First attempt, roast me!

[QuarantineReefer]

So here is my first pile of rocks after about 30 to 45 minutes of messing around that I really like. I'm new to all this though and would like some input from you more experienced individuals in case there is something I am not seeing. The tank measures 29.5 wide by 17.5 deep and 23.5 tall on the inside. The cardboard it is on is cut to the dimensions of the bottom pane of glass. This seems to give me plenty of room on each side for cleaning and for fish to swim... I think. It measures just under 17 inches tall leaving roughly 7 inches of dead space up top. Will this scape be conducive to corals being added later on down the road? And will it be good for the fish as far as enough nooks and crannies to hide in as well as room to swim?

 

[Flippers4pups]

Not bad. A word of caution would be the aquascape is too tall and corals may not have much room to grow. Food for thought. Also consider some rock rubble around the structure for fish to hide in.

 

[jsker]

I like it!!. You could even plant a mangrove in the top. Now that would be pretty cool.

 

[Flippers4pups]

I like it!!. You could even plant a mangrove in the top. Now that would be pretty cool.

That would be cool!

 

[gabrieltackitt]

Looks well thought out! Personally I prevent several smaller tunnels/archways over one large, but whatever makes you happy whenever you see it. When doing mine I laid each design out somewhere where I would see it everyday before I made a decision, it held to see it repetitively since you could possibly be seeing it for a long time before the next rescape.

 

[QuarantineReefer]

Not bad. A word of caution would be the aquascape is too tall and corals may not have much room to grow. Food for thought. Also consider some rock rubble around the structure for fish to hide in.

Do you believe that this one would he to tall then? I was bouncing back and forth on the height worrying about it being to short vs to tall. I ended up pulling one piece of rock off to see how it looked and kind of like the shelf it gave me but still managed to maintain a little bit of the height. I will attach another picture. And I do plan on putting some small islands in I just need a little more rock. I drove two hours yesterday and bought 60 pounds and need more lol

I like it!!. You could even plant a mangrove in the top. Now that would be pretty cool.

Thank you! I never even thought of that but that would be really cool!

Looks well thought out! Personally I prevent several smaller tunnels/archways over one large, but whatever makes you happy whenever you see it. When doing mine I laid each design out somewhere where I would see it everyday before I made a decision, it held to see it repetitively since you could possibly be seeing it for a long time before the next rescape.

I've had it set up over night and after reading the posts on here I removed a rock to make more of a shelf on the arch and I really seem to like it. And it will give more vertical room for corals.

I'm going to attach another picture and see what you guys think. I'm also considering trying to bust up some rocks to change their shape just a bit and maybe give me some chunks for an island or two.

 

[Angelwolf21203]

Looks well thought out! Personally I prevent several smaller tunnels/archways over one large, but whatever makes you happy whenever you see it. When doing mine I laid each design out somewhere where I would see it everyday before I made a decision, it held to see it repetitively since you could possibly be seeing it for a long time before the next rescape.

I agree with this, too. Especially if you plan on adding any wrasses. My blue-headed wrasse loves to zip in and out of all the little tunnels and holes. He also wards off my maroon clown this way, too. She's too fat to fit!

 

[QuarantineReefer]

I agree with this, too. Especially if you plan on adding any wrasses. My blue-headed wrasse loves to zip in and out of all the little tunnels and holes. He also wards off my maroon clown this way, too. She's too fat to fit!

I do plan on having aerase. Thank you guys for all your help. I've been messing with it this morning a bit and managed to get some pieces busted up so I could add another small tunnel and put some small pieces here and there where the rocks came together to give it a more flowing natural look. I probably should try to add some more small tunnels but I will have to find some more rock. But taking your guys advice and messing with it a bit I REALLY like the look with the bigger tunnel broken up I to two.

 

[jsker]

Do you believe that this one would he to tall then? I was bouncing back and forth on the height worrying about it being to short vs to tall. I ended up pulling one piece of rock off to see how it looked and kind of like the shelf it gave me but still managed to maintain a little bit of the height. I will attach another picture. And I do plan on putting some small islands in I just need a little more rock. I drove two hours yesterday and bought 60 pounds and need more lol



Thank you! I never even thought of that but that would be really cool!



I've had it set up over night and after reading the posts on here I removed a rock to make more of a shelf on the arch and I really seem to like it. And it will give more vertical room for corals.

I'm going to attach another picture and see what you guys think. I'm also considering trying to bust up some rocks to change their shape just a bit and maybe give me some chunks for an island or two.

