Mimimalistic reefscape not for me thanks

[atoll]

Just because it is a minimalist aquasape does not mean it will not have plenty of hidings spaces.

If done right it will have both rockwork for hiding and plenty of swim room.


I really think you can have both....

There are some really nice aquariums out there.

I agree with some of what you say. However nice and realistic are 2 different things. I don't think minimalistic is representatives of what is available to fish on a coral reef. Of course even with my own reefscape it's not giving the same area as on a reef at least not on the reefs I have dived and snorkeled on but given the fish I keep its a lot closer to what they would find. When somebody tells me their tang sleeps against the side glass in their mimimalistic setup it concerns me. All my fish have much more natural places to rest up at night or just to escape for whatever reason.

 

[Katrina71]

I added a lot of rock as well for some hiding spaces but also left lots of spots for SPS corals. The rock on the left is 18 different rocks glued together. lol

I have rock envy

 

[Seamore2001]

I tend not to like a minimalist aquascape because of the way I run a tank. I like a substantial amount of live rock because of its biological filtration capabilities. I also like having lots of different platforms for placing corals as well as having many tunnels and grottoes for the fish and other inverts to duck in and out of. That said, I can see the appeal of a more minimal rockscape with its open areas. In fact, just this week I added an additional 30 lb of live rock to my (50 gal) tank and regretted the loss of space. I think that if I were not always wanting to pack more into the tank - more corals, more fish, more "stuff", that a minimalist style could be appealing. I guess it's different strokes for different folks. In the end, I don't enjoy running a minimalist setup because it either 1. limits the quantity and diversity I would like to have, or 2. would require more equipment in order to maintain a more minimalist style while keeping the stocking density that appeals to me.

One minimalist style that I'd like to try at some point is a lagoon with a rock island, surrounded by a sandbed with gobies and pistol shrimp or seahorses. I think that could be really neat.

 

[Jordan Prather]

On my tank to some people I have quite a bit of rock. My plan is to as my stuff grows slowly remove a couple of the upper pieces. If the fish start using the corals for sleeping structures. That way the coral will have more room to grow

 

[Rakie]

All i'm gonna say is the old "Rock Wall" still gives more coral space than anything else. That alone makes it viable to me!

 

[fernalfer]

What glue did you use?

E-Marco 400