Why is elevation important to a reef tank?
Elevation is important in a salt-water reef tank not only for visual effect but to get the corals closer to the light, where they can receive increased energy.

What is the best way to achieve elevation?
• The most effective way to achieve elevation is to use shelving. (See the question: What is the benefits of shelves)
• If you have to use rocks for the elevation, mound them so they are as porous as possible.
• Use rocks with lots of holes and caves through them, and mound them in a way to produce the most caves you can.
• Try to avoid big solid rocks.
• Aim to have as little rock on the surface of the sand as possible.
• If you are mounding rocks in the tank it is smarter to place the larger rocks towards the bottom so if they fall they are less likely to cause damage.

How do I go about getting ideas to decorate the tank?
• Spend as much time as you can looking at other aquariums. Pay attention what has been used and how it has been constructed e.g. how and where the corals are growing.
• Try to get or even browse through several books containing aquarium displays that you can examine for ideas. They may be available from the library, a bookshop or at your aquarium shop. This will give you an idea of what it is that you are trying to recreate.
• It is good to draw a few rough pictures of what it is you hope to achieve.
• Focus the decorations around the visible equipment so you are able to hide it from sight (ensure they are still serviceable).

How do I decorate a reef tank?
• The way I like to decorate a reef tank is with shelves, to create elevation.
• I lay a fine layer of coral sand.
• Then live rock over the shelves to enhance filtration and create a more natural look. You don’t have to ensure the shelves are totally covered by rock at this stage because you can cover any extra bits with coral later on to complete the natural effect.
• I then place live coral on top of the rock.
• If you must use base rock make it as porous as possible. Try not to let the substrate under the reef where debris can build up out of sight.

How do I decorate my fish only tank that’s not run with copper?
I like to see them decorated the same as a reef tank, even with live coral, knowing that the coral is secondary to the fish and it may get munched on.

What decoration should I use to decorate a fish only tank that’s run with copper?
Shells, dead corals and rock are the most popular decorations.

How do I balance Rock or Coral on strange angles?
• There is Epoxy Putty available at aquarium shops that will set under water, which can be ideal.
• The putty can even be used to stick corals or rock to the glass wall. If you wish to do this, support the piece until the putty sets.
• Solid plastic cable ties or fishing line are popular to tie decoration together for support, they can be used with shelves, conduits and/or eggcrates for elevation. Don’t worry if you can see the cables because algae will soon grow over it.
• You may wish to drill a hole through the back of some of the rock, which will enable you to easily tie them together with cable ties.
• If possible drill a hole in the back of the rock or the coral (If it is live coral drill though the rock the coral is growing on not though the coral its self).
• Fishing line looped from a hook at the top of the tank to the piece can support it on a strange angle. This can be used to support the piece until the putty dries.

Is it good to rearrange the tank?
• In general no, it isn’t good to rearrange the tank.
• Only do this if you feel it is total necessary. Because you feel like it is not a good excuse.
• Once the tank is established you must try not to disturb it.
• If the tank is set up properly in the first place you should never have to rearrange it.
• Shelves minimise the dramas and need to rearrange the tank.
• Fish only tanks tend to be rearranged more often and it seem to present less problems than with reef tanks.

How do you set up a cave?
• When creating caves, offer a lot of water movement though the cave by placing a powerhead discretely at the back of the tank aiming forward. This is because most cave type corals require a lot of water movement because they are filter feeders.
• A shelf is ideal to create a cave because it forms less structural worries. All you have to do is mound rocks around the edge of the shelves.
• Most species of coral prefer to be hung upside down from the top of the cave e.g.Tubastraea and Dentronephthya.

How do you create a natural looking divider?
I have seen some very successful dividers in big tanks which keep two incompatible species e.g. seahorses and fish. (Fish eat the seahorse’s food)
• One method is to get apiece of plastic grate the height and width of the internal dimensions of your tank and cover it in a fine mesh.
• Then partition out a section of the tank.
• Next mould rocks around the grate so it becomes invisible. The easiest way to do this is to use underwater putty, which you can use to stick the rocks to the wall and the grate to the glass. Make sure you cascade the rocks around from the wall into both sides so it looks natural.
• Ensure water can move freely through the partition and that each side has water movement. In this situation it is ideal to have a filter e.g. a canister filter that picks up from one side and returns water from the other side of the partition.
• The partition stops fish entering the seahorse area where they can eat the seahorse’s food.
• It also stops the brine shrimp (the food) getting into the main tank where they can be eaten by the fish.
• All you should be able to see is the rocks. At most maybe a line were the grate meets the glass at the front.
• Only use the mesh if you have to because it can restrict water flow. If you are required to separate sizable fish you would not have to use the mesh, the grate alone would work fine and be provide better circulation.

