I hate my scape

[dross9615]

So I have been working on trying to mess with my scape and I don’t know if it’s just the rocks I have are crap or I’m just bad at scaping... Should I change my scape again? I’m really wanting to have this figured out before I put too much into corals.

Original:

Current:

 

[DDenny]

Only thing I don't like about the second photo is that it seems that the left side would be a pain to clean the glass. It doesn't look like there is a lot of space between the glass and rock but it could be the angle of the photo. Aquascape is personal though, if the rocks are glued down you can change it around but you have coral that seem to be doing good in the current locations so I wouldn't change much there but they will get used to a new location as well.

 

[DED65]

I tend to like the height towards the middle of the tank and lower towards the sides. Also, it is easier to clean if there is room between the glass and rocks. It's really what you like though, I have my taste and you have yours! It will look different when you put more corals in too.

 

[dross9615]

Only thing I don't like about the second photo is that it seems that the left side would be a pain to clean the glass. It doesn't look like there is a lot of space between the glass and rock but it could be the angle of the photo. Aquascape is personal though, if the rocks are glued down you can change it around but you have coral that seem to be doing good in the current locations so I wouldn't change much there but they will get used to a new location as well.

Yes, it is too close and that's one of the top reasons I don't like this scape. none of the rocks are currently glued. because I haven't found a scape I am content with yet.

I tend to like the height towards the middle of the tank and lower towards the sides. Also, it is easier to clean if there is room between the glass and rocks. It's really what you like though, I have my taste and you have yours! It will look different when you put more corals in too.

The main problem I have with height towards the middle is the large AIO overflow in the back leaves very little room for the large rock that you see as the base on the left side. Though I am considering breaking all the rocks apart and just gluing them to my liking?

and lack of corals could be a one of my issues as well. Though I have been waiting for 2 months for a flapjack I won on FB with a huge zoa pack to really start buying any new corals but I am about to give up on receiving that LOL. That's a whole other story.

 

[Weasel1960]

It’s not a bad scape but it is linear which makes it “ boring”. I would recommend watching the BRSTV videos on Aquascaping (and others) on YouTube. Try to get some negative space into it and caves. You should still be able to do tall to hide your overflow but it doesn’t necessarily need to be massive. You can also use corals to distract the eye away from the overflow.

 

[RobB'z Reef]

I hate it too.
Haha just kidding, it's not terrible. You could tweak it a little by adding a few more open spaces (caves) for fish to hide in etc as it does seem a bit tight. The back end gets a bit closer to the surface which will limit your use of it. If you're ok with that then by all means keep it. Don't get hung up on trends, it only matters that you like it in the end. Also consider the functional needs of the habitat for the animals you intend to keep.

 

[Jedi1199]

+1 to "Scaping is personal"

It is YOUR tank.. what we like is irrelevant.

What your LIVESTOCK likes, is a different matter entirely. What do you plan to stock? Do you have adequate hidey holes, flow patterns, ect? Can you clean around it?

If it was me, I would not glue ANYTHING until you are sure you have what you "NEED"...

 

[uhgster1]

You need to envision what your final reef look is. And more importantly, how long to intend to keep it for. The Instagram/ reefpalooza displays are nice but they are temporary and the coral you see is getting sold or fragged. The point is your coral is going to grow, and grow, and grow. If you have the vision and the patience set your scape to allow for the growth of the coral you are getting. It might not be what you want in the short term but when your coral start to fill in the blank spaces you will be happy.

Everything you see from the monti cap and up was open space that has been filled up by the coral that is all 100% frag started. This is a 65 gallon tank 36 long x 18 wide. Hope this gives to a better mind set.

 

[Tidal Gardens Verified Sponsor]

Check out our Aquascape video and you might be able to "create" something that you really really like with just three things, ROCK, GLUE, and SAND.

 

[nanonøkk]

if you hate the rock work then it’s time to aquascape with corals that’s what i always say

 

[ClearRain]

Utilize the depth of the tank. Having all the rock against the back glass tends to look boring. Bringing a piece or 2 forward helps. Also look into using the Rule of Thirds.

 

[maleks.reef]

So I have been working on trying to mess with my scape and I don’t know if it’s just the rocks I have are crap or I’m just bad at scaping... Should I change my scape again? I’m really wanting to have this figured out before I put too much into corals.

Original:

Current:

 

[JumboShrimp]

1) I don’t think it’s terrible. 2) People are right, it’s best to have access to the glass for cleaning, if possible. 3) The more you can avoid gluing rocks, the happier you will probably be in the long term; you can rearrange them the next time you hate them (lol), and can even lift them out of the tank to kill Aptasia, glue new corals in place, etc.

