Reefgardner Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Morning all, So I have been curing about 20lb of rock I was given when I got my tank. I also have about 25lb of live rock in my tank already. I'm a noob and thought I was just going to add rock as I went. Now I realize that there is sooo much more than just piling up rocks. I'm about ready to start my build and I'm not sure what to do. Some of my live rocks have mushrooms, tube anemones and worms. What is the best way for me to incorporate these into my build without killing off the good stuff?? All the articles I have been able to find are people starting fresh with dry rock. I have some cool tools, however my drill is not waterproof. THX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gig 'em @ NDstructible Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I usually start a build by rinsing the dry rock thoroughly and even treating it with a weak acid and scrubbing it sometimes to make sure it's not bringing in a bunch of nutrients and other junk. Then I'll use it as base rock and place it down first and then build my aquascape with the established live rock on top. That way you won't be smothering anything on your live rock and the base rock will slowly become live rock over time as bacteria and microfauna inhabit it. Best of luck with your new build, looking forward to seeing pictures! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timfish Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Check out KimP's videos, http://www.austinreefclub.com/topic/30966-kimps-150g-in-wall-aquarium/ The 5th and 6th deal with dry and wet aquascaping. Rock with corals can be drilled and many species are surprisingly tolerant of being out of water the short time it usually takes to drill holes. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 You can take your rocks out of the water and drill them and place them back into the water. As long as you are quick about it, you'll get minimal dieoff. No underwater drill needed. For mushrooms, fans, and worms, I wouldn't worry about them much. They will relocate if needed themselves. For aquascaping, I do something similar to Gig'em, using the live rock and dry rock throughout the tank. In the long run, you won't be able to tell which is which anyways. Just look online at different aquascapes and borrow from your favorites. The main thing is to make sure it's stable and doesn't interrupt your flow too much. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I've done it multiple ways and my favorite, by far, is drilling and inserting rods. I have the most sturdy aquascape that I've ever had and it only cost me $9 for rods and a drill bit. My build thread has more detail, but I basically set a tarp in front of my tank, pulled out rocks, set them up and then drilled them. It took me about an hour to set up a 150g with 200 lbs of rock. Pros: You never have to worry about rocks falling over and smashing corals or scratching the glass. You never have to worry about shrimp or whatever else burrowing under your aquascape and shifting it. You can make gravity defying ledges and platforms to hold coral colonies You can build higher and leaner than stacking rocks. Good for tall tanks like mine. Cons: None. It's not any more hassle to remove a rock from the bottom of the structure than it is to remove a rock from the bottle of a pile. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sascha D. Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 I'll never buy live rock again. It's all dry rock from here on out. I started my 150g with all dry rock and seeded it with two rocks from the LFS. They didn't show it at the time, but they came with all sorts of bubble algae and pests. The pests spread to your nice clean rock and then you have a problem. You can't see spores, but they are there. Now I have to take out all of the infected rocks, kill them and dry them in the sun. Super fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FarmerTy Posted February 20, 2015 Share Posted February 20, 2015 Cons: None. It's not any more hassle to remove a rock from the bottom of the structure than it is to remove a rock from the bottle of a pile. You obviously haven't perfected the art of pulling the bottom rock really quickly and leaving the structure standing. I've practiced over many years with a table full of dishes and tablecloth underneath before I attempted my first bottom rock grab. The trick is to close your eyes and go fast! Captain Obvious Alert: I'm joking... sorry, nobody has invented the sarcasm button yet. All good advice from Sascha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reefgardner Posted February 20, 2015 Author Share Posted February 20, 2015 Thanks all, hopefully pics on Monday once the dust settles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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