Analysis of the 3 most beautiful reef tanks on youtube

Ardeus · Apr 1, 2021

Thanks, I have seen a video where the owner talked about it.

JumboShrimp · Apr 1, 2021

OP: I’m not sure I share your thoughts, but I did appreciate your write-ups— the way you articulated your points.

Patientman · Apr 1, 2021

This is why they make vanilla AND chocolate (even though "Vanilla is the finest of the flavors" … it's in a song so it must be true!) … everyone's taste is different! Enjoy all the different flavors … and style tanks! ;Joyful

Ardeus · Apr 1, 2021

I still dare anyone to say they don't like a tank that looks deep

The problem with these 3 scapes is that, as beautiful as I think they are, they are a bit boring fish wise.

Auquanut · Apr 1, 2021

Ardeus said:
I have said it before, I think 99.999% of reef tanks are ugly. I tried to create a top 10, ended up setting for 7, should have been just 3.

OP. With all due respect, I think you offended 99.999% of reefers with your opening statement. You put forth some compelling ideas for building a beautiful display from a certain viewpoint, but you have to remember that everyone's tastes differ.

Case in point: I just took down a 55 gallon FW tank. At the same time, I moved all of my livestock from another planted FW 55 in preparation of taking it down. In doing so, I completely destroyed the aquascape. Cloudied the water, and made a general mess of things. When I was done, I thought that it was the ugliest thing I've ever seen. After the water cleared, I thought "That doesn't look so bad." even though anyone else would still just see a mess.

My point is that I've seen very few tanks (FW or SW) that I would truly call ugly. There is always something to catch your eye. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

TangGang · Apr 1, 2021

So did we just forget David Saxby’s tank exists.....

Soren · Apr 1, 2021

Ardeus said:
I still dare anyone to say they don't like a tank that looks deep

The problem with these 3 scapes is that, as beautiful as I think they are, they are a bit boring fish wise.

Though I agree that deep tanks can look better because they look more natural, it depends on the focus point and it is not enough on its own to make me like a reef just because it is deep. Tanks that have too large an open space over the top level of all corals, in my opinion, are not as beautiful as those that have variations in height. My favorite for visual appeal with depth is to create valleys or chasms that allow for some visual variation. Empty water space can get quite visually busy with lots of fish swimming in it if they are not balanced with sessile beauty.

I would choose different fish in those tanks if they were mine, but I understand how much personal opinions play a role in what we find to be appealing.
Personally, I dislike the over-saturated blue lighting that makes the colors glow in ways that look less natural to me, but I can see why some people could like that more than the natural brown/mustard reef appearance under daylight spectrum.

S2G · Apr 1, 2021

This soft coral tank is my favorite.

Aside from it. These are layouts I really find attractive.

Soren · Apr 1, 2021

TangGang said:
So did we just forget David Saxby’s tank exists.....

Boy, do I ever agree here! That is a tank that very closely matches most of my personal preferences for beauty! Even though the trend today is toward negative-space aquascapes, I still like the traditional sloping full back wall reef like in David Saxby's tank.

Rubberfrog · Apr 1, 2021

S2G said:
This soft coral tank is my favorite.

Aside from it. These are layouts I really find attractive.

That last one is stunning

Ardeus · Apr 1, 2021

Auquanut said:
OP. With all due respect, I think you offended 99.999% of reefers with your opening statement. You put forth some compelling ideas for building a beautiful display from a certain viewpoint, but you have to remember that everyone's tastes differ.

Case in point: I just took down a 55 gallon FW tank. At the same time, I moved all of my livestock from another planted FW 55 in preparation of taking it down. In doing so, I completely destroyed the aquascape. Cloudied the water, and made a general mess of things. When I was done, I thought that it was the ugliest thing I've ever seen. After the water cleared, I thought "That doesn't look so bad." even though anyone else would still just see a mess.

My point is that I've seen very few tanks (FW or SW) that I would truly call ugly. There is always something to catch your eye. Beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

I don't want anyone to feel offended because I think their tank is ugly. I think almost all of them are, mine included.

Reef tanks are not immune to aesthetic guidelines that govern all visual art forms and that humans have been studying for centuries. At the end of the day, that's my point.

In all visual art forms there's some universal knowledge, "rules". It's always useful to know these millennial old rules before deciding to break them for whatever reason.

