aquascaping tank help!

[JOMA]

so i have just set up this 2 gallon saltwater tank and its my first one, this is what i have so far:

exciting, right? loll do you guys have any suggestions? im willing to break pieces with a hammer


thanks,
joma.

 

[Bashbro]

First saltwater tank ever ...? You are going to have one helluva time keeping a 2gal stable

Good luck tho!

 

[mr_X]

i should have mentioned this before, but when searching for live rock, you should look for the lightest, most porous pieces available. the more surface area the rock has, the better. inside the rock there are also areas that are practically void of oxygen where anaerobic bacteria live, and these bacteria convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. with super dense rock, there isn't going to be a lot of this bacteria present.
now you have this rock, so i would say to take the bottom piece out of the tank, wrap it in a towel, and whack it with a hammer. the towel is so it doesn't shoot all over the bedroom. then try to make a more natural looking aquascape.

 

[JOMA]

i should have mentioned this before, but when searching for live rock, you should look for the lightest, most porous pieces available. the more surface area the rock has, the better. inside the rock there are also areas that are practically void of oxygen where anaerobic bacteria live, and these bacteria convert nitrate to nitrogen gas. with super dense rock, there isn't going to be a lot of this bacteria present.
now you have this rock, so i would say to take the bottom piece out of the tank, wrap it in a towel, and whack it with a hammer. the towel is so it doesn't shoot all over the bedroom. then try to make a more natural looking aquascape.

sounds like fun to me^ hehehehehe

 

[Purevil21]

Sounds like fun, I have a fun time ahead of me tomorrow. I have about 100 lbs of rock to aquascape in my 65 gallon, I want to stack them in such a manner that my overflow is covered, we will see how that works out. I would definitely break that rock up though, a 2 gallon is going to be difficult to keep stable.

 

[JOMA]

ive come up with four ways:


OPTION A:

OPTION B:

OPTION C:

OPTION D:
you think they all are bad because you think i should:________





sorry for the cloudy water, all the moving kicked up sand and bits of the rock

 

[Purevil21]

I like B the best out of those designs.

 

[JOMA]

also jw, is it the ammonia, nitrite, and nitrate levels that make having such a small tank hard or the other things likes alkalinity, calcium, etc.?

 

[JOMA]

I like B the best out of those designs.

what would you change? honestly.

 

[Purevil21]

If possible, could you leave the three pieces that form the arc together, and that top piece go on the sand next to the arc on one side or the other? This would provide a hiding place for fish so they would feel more comfortable.

 

[JOMA]

If possible, could you leave the three pieces that form the arc together, and that top piece go on the sand next to the arc on one side or the other? This would provide a hiding place for fish so they would feel more comfortable.

for the extra rock, do you mean in a line with the arch so all the rocks would make a straight line?

 

[Purevil21]

No, I meant once you make the arc, slide that rock on one side of the arc so that it sits on the sand, then the arc will only be open on one side, like a small cave for your fish to hide in.

 

[JOMA]

No, I meant once you make the arc, slide that rock on one side of the arc so that it sits on the sand, then the arc will only be open on one side, like a small cave for your fish to hide in.

oh! so make a cave type of thing?

 

[Zer0]

Haha i did exactly what mr. X said only i did it in my garage. And instead of using a hammer, i just swung the towel around in the air and then smashed it against the floor. Sure did break those huge pieces up real good.

 

[Purevil21]

lol, yeah, it is hard to manage large pieces of rock in such a small set up. Yes, the rock serves two purposes, it filters the water naturally. It's second purpose is to provide a hiding spot for your fish, they can stress if they have no place to feel secure, this can adversely affect their health.

 

[JOMA]

i like it! thanks for the suggestion purevil!

 

[Purevil21]

There you go, much better.

 

[JOMA]

do you know what that white stuff is one the rock to the right? its a pretty bright white and is kinda bubblyish ?

 

[Purevil21]

Hard to tell, wait till the sand settles down a take a good close up picture of it. Then post it on the Identification section.

 

[JOMA]

Hard to tell, wait till the sand settles down a take a good close up picture of it. Then post it on the Identification section.

okay sounds good, will do