Those are my thought.

 

[exalectric]

I personally prefer multiple "peaks" or slightly higher spots and depth front to back. Perhaps you could shift the left rocks a little to the right so you have that cleaning access, and then the dislodged rocks can be used to make the right side have its own interesting (and smaller) little peak area? Or make more of a cave swim through area with negative space on the right side. Just some ideas! Overall I think its coming along nicely.

 

[Sharkbait19]

To be honest, I think that scape would look a lot nicer with white sand. The black sand both brings out the dramatic contrast in rock colors and eliminates a lot of the potential depth.

 

[dhnguyen]

I'm of the less is more camp where rocks are concerned.

 

[Sharkbait19]

If you could get some frag rubble and throw some small arches in there, that should add something extra. The original scape I see has an arch, which looks very nice.

 

[dhnguyen]

Aquascaping is an art form in and of itself. I would say look around and find a tank that you like a lot and try to get the same effect for your tank.

The scape in this thread looks a bit boring and has that typical "great wall of China" look to it.

Here's a good link for some ideas

 

[dross9615]

Aquascaping is an art form in and of itself. I would say look around and find a tank that you like a lot and try to get the same effect for your tank.

The scape in this thread looks a bit boring and has that typical "great wall of China" look to it.

Here's a good link for some ideas

I did a lot of research when it came to freshwater aquascapes such as IAPLC, Greenaqua, and Josh Sim and tried to take on some of their approaches but unfortunately the rocks I have and the tank being in AIO creates challenges I wasnt prepared for.

If you could get some frag rubble and throw some small arches in there, that should add something extra. The original scape I see has an arch, which looks very nice.

I did like the original scape but it caused there to be a huge deadspot in the back corner and I could not get an arch to be stable with my current set up. there is an arch in the new set up that's on the left side but you cant see due to the angle. the six line wrasse seems to enjoy.

I personally prefer multiple "peaks" or slightly higher spots and depth front to back. Perhaps you could shift the left rocks a little to the right so you have that cleaning access, and then the dislodged rocks can be used to make the right side have its own interesting (and smaller) little peak area? Or make more of a cave swim through area with negative space on the right side. Just some ideas! Overall I think its coming along nicely.

I wanted to have multiple peaks but the rocks I am working with make that difficult and I really don't
want to add more and take away swimming room for the 4 fish I currently have. and there's no way to shift the rocks to left over due to the AIO overflow box unfortunately.

Utilize the depth of the tank. Having all the rock against the back glass tends to look boring. Bringing a piece or 2 forward helps. Also look into using the Rule of Thirds.

The AIO overflox box makes it extremely difficult to work with depth unfortunately.

Check out our Aquascape video and you might be able to "create" something that you really really like with just three things, ROCK, GLUE, and SAND.

I most certainly will. I am surprised I haven't came across it yet. It may just be time to break up the huge rock piece I am using for the base. its about 15lbs of the 32lbs I have in there.

You need to envision what your final reef look is. And more importantly, how long to intend to keep it for. The Instagram/ reefpalooza displays are nice but they are temporary and the coral you see is getting sold or fragged. The point is your coral is going to grow, and grow, and grow. If you have the vision and the patience set your scape to allow for the growth of the coral you are getting. It might not be what you want in the short term but when your coral start to fill in the blank spaces you will be happy.

Everything you see from the monti cap and up was open space that has been filled up by the coral that is all 100% frag started. This is a 65 gallon tank 36 long x 18 wide. Hope this gives to a better mind set.

Very well put I want to be patient with my aquascape but I also want to make something that is comfortable for my corals to be able to grow in.

 

[dross9615]

It’s not a bad scape but it is linear which makes it “ boring”. I would recommend watching the BRSTV videos on Aquascaping (and others) on YouTube. Try to get some negative space into it and caves. You should still be able to do tall to hide your overflow but it doesn’t necessarily need to be massive. You can also use corals to distract the eye away from the overflow.

I agree that is one of the main things that annoys me about the scape. I have done a lot of research on freshwater aquascaping and I think thats whats frustrating me the most is I know theres not anything great about the scape itself.

I hate it too.
Haha just kidding, it's not terrible. You could tweak it a little by adding a few more open spaces (caves) for fish to hide in etc as it does seem a bit tight. The back end gets a bit closer to the surface which will limit your use of it. If you're ok with that then by all means keep it. Don't get hung up on trends, it only matters that you like it in the end. Also consider the functional needs of the habitat for the animals you intend to keep.

I tried my best to create some caves and actually did bring up the rock in the middle to create more of cave. that's not in the pictures I provided.