Mix reef rockwork for Reefer 250! No idea what im doing!

[BeMoto]

My last tank I put everything in the back stacked everything big to small. Didn't really have any reason for anything. Looking for any advice of any kind. I have a Red Sea reefer 250, 20x21x36.

I have 60 lbs if dry fiji dry rock curing at the moment. Leaning towards cementing most the pieces together. Reef safe cement/epoxy.

Still planning everything but most likely do mix reef with a small sand bed.

The only thing I must have at the moment is clownfish and a blue ridge.

 

[Mastiffsrule]

Hi,

Sounds like a nice tank. Get a build thread going if you want so we can follow.

A lot of folk do a test run before setting it up outside the tank. Use cardboard and tape out an area similar in size to you tank and arrange the rock until something looks good. Then your ready to fix it together and set it in the tank

 

[Eight]

I am working on my rockwork for my Reefer 250 as well. Here are two configurations I've been messing with. I bought some E-Marco 400 which sounds like a game changer in terms of what you can accomplish now. I think I might go for a dramatic "floating style" rock display. (These are the same rocks in both tanks. Very different feels.)

 

[BeMoto]

I am working on my rockwork for my Reefer 250 as well. Here are two configurations I've been messing with. I bought some E-Marco 400 which sounds like a game changer in terms of what you can accomplish now. I think I might go for a dramatic "floating style" rock display. (These are the same rocks in both tanks. Very different feels.)

I got some reef putty the othere day. E-Marco might be better for what I'm doing. Busting out the hacksaw, hammer and chisel soon to play around.

I also got 30 more pounds of dry rock to play around with. Might make some ruble rock to tie some of the pieces together.

Been doing alot of research on corals and tank setups. Trying to plan something I'll be happy with for a couple of years. Hopefully I'll have something to show off soon.

 

[BeMoto]

Still playing around. Not sure if I want to epoxy now or start cycling the rocks and scape later. Planning on cycling in a brute trash can regardless. The room the tank is going in needs alot of work. Still thinking about getting a bigger tank as well.

 

[sp1187]

this, but rotate the left piece so the low end is towards the front.
also, surf reef aquascapes to get more ideas.
pick up a mag float so you know how much space you need between the glass and the rock.

 

[BeMoto]

pick up a mag float so you know how much space you need between the glass and the rock

That is a good idea! I was keeping cleaning in mind, but didn't actually think of getting the tools for the job.

 

[sp1187]

That is a good idea! I was keeping cleaning in mind, but didn't actually think of getting the tools for the job.

I thought I had mine perfect, and I ended up with a 1" spot in the back I can't get to.

 

[BeMoto]

I going crazy over thinking this, but I hope to be looking at this for several years. My last tank looked terrible. I wish I had backup the pictures I had.

 

[PPPPPP42]

Its not possible to over think it, take as much time as needed as its obviously going to be a much bigger job if you have to go back and change it all later.

Since its not your first tank you obviously probably learned all these lessons already, but:

Things to consider when planning where the rocks go is what corals you plan to get and what fish.

Certain fish like to have certain types of hiding spots, or claim a certain amount of territory or type of structure.

Certain corals need to be at just the right height for the lighting and next to corals that are friendly to them or isolated on their own island. You may want to test the setup in various planned spots with a par meter before anything living is in there after the lights are set up in case it all needs to be scrambled around.

Current must be thought out to at least some degree and you will want to put the power heads and wave makers in and see how things flow before you even get the tank cycled in case you want to rearrange everything. Certain corals will block flow so your eventual plans for that should be considered as well.

Cleaning and dead spot planning are part of that too. Some tanks have known spots where everything piles up that are easy to get to which makes cleaning much simpler.

Its so much more than just aesthetics.

Looks like you have some good ideas there, especially considering you are working with a pile of cannon balls which are the most difficult rock to do anything impressive with. That's my #1 reason for never buying the box o rocks by weight thing and instead paying out the butt twice over for all hand picked stuff. It helps that I have at least two good shops and bulk reef supply itself within a two hour driving distance. Second hand rock with bacteria and coralline algae and whatnot are a nice option too if you have swap meets nearby ever though that can come with its own issues.
Some of those pieces in the picture Eight posted are interesting and easy to make dramatic structure with.
I found the price tag from one of the rocks my wife bought during her set up and it was $75. I'm not even sure it was the most expensive one.

 

[BeMoto]

Looks like you have some good ideas there, especially considering you are working with a pile of cannon balls which are the most difficult rock to do anything impressive with.

Yeah the Fiji isn't the best looking rock. It was live rock at one point so I'm planning on using it again. I did think about replacing it. I'm still researching if its beneficial to reuse.

I'm still working on my stock list so I need to keep that in mind too. The depth of the tank is definitely challenging being 20"