lighting to supplement, but I was thinking of getting two 70 watt's 10k's

If you're planning a tank upgrade in the future it's probably best to consider that when purchasing any additional lighting for your current tank. In other words, say you decide you ultimately want to run 2 X 250 watt halides on the 72 bowfront in the future (which would be a good idea if you remain interested in keeping acros). I'd just get one of those lamps now to run over your 30 - then when you get the bigger tank, you can just add a second lamp...

 

[jims47]

I was thinking that also Chris, but was worried that a 250 might be to much for a 30gal. That is what I'll do then, get the 250. Thanks for your help. One of the reasons I feel free to ask questions here is I get talked to, instead of talked down to! I am gratefull for all the help given here.
Jim

 

[ChrisRD]

Jim,

If your tank is going to be primarily acros, a 250 would be ideal IMO. Just think about how you'll need to control heat when you set things up. Also, consider the average ambient temperature of the room (ie. do you have AC, how hot does it get in that room in mid-Summer, etc.)

If you want a canopy, make sure it's well ventilated with some fans. Depending on tank dimensions and what reflector you use, you might have the lamp well off the water to get good light coverage in which case it won't be heating the water much.

If you go with a pendent and run open-top, you should have no problems for sure. I run 2 X 250 watt HQI lamps over a 50 gallon like that with no chiller - tank never goes above 80.

Also, if you're going to use high intensity lighting, it can help in avoiding a chiller if you choose your pumps carefully. Many submersible pumps and certain brands/models of external pumps add a lot of heat into the system so you may want to take that into account in planning for your next tank.

HTH

 

[jims47]

I have central air that I keep on 78, the tank stays at 77/79 degrees right now. I have a few old AT PC(computer) power suplpies and fans that I will use for ventilation, and my moonlights, bought 20 468/470 blue leds for .99 after I put the resistors on them I'll have about $1.50 in it, lot cheaper than the ones I see on Ebay. I am 53 and have a bit of experience in a lot of things, ran heavy equipment, drove over the road(15yrs.) , worked for a General contractor in all phases of commerical building, worked for a landscaper when I was younger, built my bedroom suite out of Pa Cherry(I live in SW Pa.), I'm the guy everybody on my block calls when they need help(much to my dismay sometimes) but I know squat about this hobby. I have read and read for six months and still haven't seen the tip of the iceberg,lol. But, I am immensley amazed by it and wish I would have dove in when I was younger. I was going to get the 72 gal BF, but after reading in the forum of the 72 bf tank explosion by PaulG http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=51238 I have decided to go with a Oceanic RR75 gal.
Jim

 

[ChrisRD]

You should be fine controlling temp with fans considering the room has AC.

FWIW, I'm not a fan of the bowfronts either. In that size range I like the 75 gallon RR or a 120 gallon RR.

Sounds good Jim - good luck with it.