• Give advice

  • Christopher7213

I asked my questions on AKVALOGO, but no one offered any advice. I'm struggling with the question of how to build rocks in an aquarium that is 105 cm wide, 70 cm high (I also want to hide the drain column) and 40 cm deep!... Lego is clear, but I also want to leave overhangs for corals. The drain column will roughly be in the center, and it will be the main underwater rock with all its inhabitants... I can imagine this virtually, but how to bring it to life is another question... I probably will have to set up some supports made of pipes and attach the live rocks to them... and I have another pressing question... I’m not a supporter of DSB (I think it’s better to add more live rocks, as it’s both more beneficial and decorative in the aquarium), but still, if I lay down a DSB of 10-12 cm... Question 1: do I place the rocks first and then add the sand, or the other way around? Question 2: the rocks placed on the sand might sink into it over time, thus compromising the strength of the structure. If I do place them on supports made of pipes, will there be dead zones in those pipes? After all, I could make a 10-12 cm podium for the rocks... and fill the entire free space with sand... but then the volume of the podium would be equal to (or maybe greater than) the volume of the DSB... so what kind of DSB is that with a perimeter of 105*40 and a height of 70???... does this make sense??? This issue could be addressed in the sump... but still???

Tanner

I'm sorry, but is it not possible to create a foam base in the shape of your rock and then cover it with your decor, whatever it may be? I mean, in the monolith (made of) foam, there is no water, which means there are no living or dead zones. And the weight in it is minimal. I'm sorry if I misunderstood the problem. I responded not as an aquarist, but as a builder.

Brandon4517

Foam cannot be submerged, and later pieces will be pulled out from it, along with fish, worms, and icky things. Definitely, you cannot place stones directly on the sand. First, you create the basic structure, then add live rocks, and finally cover it with sand. Protrusions for corals can be solved with titanium wire. Good luck.