I argue that even if each one of us has his/her own preferences, very few of us know how to build something we really love. We can improve our ability to create something we love if we try to understand why we love it.

We have so much to learn in order to keep a reef tank and that's one of the best parts of the hobby. Here's something we can add to the list of subjects to learn.

That's why I did this analysis: I picked the 3 most beautiful tanks I've seen and I tried to understand what makes them beautiful.

Rubberfrog · Apr 1, 2021

I understand what you're saying. I feel that way about those pinot and paint classes people do. Always ugly.

Auquanut · Apr 1, 2021

I make it a point never to argue on R2R, so please forgive me.

Ardeus said:
I don't want anyone to feel offended because I think their tank is ugly. I think almost all of them are, mine included.

Do you REALLY find all but 3 -7 reef tanks ugly, or just less visually appealing than they could be? If I found nearly all aquariums ugly, including my own, I think I would find it hard to continue in the hobby.

Ardeus said:
In all visual art forms there's some universal knowledge, "rules". It's always useful to know these millennial old rules before deciding to break them for whatever reason.

I would argue that while art may or may not adhere to certain universal rules, nature does not. As you and I are both divers, you must concede that there are infinite variations of beautiful structures on the natural reefs. I would feel confident assuming that for every "ugly" reef tank, there is a nearly identical formation somewhere in nature.

Ardeus said:
I argue that even if each one of us has his/her own preferences, very few of us know how to build something we really love. We can improve our ability to create something we love if we try to understand why we love it.

I can honestly say that I love my reef very much. Even with all of it's imperfections. My scape and choice of fish and corals are my own, and follow no guidelines other than the ones I set. If I've ventured from the path of artistic rules and into the realm of "ugly", I guess I'm okay with that. So again, are we talking about ugly, or just not as perfect as they could be? From one standpoint.

mdb_talon · Apr 1, 2021

Ardeus said:
We have so much to learn in order to keep a reef tank and that's one of the best parts of the hobby. Here's something we can add to the list of subjects to learn.

For the search you are on that is great and it is a good writeup. For me there is a lot to learn about the hobby of course, but why i love a tank os not on the list. In fact if i tried to create a top 10 list i would never be able to narrow it down. I find i can find something i love about most tanks.

Ardeus · Apr 1, 2021

Auquanut said:
I make it a point never to argue on R2R, so please forgive me.

Do you REALLY find all but 3 -7 reef tanks ugly, or just less visually appealing than they could be? If I found nearly all aquariums ugly, including my own, I think I would find it hard to continue in the hobby.

I would argue that while art may or may not adhere to certain universal rules, nature does not. As you and I are both divers, you must concede that there are infinite variations of beautiful structures on the natural reefs. I would feel confident assuming that for every "ugly" reef tank, there is a nearly identical formation somewhere in nature.

I can honestly say that I love my reef very much. Even with all of it's imperfections. My scape and choice of fish and corals are my own, and follow no guidelines other than the ones I set. If I've ventured from the path of artistic rules and into the realm of "ugly", I guess I'm okay with that. So again, are we talking about ugly, or just not as perfect as they could be? From one standpoint.

I would say I find about 95% of reef tanks ugly, not just less visually appealing.

Reasons why?

Because we are coral collectors to start with. The one of each look is a deal breaker for me. That's never what I see while diving.

Barebottom tanks and windex tanks the same.

Tanks that have an inverted sense of proportion between corals and fish, the same.

During my dives, like you, I saw many unremarkable areas and a few stunning ones. These 3 tanks remind me of very specific dives.

By the way, here's a watch suggestion for anyone looking for inspiration.

Auquanut · Apr 1, 2021

Ardeus said:
During my dives, like you, I saw many unremarkable areas and a few stunning ones. These 3 tanks remind me of very specific dives.

While certain dives/areas have been more spectacular than others, I've never had a bad dive. I've always found something to marvel at, and found beauty in the most barren areas. Even in the Persian Gulf. It's more about the nature than the art.

Ardeus said:
Because we are coral collectors to start with. The one of each look is a deal breaker for me. That's never what I see while diving.

Some of us are reef keepers. The corals are just one part of the equation. I try to see everything while diving. I like to get close. Look into each crack and crevice to find the hidden gems. I do the same thing at home. I guess we each have our own vision, and I don't grudge you yours. I truly hope you achieve the tank you can be happy with.