# 90 gallon aquascape



## hutchiau (Aug 30, 2014)

Hey guys,
Just wanted some critical input on my tank. What does it need in terms of rocks? Should I move some? Get bigger ones? I would love to get all of the same rock but I cannot bring myself to buying rocks, especially when I can get them free from around my house. Be as mean as you want, I want my tank to look good!!

Thanks


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## forest109 (Sep 7, 2010)

As far as African cichlids go, the more rocks and cover the better. Your tank looks fine for the number and size of fish that I see, but the bigger they get, the larger the crevices and caves in the rock they will need. I'm fortunate in that I have an endless supply of nice granite rocks from the woods around my house, so I picked the ones that matched the closest in terms of shape and coloration, and put as many as I could into my 90 gallon tank. A lot of folks use flat pieces that stack easily, but I'm partial to more rounded pieces, like you have, because they look more like those in the Lake Malawi environment. I also installed a 3D background, but that was mainly to hide all of the equipment, in addition to providing a "rock" backdrop that I could stack the natural rock against. Plants are fine, although the fish tend to dig them up if they aren't anchored between rocks. One thing: if you stack the rock fairly high I would use "egg crate" (plastic light diffuser made for florescent lights) on the floor of the tank, and under your sand or gravel, to distribute the weight. Otherwise you will end up with high load points on the bottom of the tank where the rocks bear. The sand or gravel will hide the egg crate and keep the fish from undermining the rock. I have rock stacked against the background up to 2/3-3/4 of the height of the tank, but I wouldn't do that without using egg crate to distribute the load. If you want to take a look at my 90 gallon tank, go to the Aquarium Gallery and do a search for tank by title "Malawi Rock Habitat". Good luck!


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## hutchiau (Aug 30, 2014)

Thanks for the reply...and I looked up your tank! I've seen it before somewhere around the Internet and I really like it. I wish I could find the same kind of rocks like you do, but to do that I'd have to buy them... I am more of a round rock guy I think it looks a lot better then square pieces which I do not like. I'm not really sure where I would get egg crate... And a background would be nice but buying one is quitea but of money and building one is not my forte


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## forest109 (Sep 7, 2010)

As far as finding suitable rocks goes, just keep an eye out in your area for a good source. I was just lucky to have a good source right around the house. You're in Michigan, so there must be plenty of rivers, lakes and parks nearby, and plenty of rock! Most of the rocks in your area are probably glacial (and therefore fairly randomized), so I can understand why it might be hard to match a lot of them exactly, but that doesn't matter as much as you would think. After awhile they should acquire a coating of algae and that will even things out. As far as the shape goes, I prefer rounded or oblong, but not necessarily smooth (like river rocks). If they are smooth then they are hard to stack and keep in place.

As far as egg crate goes, you can find it in any home improvement store - Lowes, Home Depot, etc. I think it comes in different thicknesses and sizes (I used a 1/4-inch thick by 4-foot long section), and is pretty cheap. It's easy to cut with a keyhole saw. I cut a single piece to match the contour of the 3D background. It does, however, need to be installed first, before you add the sand and rock, in order to spread the load evenly. If you look at the writeup on my tank in the Aquarium Gallery, there is a link to an article I wrote on installing a 3D background, and one or more of the photos shows the egg crate in the tank.


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## 75gguy (Oct 4, 2014)

Hello
Late reply but I believe your question was more of what is best for your fish. Cool rocks and based on the number of fish you have you should be fine but I have 3 times the fish and they all ready do need hiding places. One to escape each other and to just hide at night or if they decide to chase each other. Try watching they when you turn light way down mine all hide all 25 of them. If you get more fish you might need to structure rocks to make spots for them ohh if you don't they WILL make their own. I woke up and found a huge whole in the sand by the smallest fish lol. Good luck make sure you keep it fun. 75gguy


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