Aquascaping a 180 tank upgrade, when, how, and where?

New&no clue · Mar 6, 2021

I currently have a 75-gallon tank with about 75 pounds of rock. I am upgrading to a 180-gallon 6-foot long tank. I bought another 100ish-pounds of dry rock. My thought was to

Make a structure with the dry rock outside of the tank.
Once the tank is set up, add the new dry rock and cycle the tank.
After the cycle is complete, add the live rock and livestock from the previous tank.

I'm starting to get a little discouraged with this approach as I'm not sure how to connect the rock I currently have into the new structure I'm building. I currently have a 4ft tank and upgrading to a 6ft, so I am only adding 2ft of real estate for dry rocks.

Here is what I've done so far. I would love some thoughts on the current structure and ideas on incorporating them all into one piece. The tank is also a peninsula.

Current tank

Putting them together

lavoisier · Mar 6, 2021

Not an easy task you've set yourself! Keep in mind that as corals grow the finer details of an aquascape disappear and the basic structures become the prominent features. I would suggest having a basic structure in mind (2 or 3 islands), use your new rock to establish that plan, and incorporate your existing rock into your new plan in the new tank. Don't try for perfection in smaller details but stick to your new plan in a broad sense. Remember that vertical and horizontal ratios of 5::3 tend to be the most attractive.

New&no clue · Mar 6, 2021

In my current tank I have 4 islands, but I’m not a big fan of it. I’d really like to create one cohesive piece in the new tank. I was thinking I could build some arches and bridges with some of the small rocks and then once everything is in one tank, use those to connect everything.

AJsReef · Mar 6, 2021

Not a bad start, but the upside shelf pieces with flat edges look extremely unnatural. Just something to think about, I'm about to redo my scape because I'm unhappy with the flat lines.

New&no clue · Mar 6, 2021

AJsReef said:
Not a bad start, but the upside shelf pieces with flat edges look extremely unnatural. Just something to think about, I'm about to redo my scape because I'm unhappy with the flat lines.

I agree, the top piece had a flat bottom as well and I glued some small pieces along the edge. Maybe I should do that with the others as well.

Dj City · Mar 21, 2021

I would start the cycle with the old established rock.
let the established rock do it's job in the new tank. Add ALL the rock at the same time.
The established live rock will seed the new dry rock with life.

Apollo7235 · Mar 21, 2021

Maybe instead of using those rocks with the hard flat lines on their bottoms, try using some of the ReefSaver Shelf Rock or something similar? I used them in my tank and I really like the jaggedy raggedy look of them. I'm a huge fan of the branching structure & arched looks, but I couldn't find the branching rocks in stock anywhere when I ordered everything for my tank

I opted for the shelf rock instead and I'm happy with my decision thus far.Maybe is doesn't look entirely 'natural', but I like to do things a little different from the norm

billyocean · Mar 21, 2021

Leave yourself room to add later. People over complicate what works. Mine looks like one piece but is 3 pieces. From the top down is all that matters i.e. lights. Create frag holes on various heights and what not. Plan for a year or two down the road..keep rock in your sump that you can add later if you want to. Only one pic from the front on mine..but it's actually pretty staggered in depth..only had 18" to work with. Dry rock is purple one day. Gaps get filled in.