Hooray, I am pretty sure pyramiding is behind us now! Max has grown like a weed in the almost 3 months under our care. His latest growth is smooth and flat, so I am hoping that shell issues are a thing of his past.
When we first started soaking, I was a bit paranoid about water temp and depth. Truthfully I put the rock in so that he could kind of get out of the water if it was too deep or warm.
We're past those days, but now I just leave it as he seems to enjoy crawling over it. I like to think it distracts him for just a few extra minutes before he begins to show is general distaste for soaks. Although he is getting better about them.