Hi All,
I'm new to this board, so bear with me -
I am in the process of setting up a 70gal all glass tank. In a pretty labor-intensive endeavor, I am gluing 100lbs of lava rock to the back and sides of my tank. It will come up out of the water about 4" and hang over the tank slightly, with a few waterfalls and streams in a sort of pseudo-paludarium setup. Ok, here come the questions:
1. While the lava rock is secured to the tank (100% silicone), there are lots of spaces behind the rocks, and I am worried that they may become traps for all sorts of detritus and anaerobic bacteria. Would you reccomend snaking airlines down between the rocks to provide some water movement behind the rock, or will this just suck more junk in?
2. Because the rock is so porous, and will have water pouring over it and sitting below it, will the portions of rock that are supposed to be "dry" and above the water line become covered in mold and algae? I boiled all the rocks and then dried them in a 500 degree oven (took forever).
3. I plan on having the tank mildly planted, with a few swords underwater, and a bunch of terrestrial/bog plants in the top part. I would appreciate some info on what sequence to add the plants and fish to cycle the tank.
Sorry about the hodge podge of subjects,
Thanks alot!
-Jeff
I'm new to this board, so bear with me -
I am in the process of setting up a 70gal all glass tank. In a pretty labor-intensive endeavor, I am gluing 100lbs of lava rock to the back and sides of my tank. It will come up out of the water about 4" and hang over the tank slightly, with a few waterfalls and streams in a sort of pseudo-paludarium setup. Ok, here come the questions:
1. While the lava rock is secured to the tank (100% silicone), there are lots of spaces behind the rocks, and I am worried that they may become traps for all sorts of detritus and anaerobic bacteria. Would you reccomend snaking airlines down between the rocks to provide some water movement behind the rock, or will this just suck more junk in?
2. Because the rock is so porous, and will have water pouring over it and sitting below it, will the portions of rock that are supposed to be "dry" and above the water line become covered in mold and algae? I boiled all the rocks and then dried them in a 500 degree oven (took forever).
3. I plan on having the tank mildly planted, with a few swords underwater, and a bunch of terrestrial/bog plants in the top part. I would appreciate some info on what sequence to add the plants and fish to cycle the tank.
Sorry about the hodge podge of subjects,
Thanks alot!
-Jeff