I was also going to suggest, maybe flip over the scape and have a U scape if you could balance the scape. Now that would be really different

 

[2000se]

That big ol rock teetering on the top makes me nervous. All it would take is for that to fall off and crash your glass. Just my opinion.

 

[TheShrimpNibbler]

I do plan on having aerase. Thank you guys for all your help. I've been messing with it this morning a bit and managed to get some pieces busted up so I could add another small tunnel and put some small pieces here and there where the rocks came together to give it a more flowing natural look. I probably should try to add some more small tunnels but I will have to find some more rock. But taking your guys advice and messing with it a bit I REALLY like the look with the bigger tunnel broken up I to two.

I like this a lot. Are you planning to glue the scape together? If not make sure that it’s stable. I think it will be good for coral placement as well as fish though.

 

[AcroNem]

Not gonna roast you, aquascape your system how you want to but yes I thought it was originally too tall. If you can secure the rocks better that second one looks good

 

[Olemiss]

Nice job on the aquascape! What are you using to keep them in place?

 

[QuarantineReefer]

So the picture makes it look really unstable but it's actually not bad. The top rock in particular has kind of a u shape on the bottom and kind of saddles in place. If you try to push it it just moves everything. But I still plan on using some BRS super glue I ordered and seeing how that works. If I'm not 100 percent certain that will be enough I figured I'd drill holes and use fiberglass rods. But I was actually surprised at how solid it was without anything holding it. I think some of it stems from thise rocks on the bottom being Marco cut base rocks. But at the very least it will all be glued. Better safe than sorry haha

 

[Angelwolf21203]

So the picture makes it look really unstable but it's actually not bad. The top rock in particular has kind of a u shape on the bottom and kind of saddles in place. If you try to push it it just moves everything. But I still plan on using some BRS super glue I ordered and seeing how that works. If I'm not 100 percent certain that will be enough I figured I'd drill holes and use fiberglass rods. But I was actually surprised at how solid it was without anything holding it. I think some of it stems from thise rocks on the bottom being Marco cut base rocks. But at the very least it will all be glued. Better safe than sorry haha

For sure! And remember that gravity is very different under water. It may not be so stable once you get it in the tank. I definitely like your 2nd build, which actually gives you more room for corals, as well as fishy swimmy places and natural appeal. And don't forget, many corals we buy are attached to rock, so you will need to leave room for that additional rockwork.

 

[mcshams]

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries...that's my roast...
Now.. as to the scape.. I like the arch. People have said some great positive constructive things here. Ultimately, do what makes you happy.!

Nice work.

 

[QuarantineReefer]

For sure! And remember that gravity is very different under water. It may not be so stable once you get it in the tank. I definitely like your 2nd build, which actually gives you more room for corals, as well as fishy swimmy places and natural appeal. And don't forget, many corals we buy are attached to rock, so you will need to leave room for that additional rockwork.

Sorry to be such a pain and ask so many questions but were you refering to the one with the 1 big arch or the one where I added the rock to split the arch into two smaller tunnels? I like both of them but ultimately want as much room for corals as is practical and would have the best chances at success.

Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries...that's my roast...
Now.. as to the scape.. I like the arch. People have said some great positive constructive things here. Ultimately, do what makes you happy.!

Nice work.

Lol! Thank you!

 

[lpsouth1978]

Personally, I like the last one with the second little arch. I like to give my fish as many swim through's as possible. Nice work.

 

[gabrieltackitt]

I do plan on having aerase. Thank you guys for all your help. I've been messing with it this morning a bit and managed to get some pieces busted up so I could add another small tunnel and put some small pieces here and there where the rocks came together to give it a more flowing natural look. I probably should try to add some more small tunnels but I will have to find some more rock. But taking your guys advice and messing with it a bit I REALLY like the look with the bigger tunnel broken up I to two.

This one would definitely be my favorite, lots of places for corals at varying heights, as well as swimming holes for fish. I like that you still stuck with the original arch more or less and just modified along the way! When I did mine I had to completely disassemble the entire thing every time or I just kept doing the same thing over and over

 

[Angelwolf21203]

Sorry to be such a pain and ask so many questions but were you refering to the one with the 1 big arch or the one where I added the rock to split the arch into two smaller tunnels? I like both of them but ultimately want as much room for corals as is practical and would have the best chances at success.



Lol! Thank you!

It's all good! Questions and clarification are how we learn! I'm still learning a great deal, too! I like the smaller passageways.