Help Scaping 29 Reef Tank!

[Dycofree]

Hey guys. Ive been posting a lot lately but with starting a new tank as a first timer it helps to have your encouragment and knowledge! I have spent the last 2-3 hours meticulously scaping my 29 gallon tank with my dry rock as well as a little bit of live. I stirred up the sand in the process which caused the tank to become very cloudy so bare with me here. I love my structure on the left side, just not sure about the right. I made sure to leave at least 2” of space in every direction to the glass to aid in flow around the tank/make sure no detritus catches on the edges. So please, leave me any comments about improving the right side of my tank! I have ample amount of rock left and can accommodate most suggestions. The tank will house a pair of clown fish and a bangai cardinal (maybe two?).Please be kind as this is my first reef scape (just picture flowing soft corals everywhere ). Thanks!

 

[Dycofree]

Hey guys. Ive been posting a lot lately but with starting a new tank as a first timer it helps to have your encouragment and knowledge! I have spent the last 2-3 hours meticulously scaping my 29 gallon tank with my dry rock as well as a little bit of live. I stirred up the sand in the process which caused the tank to become very cloudy so bare with me here. I love my structure on the left side, just not sure about the right. I made sure to leave at least 2” of space in every direction to the glass to aid in flow around the tank/make sure no detritus catches on the edges. So please, leave me any comments about improving the right side of my tank! I have ample amount of rock left and can accommodate most suggestions. The tank will house a pair of clown fish and a bangai cardinal (maybe two?).Please be kind as this is my first reef scape (just picture flowing soft corals everywhere ). Thanks!

 

[Dycofree]

 

[Dycofree]

Clearer picture this AM. Dont mind the mesh bag. Thoughts?

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello,

First off welcome to R2R where all the people are super
Lovely. There is a vast amount of knowledge here so your definitely in the right place!

Secondly, your new tank looks really good, just remeber to go slow and I mean slow lol. Because you used dry rock (which is fine) I would allow 4-6 weeks to cycle. If it was mean I would do 8 weeks but that’s me lol. I know there are chemicals you can add to speed things up, but I have not used them. I wouldn’t suggest using them, I prefer the natural way. Also the pics are really good, we love pics.

Third, your rock scape looks nice. I’m worried if you didn’t secure that tall rock on the left. If not I would just glue it down so it won’t tumble and break things. As far as the right side it’s not horrible by any means. With the way the structure is, maybe you could build an arc from the right side to meet the left. You will have to build it outside the tank (just the arc) as you glue it together, then install it.

You could also build it up to add depth to the tank. It’s hard to say what to do because, when I do mine I just do it where it looks neat to me. One suggestion is to make it look dimensional. I have rock on the back wall but it also comes out in arches to add coves and depth. Granted I have a wider tank but shouldn’t matter if you use smaller rocks and do a small scale.

I can try and take better pics to show what I mean just not home at the moment. But keep us posted and let’s see more pics of it as it goes and when it’s done.

Sarah

 

[Dycofree]

Hello,

First off welcome to R2R where all the people are super
Lovely. There is a vast amount of knowledge here so your definitely in the right place!

Secondly, your new tank looks really good, just remeber to go slow and I mean slow lol. Because you used dry rock (which is fine) I would allow 4-6 weeks to cycle. If it was mean I would do 8 weeks but that’s me lol. I know there are chemicals you can add to speed things up, but I have not used them. I wouldn’t suggest using them, I prefer the natural way. Also the pics are really good, we love pics.

Third, your rock scape looks nice. I’m worried if you didn’t secure that tall rock on the left. If not I would just glue it down so it won’t tumble and break things. As far as the right side it’s not horrible by any means. With the way the structure is, maybe you could build an arc from the right side to meet the left. You will have to build it outside the tank (just the arc) as you glue it together, then install it.

You could also build it up to add depth to the tank. It’s hard to say what to do because, when I do mine I just do it where it looks neat to me. One suggestion is to make it look dimensional. I have rock on the back wall but it also comes out in arches to add coves and depth. Granted I have a wider tank but shouldn’t matter if you use smaller rocks and do a small scale.

I can try and take better pics to show what I mean just not home at the moment. But keep us posted and let’s see more pics of it as it goes and when it’s done.

Sarah

Hello! Yes I have majority dry rock but I have about 5 pounds of live rock mixed in here as well to help kickstart things a tad. I was going to glue the left side, however I was reading and realized that some day I may regret having it all secured and unchangeable. With how fickle I am with scaping, thats a major possibility lol. I considered doing an arch to connect the two structures, but found myself enjoying the gap between more. My original plan was to do two structures as a type of island setup. I agree that the right side isnt so hot, and youre right its hard to suggest whats missing! Im trying to icorporate some flat areas for coral in the future, and the right side provided a nice shelf for them. Just not sure whats missing!

