Rate my aquascape
- Thread starter NakiFantaki
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Mike N
Valuable Member
Looks pretty good to me 
What is the height of the aquarium? What are you planning on stocking?
Some people go for islands instead of all the rocks being connected. Just a matter of preference and accomodating your fish/coral needs.
What is the height of the aquarium? What are you planning on stocking?
Some people go for islands instead of all the rocks being connected. Just a matter of preference and accomodating your fish/coral needs.
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NakiFantaki
Active Member
Looks pretty good to me
What is the height of the aquarium? What are you planning on stocking?
Some people go for islands instead of all the rocks being connected. Just a matter of preference and accomodating your fish/coral needs.
Height is 16'. Stocking plans are mostly going to be softies and LPS with MAYBE some sps way down the road.
I wanted to have just the 2 islands but when I did that I didn't even use half of the rock I got, and I am worried about not having enough in
My tank.
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NakiFantaki
Active Member
Thanks! I will try that. I want to have islands but I have so much rock to fit in! The tank depth is only 15' so i am kind of limited on how much I can come towards the front.. I want to stay at least 2-3 inches from the glass. I will definitely try your suggestion in the morning though!
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NakiFantaki
Active Member
Definitely going to do that.. as well as some marine pure. Just trying to figure out how to add as much rock as possible for the bio filter, without making the tank look like it's stuffed with rocks
Mike N
Valuable Member
I know the struggle haha
Fishfinder
2500 Club Member
You could take the middle rock in that strip of rocks and turn it 45 degrees toward the front. It will pull that strip forward and leave some sand there. Make it look like rocks coming to the front and another rock farther behind it.
Sorry I'm not sure if I explained that well
Sorry I'm not sure if I explained that well
I think you have a lot of great spaces for corals. Is the towel about the size of the tank? I would even consider moving both sides in a couple of inches so as corals grow on the rocks you still have room to clean the glass.
My thoughts on removing the middle rocks and making two islands: the way you have it there is lots of room for corals that attach to rocks. If instead you are going with corals that like to be in the sand, then remove some rock. I personally imagine a huge zoa garden in the middle of yours with some lps (hammer, duncan, etc) that move in the currents on those nice islands.
Whatever you decide it will look much different with corals. I would keep the height as it is. Many can easily get 10" or more tall in a year, and you will want that vertical space.
With the latest BRS videos about marine pure removing nitrate (or not) I'm not convinced that more rock is better. There are several advocates that feel that less rock is better since you can clean the detritus easier, thus removing nitrates better. My own opinion is to go for what you really like the look of, then practice good husbandry to help with nitrates and phosphates (water changes, vacuuming, amount and what you feed, not adding frags with a bunch of algae into your system in the first place)
My thoughts on removing the middle rocks and making two islands: the way you have it there is lots of room for corals that attach to rocks. If instead you are going with corals that like to be in the sand, then remove some rock. I personally imagine a huge zoa garden in the middle of yours with some lps (hammer, duncan, etc) that move in the currents on those nice islands.
Whatever you decide it will look much different with corals. I would keep the height as it is. Many can easily get 10" or more tall in a year, and you will want that vertical space.
With the latest BRS videos about marine pure removing nitrate (or not) I'm not convinced that more rock is better. There are several advocates that feel that less rock is better since you can clean the detritus easier, thus removing nitrates better. My own opinion is to go for what you really like the look of, then practice good husbandry to help with nitrates and phosphates (water changes, vacuuming, amount and what you feed, not adding frags with a bunch of algae into your system in the first place)
madweazl
2500 Club Member
How deep is your sand bed going to be (if you're using one)? You want your rocks to be placed prior to the sand so burrowers don't wreak havoc on what you've created.
How wide is the tank? I have a 75g (48x18" footprint) which leaves a pretty narrow area to play with if you want space all the way around the rock work (I didn't want any rock laying against the back of the tank). To help mitigate this, drag the lines out at 30-45° angles toward the front of the glass; this will give the perception of depth where the really isn't much.
Is that really 55lbs of rock? The image below has roughly the same amount of rock and 3-6" of the rock is covered in sand. I'm not a fan of artificial bridges as suggested above but we all have our preferences so play around with a lot different options. I used .5" OD PVC to mock up my rock structure before I actually built and epoxied it together.
How wide is the tank? I have a 75g (48x18" footprint) which leaves a pretty narrow area to play with if you want space all the way around the rock work (I didn't want any rock laying against the back of the tank). To help mitigate this, drag the lines out at 30-45° angles toward the front of the glass; this will give the perception of depth where the really isn't much.
Is that really 55lbs of rock? The image below has roughly the same amount of rock and 3-6" of the rock is covered in sand. I'm not a fan of artificial bridges as suggested above but we all have our preferences so play around with a lot different options. I used .5" OD PVC to mock up my rock structure before I actually built and epoxied it together.
malacoda
Valuable Member
What if you took the larger of the two flat rocks in the middle (e.g. the one just left of center) and placed it on top of (or underneath) the mound on the right? As is, the mounds on both ends are at an equal height, and equidistant from the midpoint of the whole structure. Symmetry is almost non-existent in nature.
By moving that one piece you will have two 'islands' that are each unique in height. And, one island will also be longer than the other - making the aquascape appear more natural ... and your tank appear larger than it actually is.
By moving that one piece you will have two 'islands' that are each unique in height. And, one island will also be longer than the other - making the aquascape appear more natural ... and your tank appear larger than it actually is.
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NakiFantaki
Active Member
I get what your saying. I will try this tonight if I get some time. Thanks for the tip!
