Bland aquascape

Fishko · Jan 12, 2020

I want to add some more marco rock when setting up my tank i chose two islands but think it looks a little bland and want to add some hight. Do i just cycle the rock in a bucket of tank water from a water change maybe with a sponge to get bacteria on them. Also will i lose a lot of water by adding maybe 2-3 pounds just want to add some hight on the left. Im not sure what to do. It feels not natural to me. Maybe angle the island on the right?

jefra · Jan 12, 2020

I think you definitely should go a bit higher with your aquascape with such a tall tank.

CasaReefer · Jan 12, 2020

I like what your thinking.. You can cycle the rock but I don't think you have to... Are you thinking about adding some Base rock.. and stacking the rock you already have with corals on top of that?

Fishko · Jan 12, 2020

CasaReefer said:
I like what your thinking.. You can cycle the rock but I don't think you have to... Are you thinking about adding some Base rock.. and stacking the rock you already have with corals on top of that?

I wasnt thinking that, but thats a good idea. I was wanting to add an arch maybe and on the left. Now maybe add some shelf rock to elevate the aquascape

bjc451 · Jan 12, 2020

Is that a 65?

SPR1968 · Jan 12, 2020

You can just add the rock to the tank, if it’s new rock with nothing potentially ’bad’ in it.

i think you want a bit more height as well, but all of this is personal preference and you have to look at it.

Just play around with it until you’re happy, then post a picture for our approval! Lol

Auquanut · Jan 12, 2020

You could definitely add some height in a tank that tall. A few more caves and swim throughs wouldn't hurt either. Curing the new rock is never a bad idea.

CasaReefer · Jan 12, 2020

SPR1968 said:
You can just add the rock to the tank, if it’s new rock with nothing potentially ’bad’ in it.

i think you want a bit more height as well, but all of this is personal preference and you have to look at it.

Just play around with it until you’re happy, then post a picture for our approval! Lol

No Really... We need to Approve.... lol

Fishko · Jan 12, 2020

Its a 2

bjc451 said:
Is that a 65?

its a 29 so i dont want to add too much rock and lose water volume but i will be adding a bigger sump once my friend and i finish the new stand.

SPR1968 · Jan 12, 2020

The aquascape outline is not that different to what I’ve just designed on my new tank as a basic design

If your interested, look at the first page of my build thread (link below) and scroll down a few pictures you can see the aquascape I did before the water was added. Might give you some ideas, it’s just on a bigger scale

DSEKULA · Jan 12, 2020

Curing new rock is a good idea but not needed depending on the percentage of rock being added. If the rock shown is all that is in the system and your adding an equal amount I'd absolutely cure it. I'd toss it in a bucket with saltwater and seed it with a tiny bit or sand or rock from the current setup then feed it (tiny amount of fish food) for as long as I could manage. Id keep a ph or air line to keep circulation, and heat if needed. I might even fully cycle it just as you did to start the tank. If the new rock being added is a small amount of the total hard surface area, you add 2lbs and there's 20 already in the tank and maybe a bioblock in the sump, id likely just add it uncured. That's just my experience, the smaller the change the less likely to cause issues. I like your ideas, just keep in mind that more hight will give the higher chance of rock slides if you don't secure the new rocks. There are also some rock magnetic reef shelves on the market that can add the illusion of hight, you could add them also

Good luck!

X-37B · Jan 12, 2020

I like it! It just depends on the look you want. Try to visualize what the tank will look like when it is grown in.
I went with minimal on my 120. Only 60-70ish pounds. When a reef tank is all grown in with corals you wont even know the rocks there imo.
This is my 7 month old 120.

ca1ore · Jan 12, 2020

Some variation in height and depth is usually aesthetically appealing. Of course, any initial aquascape design is invariably undone by coral growth. Growing corals seem to have no appreciation for aesthetics.

bjc451 · Jan 12, 2020

I have set up this tank three times with the same rock. First two was a variation of wall of rocks. This time I kept flow and Maintenance in mind and also square footage to maximize real estate. My rocks are not cemented. But I am able to siphon the entire sand bed. Except under the rocks. I tried to keep mp40s as open as possible with out bouncing off rocks. Also keep in mind the amount of deitrius with a lot of over lapping and stacking. Also make sure your magnet goes all the way around