One of the first things you are going to want to do, before anything else when planning a salt water aquarium, is to tackle the first steps of aquascaping. You want to have at least an idea of what your aquarium will look like so you can order the appropriate materials. One of the most important things you’ll want to consider is live rock.
Live rock is often used as a method of natural filtration used in conjunction with a mechanical filter. The live rock helps to filter out bacteria and other waste and helps it along to the mechanical filter.
There are many things to keep in mind when preparing to order live rock for your aquarium. I recommend looking at some pictures of natural reef systems and deciding what set up you’d enjoy for your aquarium. This way you’ll know what size and shape of live rock to order. With live rock you can form ledges, recesses, caverns, overhangs, and many other formations that will give your aquarium a realistic look.
When putting your rock formations together, first and foremost realize that they MUST BE STABLE. You can achieve this in many ways. The easiest thing to do is wrap the rocks together or attach them with string. You could also use underwater epoch to glue the rocks together as well. You must keep in mind though, that there must be space between the rocks. This will allow water to filter through and also provide fish with a place to hide.
Another handy tip for aquascaping is to keep anything you place in the aquarium away from the edge of the tank. This will make cleaning the glass much easier, and allow water to filter smoothly. Also, keep in mind that less is more. If you fill your tank full of plastic palm trees and castles, it will detract from the natural beauty of your corals and fish.