Ways to Arrange a Rock in a Reef Escape

One of the most interesting parts of creating a reef aquarium can be what is known as aquascaping. This is the process of landscaping your aquarium through the installation of plants, rocks, coral and other elements. There is a variety of ways that you can arrange rocks and other elements within a reef escape aquarium, each offering a different final appearance.

  1. Rock Layout

    • There are different types of rocks that you can use in a reef escape, including different materials and different shapes and sizes. You can combine different rock styles to create a dynamic arrangement in your aquarium. Some rocks will provide ledges and hiding places for the creatures in your tank, while others will fit nicely against the backdrop and provide an interesting background. If you plan on introducing anemones, star fish and corals to your tank, then varying the type of rocks in your aquarium is especially important in providing plenty of surface area for them to grow on.

    Island Layout

    • An island aquascape design utilizes rocks in different shapes and sizes to create a sort of random appearance in the back of the aquarium. Some rocks will be short and flat, while others will be tall and narrow. This is the best layout for rock in your aquarium if you are trying to create a natural reef appearance in your tank, since in nature the rocks and corals are randomly arranged rather than fitting a specific pattern or arrangement.

    Slope Layout

    • Another typical arrangement for rock in your reef aquarium is a slope approach, where you place the largest, tallest rocks on one side and gradually introduce smaller and smaller rocks to create an incline. Your incline can go from back to front or can sweep from one side of the tank to the other depending on personal preference. There are usually less hiding place for fish when it comes to this type of approach, but the benefit is that there is typically more surface area for corals, anemones, starfish and other invertebrates.

    Cove Design

    • The cove aquascape design also uses a slope, but this time, the highest rock is in the center of the tank, and there are two slopes toward the edges of the tank. You can also create a slope from back to front, creating a structure where the highest rocks are in the center-back of the aquarium, sloping gently forward and to the sides. This approach fills the tank up nicely with rock and plenty of surface area for other life, but cuts down on the amount of space available for plants and other life in the aquarium. Consider using rocks with plenty of holes and hiding places so that fish can use the rock structure as a hideaway.