[scubaBB1]

OK ... things are going really well and I am starting to add small frags to my tank. My question is how do I know that I am using my rock optimally?
26 gal bowfront, live rock, live sand, 2 firefish, 1 turbo, 5 hermits, 1 cleaner, and one peppermint. Frags: blastomussa, green (some call it lavender) mushroom, galaxia, frog spawn and purple star polyp.
Coralife 65 watt day, and 65 watt blue (15 hrs a day), hydor koralia 2 turbo, biowheel filter w/out the biowheel.
salinity 1.024-1.025, pH 8.2, ammonia, NO3, NO2 all zero, Mg 1350, calcium 475, temp 78
Because I am running out of area to put frags, I am thinking I need to take it all apart and start over and find a more creative way to distribute my rock. May even need to buy more ...

 

[Salty O'Shen]

maybe you could arrange it differently, but i've noticed that the tanks i like most are when things are slightly "crowded". as long as the aggressive corals have enough space to grow, less aggressives can actually coexist and bttale for space without harming each other. I see lots of places to put frags with things how it's set up now, but this is the reason i moved up to a little larger tank, more space for me to dump more money into

 

[scubaBB1]

maybe you could arrange it differently as long as the aggressive corals have enough space to grow, less aggressives can actually coexist and battle for space without harming each other. I see lots of places to put frags with things how it's set up now, but this is the reason i moved up to a little larger tank, more space for me to dump more money into

There is also a spot, bottom/center, that I have to blow out with my turbo pump because junk seems to settle there. Also, you can't tell in the picture but it is only about 1/2 full in depth. Unless I find some tall coral that do well in low light, I will have bare areas toward the top 1/3 of my tank. Tearing it apart would also give me better aim in finding the big, fat, hitchhiker crab that so effectively hides from me.
It does make me a bit nervous to think about rearranging everything because things seem so happy.
I'm torn,:crap:

 

[fox2589]

more flow will help with the gunk..i have 83x turnover in my 20 gallon..-drew

 

[scubaBB1]

Is redesigning the rock bed layout to a more mountain like layout worth disrupting the tank?

 

[Salty O'Shen]

if you think you'll need to have spots for corals that need higher intensity lighting, then yes. if you are anything like me, you're never happy with it, i am always rearranging my rockwork. i never scrap the whole layout and start over, but when i add some new it never seems to have a spot that's good for it, so 1/3 of the tank gets rearranged. the coral get irritated with all the tinkering but they get over it in a couple days. all i have a softies and LPS tho, so i can't give any advice if you have any SPS in there, which i don't think i saw.

 

[scubaBB1]

if you think you'll need to have spots for corals that need higher intensity lighting, then yes. if you are anything like me, you're never happy with it, i am always rearranging my rockwork. i never scrap the whole layout and start over, but when i add some new it never seems to have a spot that's good for it, so 1/3 of the tank gets rearranged. the coral get irritated with all the tinkering but they get over it in a couple days. all i have a softies and LPS tho, so i can't give any advice if you have any SPS in there, which i don't think i saw.

Whew ... just so you all know, it is much easier in theory than in reality. I basically traumatized every living thing in my tank and the end results are only marginally better than what I started with

... I guess live rock isn't like legos.
All my critters are present and accounted for, the frog spawn, mushrooms and star polyp are all sucked back into themselves but this too shall pass.
Would I do it again? Ask me tomorrow

Yesterday and today:

 

[dv3]

i liked it better yesterday ...lol

 

[scubaBB1]

i liked it better yesterday ...lol

With any luck it will look better when things clear up and more frags are added. At least now I have room to move in there and more area to add coral frags and less area out of the flow. I wasn't kidding when I said it was easier in theory ... c'est la vie, live and learn

 

[aquawolf]

That is the problem with aquascaping. You can arrange it 10 different ways, and you may never be happy with it. Or you will continue to think it looked better a different way, and never be able to duplicate that layout again.

I think you will be happy once it clears up again.

 

[scubaBB1]

That is the problem with aquascaping. You can arrange it 10 different ways, and you may never be happy with it. Or you will continue to think it looked better a different way, and never be able to duplicate that layout again.

I think you will be happy once it clears up again.

Thank you and Amen. I was limited by the size and shape of my rock. I am a little sad because less of the pretty live rock and more of the cheaper base rock is showing. Ultimately I succeeded in affording myself greater versatility, more space, more flat area for buiding on and the rock is higher in the tank now ... plus I can always cover the base rock with pretty things :-D
Now all I need to worry about are the nasty x crabs in the rock :-/

 

[aquawolf]

What kinds of crabs do you have in there? Did you try to get them out while you were moving the rock around?

Also, don't worry about the base rock showing. It will get covered with coralline just like everything else eventually.

 

[scubaBB1]

Nasty crabs

What kinds of crabs do you have in there? Did you try to get them out while you were moving the rock around?

Also, don't worry about the base rock showing. It will get covered with coralline just like everything else eventually.

I got this one out about 2 weeks ago. My live rock was infested. Two down and at least 3 more and one of them is as big as this one (including legs, about a 50¢ piece). I was stressed during the rearranging and didn't work hard at getting them out. I have tried traps without luck so far. I can occasionally hear the dreaded clicking so they are burrowing as we speak. If you know any tricks I am up for hearing about them. Thanks

 

[aquawolf]

Oh yeah, sharp little pinchers make him a nasty looking little crab.

I have heard of people suspending the live rock in a bucket above a a small amount of saltwater. Eventually the crab will want, or need, to get back in the water and will leave the rock and drop into the bucket.

I am sorry to hear about your infestation. I am knocking on wood, as that is one thing I have not had to deal with yet.

 

[scubaBB1]

It is brighter and clearer ... I like it

 

[aquawolf]

Looks good to me as well. :thumbup: