Do you keep your tank more open or more packed?

[Gumbies R Us]

I see a lot of different tanks on here, some tanks that are more open (not as packed full of coral and fish) and other tanks that are just filled with all sorts of coral, fish etc. I am wondering do you choose to have a more open tank or one that is filled and why? Curious to know what everyone says!

 

[Macbalacano]

I purposely went with a smaller tank this time so that I could pack it more quickly. I just personally really like the look of a full reef!

 

[randomfishdude]

I wish I had left my rock more open... but I am trying to pack my tank with fish and some coral.

 

[southeastfishaddict]

I see a lot of different tanks on here, some tanks that are more open (not as packed full of coral and fish) and other tanks that are just filled with all sorts of coral, fish etc. I am wondering do you choose to have a more open tank or one that is filled and why? Curious to know what everyone says!

I see a lot of different tanks on here, some tanks that are more open (not as packed full of coral and fish) and other tanks that are just filled with all sorts of coral, fish etc. I am wondering do you choose to have a more open tank or one that is filled and why? Curious to know what everyone says!

This is an easy one .. it’s like looking at a woman with a nice petite body or a guy that has decent size arms , but yet it’s not good enough. The same goes with us, we want more for our tank so we add more & more until it’s not natural anymore. We can fight with ourselves & ask other people for their opinion, but it all depends on what we have at the moment. If we have one thing, we will want the other eventually.

 

[EricR]

Aesthetically, I like more open water.
I have no sump so all equipment is crammed in the tank which kinda detracts from that a bit but oh well.

Not much of a picture taker but here's last night with lights going down so everything starting to go into rest mode:

 

[VintageReefer]

I started with a concept of it being more open. And since I’m a coral addict it’s now packed and I couldn’t commit or my vision. But, I am very happy with the results

 

[Garf]

I see a lot of different tanks on here, some tanks that are more open (not as packed full of coral and fish) and other tanks that are just filled with all sorts of coral, fish etc. I am wondering do you choose to have a more open tank or one that is filled and why? Curious to know what everyone says!

My plan on my little cube tank was to leave the bottom half of the tank open free swimming space, and pack the top half with SPS. Taken 3 years so far, and a long way to go, lol.

 

[DanyL]

I think that for most it isn’t practical to keep it open for the long run.

I have 1 separate, not small (though isn’t too large either) frag tank, as well as a big portion of my main system’s sump dedicated for frags I constantly make on my 206g system.

Colonies out grow faster than my ability to make enough space for their frags, which results in a fully packed reef where coral that grow into each other is a constant problem.

Another problem I encountered with a long, fully packed tank is flow - colonies abstract the flow from each other, and when you physically can’t fit any more wave makers on the back to compensate - you’ll find yourself debating which colony must be broken up and restarted to make the flow reach those problematic areas again.

So to answer your question - I do like packed tanks, and I think it’s unavoidable for the long run - but there are difficulties to up keep a tank like this.

 

[southeastfishaddict]

Aesthetically, I like more open water.
I have no sump so all equipment is crammed in the tank which kinda detracts from that a bit but oh well.

Not much of a picture taker but here's last night with lights going down so everything starting to go into rest mode:

This is the before & after of mine .. the before is similar to yours

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I purposely went with a smaller tank this time so that I could pack it more quickly. I just personally really like the look of a full reef!

Looks great!

 

[doubleshot00]

I've got to much coral in my tank. I didn't think of the grow out enough.

I also have a good amount of fish to (adding more tomorrow ). Got an order of fish delivered a few weeks ago (pre-QT'ed) with fish in the box I didn't order. So in the tank they will go.

Planning a larger tank i think this year. Maybe a 120-150.

 

[Sophie"s mom]

I see a lot of different tanks on here, some tanks that are more open (not as packed full of coral and fish) and other tanks that are just filled with all sorts of coral, fish etc. I am wondering do you choose to have a more open tank or one that is filled and why? Curious to know what everyone says!

I am middle of the road. The reason is I want to be able to see everywhere in my tank for critters that may be dead, dying, or stuck. Also I have a fighting conch, and he needs room to get around the entire bottom without getting stuck.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

I’m a huge fan of open and with branching corals attached to the edges of my rock.

 

[SPS2020]

Open...for now. The Acros continue to grow and fill in those voids. However, even with the eventual full Acro growth, I still consider it "open" due to the ability of fish to easily swim through the branches.

I've got to get a better picture...

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Open...for now. The Acros continue to grow and fill in those voids. However, even with the eventual full Acro growth, I still consider it "open" due to the ability of fish to easily swim through the branches.

I've got to get a better picture...

Dude..........

LOVE IT!!!

 

[shakacuz]

i want to have a balance of fish and rock/coral. heavy in/out. currently low on fish stock..but i am holding off until i upgrade tanks(please reef gods let me actually be able to upgrade this time around!)

pictures are as of dec25th. i’ll get updated pictures this weekend. i finally got a stronger magnet cleaner and got the tough CA off the corners

 

[vlangel]

I love the look of a NSA but more than that I love fish and mature coral colonies and macroalgae.

Since fish are my first love, I want them to feel safe and secure with the least amount of aggression amongst themselves. That meant a fair amount of rock.

Next since I like the looks of a mature tank I allow my coral to grow and colonize where ever and I frag very little.

Finally with macroalgae being well, macroalgae it tends to find the empty spaces and fill them in. I do still keep a little open sand in the front but that's about it. This was when it was an open seahorse tank in 2016. After seahorses I went back to less demanding animals and added sand (and lots of it) and more rock. And then I added more coral and more macroalgae and let them grow until what I have today, a pretty full tank! The pics are from now til then, basically backwards.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Open...for now. The Acros continue to grow and fill in those voids. However, even with the eventual full Acro growth, I still consider it "open" due to the ability of fish to easily swim through the branches.

I've got to get a better picture...

Those are some awesome-looking acros!

 

[SPS2020]

Those are some awesome-looking acros!

Thank you very much!

 

[ryanjohn1]

Fill er up!