Now that my current reef has been set up for a little over two years I decided to do a tank build to show the growth and progress as the tank matures and starts to take it's mature shape. For those of you that don't know me I am a veteran reefer that has been in this hobby for a long time. I have had two reef tanks that hit the ten year mark being set up and I am going for a third. I am even still using the same 180 after all this time. I have learned a lot over the decades and will explain my way of doing things in my build.
I started out as a child in fresh water as my dad breed angle fish and grammys for years. But one I turned ten I got my first saltwater tank set up with some fish and soft corals and was instantly hooked. I am one of those lifetime reefers. Once I got in I never got out not even for a short amount of time. I have been continually learning, experimenting and developing my craft ever since. I strive to continually learn and improve my skills as this makes you a better reefer. Even now I like to talk to people and I listen even if they have not been in it as long as I have because you never know what you will learn. As everyone takes a different approach and have had different experience then I have. If you stop listening and trying to learn you might as well stop the hobby now as you will stagnate and never progress.
As I go along I intend to explain how I approach laying down my rockwork when I am setting up my tanks. A properly set up foundation is very important for long term success and means the difference between a thriving reef or plagued with nutrient issues. You need proper water flow that can blow through the rocks cutting down on dead zones and should never just pile them on top each other. As this will look like a pile of rocks and create dead zones for stuff to build up in. I use PVC pipes that I cut into Smaller sections and hide behind the rockwork. So any fish can get from one side of my tank to the other behind the rocks. I like to create caves that have lots of nooks and crannies for things to hide in. The structure has to be solid and not shift on the substrate so I put what I call foundation stones down first resting them on the bottom glass and then lay some substrate down around them. This cuts down on your rocks from settling after you place other stuff on top. It also cuts down on the ability of things like fish digging under your support rocks and causing a cave in crushing everything.
This is the new tank at one week. My basic rock design came together quite well.
I started out as a child in fresh water as my dad breed angle fish and grammys for years. But one I turned ten I got my first saltwater tank set up with some fish and soft corals and was instantly hooked. I am one of those lifetime reefers. Once I got in I never got out not even for a short amount of time. I have been continually learning, experimenting and developing my craft ever since. I strive to continually learn and improve my skills as this makes you a better reefer. Even now I like to talk to people and I listen even if they have not been in it as long as I have because you never know what you will learn. As everyone takes a different approach and have had different experience then I have. If you stop listening and trying to learn you might as well stop the hobby now as you will stagnate and never progress.
As I go along I intend to explain how I approach laying down my rockwork when I am setting up my tanks. A properly set up foundation is very important for long term success and means the difference between a thriving reef or plagued with nutrient issues. You need proper water flow that can blow through the rocks cutting down on dead zones and should never just pile them on top each other. As this will look like a pile of rocks and create dead zones for stuff to build up in. I use PVC pipes that I cut into Smaller sections and hide behind the rockwork. So any fish can get from one side of my tank to the other behind the rocks. I like to create caves that have lots of nooks and crannies for things to hide in. The structure has to be solid and not shift on the substrate so I put what I call foundation stones down first resting them on the bottom glass and then lay some substrate down around them. This cuts down on your rocks from settling after you place other stuff on top. It also cuts down on the ability of things like fish digging under your support rocks and causing a cave in crushing everything.
This is the new tank at one week. My basic rock design came together quite well.
lol
