Need help with your aquascape?

luckylepgw · Mar 20, 2019

I'm looking too go full mixed reef island (pardon the dishes) currently a 45 gal but will be upgrading too something at least 100 gal in the future. Any advice welcomed. Thanks

Living room side

End

Kitchen side

NY_Caveman · Mar 20, 2019

I like it. I might take this rock and place it down there to mix up the heights along the slope. I think that bottom left is a bit too barren. Just an opinion.

luckylepgw · Mar 20, 2019

NY_Caveman said:
I like it. I might take this rock and place it down there to mix up the heights along the slope. I think that bottom left is a bit too barren. Just an opinion.

I plan on adding a few more pieces of live-rock payday, i was thinking along the same lines as you were, that left needs something more. Thanks for the input

ibryson · Mar 20, 2019

I’d love some feedback on my scape for my 180. Sorry for the extreme blue, haven’t tuned the lights in yet

Front view:

Angle from left:

Angle from right:

Up close left side:

Up close middle:

Up close right:

MARK M. DAVIS · Mar 21, 2019

My recommendation is not too close to front glass. Flow and fish room need to be considered. Lighting too!

Justin....#JAMAS · Mar 21, 2019

Hey bud hows it goin? I have messaged before on here and got some tips on my aquascape a few months back, and i really liked your opinion and help, so i wanted to ask one more thing.....well my last tank developed a slow leak in the bottom right corner and i almost had to get out of the hobby and my local reef stores boss, who genuinely loves this hobby, gave me a tall, long 90 gallon reef ready tank when what i had before was a 75 gallon older style tank with an overflow box on the back

well i put my same rocks of course in the 90 and stuck with the same scape, but recently i bought a mp 40 , mp10, a huge internal skimmer, and some rocks and other nice pieces of equipment and i really really love the Japanese style aquascape look. minimal rocks touching the bottom and the rest pretty much lifted up.....so heres a pic and if your game to help throw some ideas on how to start this or where that would help out a ton man!! Cheers!!

Justin....#JAMAS · Mar 21, 2019

FTS

LynzieS · Mar 22, 2019

Looking for some ideas/feedback. I'm looking to leave room for some larger lps colonies in the gaps with some branching sps on the top rocks.

MARK M. DAVIS · Mar 22, 2019

LynzieS said:
Looking for some ideas/feedback. I'm looking to leave room for some larger lps colonies in the gaps with some branching sps on the top rocks.

The top rocks will only shade everything below. SPS branches out and plates. Thus, having rocks like that look good only when you have frags but, will be a royal pain once the coral starts to grow. I do like the rock type.

MARK M. DAVIS · Mar 22, 2019

Also, like cookie cutter houses. When too close, you can see inside your neighbors kitchen. Angle the rocks staggered, diagonal so the corals have room to grow. Ditch the man made caves. Try to keep rocks away from glass. The corals will fill in that space very quickly.

Geebs19 · Mar 22, 2019

LynzieS said:
Looking for some ideas/feedback. I'm looking to leave room for some larger lps colonies in the gaps with some branching sps on the top rocks.

Try making 2 different structures, one on each side with different heights.

Bryce Mazloum · Mar 22, 2019

I'd love some help with my little reef! I have a general plan for It already!
I want to get some branching SPS for the top/top left of the tank, maybe a chalice coral. Then a zoanthid garden in the bottom right, as well as an acan/ricordia Florida garden in the front left. And finally maybe a gorgonian in the back right!!!
Also all the coral on the sand right now is coral that I'm planning on returning in the next few days!

Amateur Reefer · Mar 23, 2019

Hi all,

I am building a 40g breeder which will be a predator reef with lionfish and an eel. Here is my first attempt at coming up with an aquascape. I'm a little concerned there aren't enough hiding places or enough room for corral mounting. I like the center bay though and the unique shapes of the islands. Thoughts? (sorry for the blue tape, using it to plan the scape using the rule of thirds).

Amateur Reefer · Mar 23, 2019

Amateur Reefer said:
Hi all,

I am building a 40g breeder which will be a predator reef with lionfish and an eel. Here is my first attempt at coming up with an aquascape. I'm a little concerned there aren't enough hiding places or enough room for corral mounting. I like the center bay though and the unique shapes of the islands. Thoughts? (sorry for the blue tape, using it to plan the scape using the rule of thirds).

Ignore the picture of the biocube. That shouldn't have been uploaded!

Fudsey · Mar 23, 2019

Amateur Reefer said:
Hi all,

I am building a 40g breeder which will be a predator reef with lionfish and an eel. Here is my first attempt at coming up with an aquascape. I'm a little concerned there aren't enough hiding places or enough room for corral mounting. I like the center bay though and the unique shapes of the islands. Thoughts? (sorry for the blue tape, using it to plan the scape using the rule of thirds).

I got to ask, are you going to use that tank? Because I doubt that will hold with that crack.

Amateur Reefer · Mar 23, 2019

Fudsey said:
I got to ask, are you going to use that tank? Because I doubt that will hold with that crack.

No way. As you can see, my drilling for the overflow was unsuccessful on that attempt. I'm just using it to set up the aquascape. I'll give it a water test to see if it can hold water for cycling before putting the rocks in my main tank but definitely not using it in the system!

I gave up on drilling myself and went to a glass maker. They got the job done easily.