QUESTIONS ON BACKGROUNDS

What types of backgrounds are available?
• Various colours of backing paint is available that look great (Light blue is the best as it is reflective and gives the appearance of an open water ocean).
• External stick-on picture backgrounds are very common. They can look great and give the illusion of extra depth to the tank as you see photographed corals set behind your real ones.
• Internal backgrounds can look good in saltwater tanks. These tend to be more expensive and are very popular in freshwater tanks.

What are the advantages of a background?
• They create a more finished and tidy look to the tank. They block any chords that hang down the back of the tank.
• Light coloured ones will reflect light.
• They give the illusion of extra depth to the tank.
• An enclosed back seems to lower the stress levels of the fish as they feel more secure and secluded in the back of the tank.
• Algae won’t show up as much on them and may be allowed to grow.

What are the disadvantages of a background?
The tank can only be viewed from one side.

QUESTIONS ON ROCKS

How do you clean a rock?
• First hose them using a powerful hose.
• Scrub off any moss or slime that may be on the rock.
• Next soak them in boiling water.
• Leave them to dry for a week.
• Then hose them again.
• If it is a very porous rock ensure that nothing could be dead inside it. e.g. a Crab or Oyster.

How do you know if a rock is O.K to be used in your tank?
• Allow the rock to soak in water for a period of time, the longer the better.
• Test the water that you intend to place the rock in so you can monitor how much of any impact the rock has had on the water chemistry.
• After a period of time test the water that the rock has been in, to monitor any changes from the original readings.
• I suggest you read the questions on Logbooks and do a log book entry before the rock goes in and after the rock comes out.
• If you don’t have the test kits yourself, take a jar of the water to your local aquarium shop which will be able to test it very cheaply for you.
• Another method is to test the water in your tank before the rock goes in, then regularly test it after the rock has gone in so you are able to monitor what chemical impact it has had on the tank. This is fine if you have no fish, but if you do, be cautious.
• Not many rocks will have much impact at all.
• Be most weary of phosphate over a period of time.
• If in doubt, do without.

Which rocks can be used in a saltwater fish tank?
• I only recommend Live rock or any calcareous rock for a reef tank.
• For fish only tanks sandstone and bush rock is normally alright.
• Slate is safe for saltwater tanks though can look out of place.
• Natural lava rock tends to be high in toxic metals.

QUESTIONS ON DRIFTWOOD

Can I put Driftwood in my tank?
• In SALTWATER tanks it is not advisable because the wood breaks down too quickly.
• It can lower the pH and water chemistry.
• It will regularly give off a tea-like colour that looks terrible and suppresses the amount of light reaching any corals.

QUESTIONS ON DEAD CORAL (CORAL SKELETONS)

What are the advantages of dead coral?
• It buffs the pH.
• The spiky type coral can offer protection for smaller fish from bigger ones.
• It can be effective to decorate fish only tanks that aren’t able to support live coral.

What are the disadvantages of dead coral?
• It looks unnatural because bleached dead coral isn’t found in the wild.
• If you like the white look of bleached coral you will find it will soon turn brown anyhow.
• For a reef tank you can aim to create a living coral reef instead of a coral reef cemetery.
• It can be sharp which means the fish may cut themselves on it.
• It may have been pulled off the reef alive for the sale of the skeleton.

QUESTIONS ON SHELVES

What are the shelves made of?
The shelves can be made of glass slats, plastic or conduit.

What are the benefits of shelves?
• Shelves allow you to create an elevated reef without the use of base rock. (Base rock displaces water, decreasing the water volume of the tank)
• A shelf usually works out cheaper than base rock plus it has practical purposes.
• If you keep large fish, the rock over the shelves can be arranged so large fish can hide under the shelves, where they have room and can feel safe.
• If you have mixed size fish, the rocks over the shelves can be arranged so small fish can seek refuge from larger ones that are too big to fit though the gaps in the rocks.
• Shelves minimize dead spots and the build up of debris.
• A glass strip can be placed on each end of the glass shelves enabling you to place it against the back wall of the tank, leaving a gap down the back for the siphoning of debris.

Why do shelves minimize dead spots?
• Shelves allow a volume of water under the reef with less crevasses, which dramatically minimises the chances of stagnant water. This minimises the type of environment that anaerobic-bacteria require to grow in because the back of the aquarium is allowed to be open.
• If you are to create extra water movement under the shelves this will further minimise dead spots.

by Paul Talbot