 

[Sarah24!]

Hello! Yes I have majority dry rock but I have about 5 pounds of live rock mixed in here as well to help kickstart things a tad. I was going to glue the left side, however I was reading and realized that some day I may regret having it all secured and unchangeable. With how fickle I am with scaping, thats a major possibility lol. I considered doing an arch to connect the two structures, but found myself enjoying the gap between more. My original plan was to do two structures as a type of island setup. I agree that the right side isnt so hot, and youre right its hard to suggest whats missing! Im trying to icorporate some flat areas for coral in the future, and the right side provided a nice shelf for them. Just not sure whats missing!

Good morning,

I didn’t realize my pics didn’t attach so I had to edit, hopefully they will explain what I was attempting to say. The glue is not hard to break apart once you have used it. In the past I have been able to get them apart. There was one were it wasn’t strong enough to undo my process. But lol I used a handy dandy tool (called a hammer) and well lol it definitely came apart. With that said, it did break but broke into a neater looking rock (bonus right). But needless to say, it’s never permanent. I have seen people drill holes and put in metal supports (those are way more permanent) but it works also.

As far as the right side maybe do a half arc, where it’s similar to the left but still gives you that space in the middle. It would add quite a bit of depth as well.

 

[Dycofree]

Ok, thank you! My tank got so cloudy last night that I had to let it sit so I am about to mess with it again right now. I will try to leave more space in the middle and will update with pics soon!

 

[AdamNC]

A 29 gallon is one of the worst to scape for because of the narrow front to back but I had this tank for 4 years before moving almost everything to a 40 gallon.

 

[Bayareareefer18]

Good morning,

I didn’t realize my pics didn’t attach so I had to edit, hopefully they will explain what I was attempting to say. The glue is not hard to break apart once you have used it. In the past I have been able to get them apart. There was one were it wasn’t strong enough to undo my process. But lol I used a handy dandy tool (called a hammer) and well lol it definitely came apart. With that said, it did break but broke into a neater looking rock (bonus right). But needless to say, it’s never permanent. I have seen people drill holes and put in metal supports (those are way more permanent) but it works also.

As far as the right side maybe do a half arc, where it’s similar to the left but still gives you that space in the middle. It would add quite a bit of depth as well.

I agree maybe more of an overhang to visual connect the two but not a full arch if that makes sense...

 

[Dycofree]

What do you guys think if I were to connect them at the bottom, but leave them seperated the higher up I go?

 

[Dycofree]

What do you guys think if I were to connect them at the bottom, but leave them seperated the higher up I go?

I just found this formation, and I LOVE IT

 

[Bayareareefer18]

I just found this formation, and I LOVE IT

That looks nice. Are your rocks on the glass or on top of the sand ?

 

[Dycofree]

That looks nice. Are your rocks on the glass or on top of the sand ?

I have dug them down to where most are on the glass. I dont plan on keeping anything that digs such as a goby as of right now so Im not worried about that at the moment. Plus, my sand bed isnt very deep.

 

[fish farmer]

This is how I aquascaped my 29. Both the left and right are mostly cemented/epoxied together. The middle with the xenia is one slab of rock.

 

[Dycofree]

Got the new light in! Heres a pic of the day time setting. In addition, im attaching a pic from
my first water test today. Surprised im not getting an ammonia reading, but am registering Nitrate and Nitrite already. Should I add another piece of shrimp/fish flakes to give an ammonia source? Any advice here is appreciated.

 

[Dycofree]

Got the new light in! Heres a pic of the day time setting. In addition, im attaching a pic from
my first water test today. Surprised im not getting an ammonia reading, but am registering Nitrate and Nitrite already. Should I add another piece of shrimp/fish flakes to give an ammonia source? Any advice here is appreciated.

Update: I messed up the ammonia testing. Heres the updated one. Any advice still is appreciated.

 

[ChrisW]

I'm new to all this like you, and the first things I learned on this forum are 1)patience, dont rush into this and start throwing things in the tank, take the time to do it right. 2)get a more accurate testing kit. RedSea is way more reliable than what you are currently using. You're going to invest a considerable amount of time and a fair amount money into this, dont skimp on things that keep you from being successful. Proper testing kits, refractometers are really important to keep you on the right path to proper tank. And lastly, and most importantly, PATIENCE.
Good luck the scaping looks good don't overthink it!