Do you stack rock agaisnt back wall/glass?

[mnestroy]

I was wondering if people stack their rocks so they are touching the back wall/glass?

I currently have about 10inches in front, and 6 in back. I would gain space if i shove everything back but I wasn't sure if this would effect flow?

[MrMexReefer]

mine is basically supported by the rear glass.. its the only way i can fit it in there. My rocks have a lot of room inbetween them, how they are stacked, so the water flows thru them. It doesnt appear to have too much an effect on flow, and the corals look happy

[Steverino]

I use 1/2" ID PVC pipes to create a solid base structure, and drilled the biggest rocks to create a solid structure that goes up vertical without leaning on the glass.

[mnestroy]

Steverino: Hmmm having a hard time visualizing what your describing.

[Pufferpunk]

Mine are against the back but there is still enough room to fit a few small powerheads behind, for flow.

[ataylo13]

Leaning against the back glass. Just direct some flow behind.

[whiirly]

mine lean against the back wall and I have a spray bar back there to add flow

[ppurcell]

I don't because most of the literature I've read says not too. But it makes aquascaping more difficult since I opted to stack the rockwork rather than construct a support frame such as what Steverino describes. My tank is 18" front to back and it feels a little cramped and I'm sure having the rocks off the back makes it worse.

I still run a power head to ensure high flow across the back though...

[sukie80]

I don't stack my rocks against the glass. I have a 27gal nano and there's a bunch of hob filter and refug, and a huge heater.

Here's a pic of my tank - it's a coral mess:

[Steverino]

mnestroy, here is what I meant:



The vertical pieces are 1/2" ID, and the base pieces are 3/4" ID. My tank is tall (29"?) and has a relatively small footprint (36 x 18), so I needed to be able to stack rocks up high without a huge pyramid shaped base. This structure lets me go straight up the back vertically like a rock climbing wall. I put the two smaller pieces in the front just to hide the base structure and for some lower-light frags one day. I drilled the main pieces of rock and slid them over the pipes, with smaller pieces placed in between and wedged in here and there. There is room behind the rock for the equipment I have (powerheads), and the fish love the nooks and crannys. I can slide the whole thing forward and back in the tank if I need to. I have sand/crushed coral covering the bottom. The base structure is glued, but the vertical pipes are not glued, so I can remove them if needed and to change the heights if I want.

[MrMexReefer]

AWESOME idea steverino! What kind of drill bit do you need to drill the holes in the rocks? Do you find that they will break in half if you arent gentle? I might try his on my current tank that im going reef with.

sorry, dont meant to hijack the thread!

[Steverino]

The drill bit is a 3/4" masonry bit. That is the largest I could find that would fit in my 5/8" drill chuck. The OD of the 1/2" ID PVC is actually about 13/16", so I do a little wiggle with it when I drill. I have a short 10" piece of the pipe that I use to test it to make sure before I am done. The Figi-type live rocks are actually very easy to drill through, piece of cake, it is almost too easy and you have to be carefull where you strategically drill. The trick is to secure the rock so it doesn't spin, go slow with the pressure but use a high speed on the drill. I take it out of the tank, drill it in about 20 seconds, check the diamter with the test pipe, then rinse it in a bucket of tank water, and put it back all within about 2-3 minutes. I have a few pieces of Holey Rock, and that is certainly tougher to drill.

[mnestroy]

So do you have any pics you can share of your completed invention?