STRUGGLING with aquascape

[kimts]

I’m 2 months in to this 15 gallon tank and new to the hobby. I cannot figure out the ideal aquascape for the tank. I started with an arch, and like the arch, but when I started adding coral, I couldn’t figure out best placement. Changed it twice and now wondering if I should go back to the arch. Ideally, I would like one side to be all zoas and a mix of mushrooms and other soft corals on the other side. Which do y’all think would work best? Ugh, and how do I photo my tank without my big head in the image?

 

[Pistondog]

I like the arch, as long as it is stable.
I dont pay much attention to scape though, i just have piles of rock.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

yeah, i liked the arch too

 

[Townes_Van_Camp]

Looks like a IM15 cube. They look great with a single more centrally (offset it some) located, taller rocks. That's all preference and opinion though.

However, I would highly recommend you leave enough space to get a scraper or flipper between theRocks and glass.

 

[JohnCol]

Go with what's best for you. And try to give lots of coral placement thought. I know I'd like to try easier sps in a mixed tank. So I left the top of my rock work kinda a shelf of sorts not to close to the water.

 

[slingfox]

If you want ideas, take a look at this channel's reef aquascaping playlist. It is the best I was able to find when I was designing my aquascape:

 

[SliceGolfer]

It's a matter of scale. A smaller tank requires smaller rocks. Here are my two IM 15s, each having a different scape style to fit the coral. Don't be shy to take a hammer and chisel to your rocks and then putty or CA glue them back together into your preffered shape!

 

[SliceGolfer]

And as for your picture, you have your room lighting behind you, so it's going to cast shadows into the glass. Best to close the blinds and make the room as dark as possible, then turn up the tank lighting for the purpose of the photo only. You want the tank to be the brightest source of light in the room/photo so reflections and shadows don't ruin the shot. In my first photo, I didn't follow any of these rules and snapped the photo. Words to live by!

 

[Waters]

As stated, I would break up the rock and create from there. Large rocks in a small tank throws off the perspective and makes the tank look smaller than it is.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

I liked the first one you showed off!