50g cube rockwork - First time aquascaping / reefing

[bowlofudon]

Just got my tank and I'm working on putting together the rockwork together and would love advice. This is what I have so far before gluing on shelves and making this shape more permanent. Was planning to have the wavemaker on the left but seems like I should have it on the right since I want acros there eventually? Main issue is that as you enter the room, you'll see the right side first. I guess I could flip the structures. I left about a 2" border around the rockwork with a roughly 4" channel in between. My tank is roughly 20.9" high. I've so far been using BRS thick super glue, have epoxy coming tomorrow which I'll use to strengthen the joints, then will use thin super glue and sprinkle the macro rock on to hide the seems.

Looking for advice on:

• Rockscape adjustments
  • Should I move things around?
  • Any advice on where I should glue shelving in
  • Should I flip where I plan the euphyllia / SPS?
  • Are the islands to close together?
• Coral spacing assumptions (especially Euphyllia vs SPS)
• What I should do with the extra rock / rubble?
• Anything else?

Euphyllia Island (Front-Left)

• Base: ~3–6”
• Hammer/Frogspawn shelf: ~6–8”
• Torch shelf: ~8–10”
• Lower overall profile than SPS island

SPS Island (Back-Right)

• Base: ~4–6”
• Mid tier: ~7–9”
• Top tier (Acros): ~11–12”
• Leaves ~6–7” headroom to water surface

From the front:

From the right

From above

Shelves

Rubble / extra rock

 

[AgentKooper]

I was going to say that doesn't look like much rock for 50 gallons, but I see you're filling the tank footprint pretty well. Maybe my perspective is just off since I can't see the rock work in the tank. I like the shapes and layout. What are your tank dimensions?

 

[bowlofudon]

I was going to say that doesn't look like much rock for 50 gallons, but I see you're filling the tank footprint pretty well. Maybe my perspective is just off since I can't see the rock work in the tank. I like the shapes and layout. What are your tank dimensions?

It’s about 23”x22”x21”. It’s 43 gallon in display with 11 gallon in the sump. The rock work at the highest point is 13” high right now.

 

[bowlofudon]

Placed in tank. Haven't epoxy'ed the rocks together (just super glue for now). Do I even need to super glue it as it seems pretty robust at this point? Any last minute adjustments before finalization? Should I palce the wave maker lower? Any feedback appreciated. I think I'm going to swap my plan around so that the SPS will be on the left island and the euphillia will be on the right.

180 view:

Front view:

Top down view:

Left side view:

Right side view:

 

[AgentKooper]

I think the structure looks cool. Maybe it’s the angle, but are the rocks at some places nearly touching the glass? If so, I’d recommend tweaking it so you have at least a couple inches on all sides — enough for a magnetic glass cleaner to fit.

In terms of glueing/epoxying the rocks, I personally would, to keep them stable. They may sit right for now, but it would be easy to knock them over later while cleaning the tank or something if they’re not secured.

 

[bowlofudon]

I think the structure looks cool. Maybe it’s the angle, but are the rocks at some places nearly touching the glass? If so, I’d recommend tweaking it so you have at least a couple inches on all sides — enough for a magnetic glass cleaner to fit.

In terms of glueing/epoxying the rocks, I personally would, to keep them stable. They may sit right for now, but it would be easy to knock them over later while cleaning the tank or something if they’re not secured.

They are all glued but wondering if I should add epoxy as reinforcement.

 

[AgentKooper]

They are all glued but wondering if I should add epoxy as reinforcement.

Ah, I missed that, sorry. I don't know about adding epoxy. I've never tried using just glue -- I've always used kind of a glue/reef putty/glue sandwich to connect rockwork, mainly because it feels easier to set that way. Then I use Marco's mortar/cement to cover the seams, but that's mainly for cosmetic reasons.