Aquascape Advice

[CatsandClowns]

Heyo, just set up a new aquascape. I initially wanted a series of islands; however, I underestimated how much volume the rock would take, so I went with a tunnel/cave network that runs along the whole structure, with a bunch of access tunnels in every direction. I'll mess around with another wavemaker lower down to see if I can't get some more flow through there. However, I was wondering if you all have any advice regarding any rock-rework, or if you think I should add more irregular verticality, more rock spires or somesuch. Regardless, any advice would be appreciated.

 

[marinebetta]

it looks really good, in my opinion i would redo the left side of the rocks just because its low. you could definitely raise the rocks a little to make a higher bridge. Other than that it looks lovely

 

[marinebetta]

it looks really good, in my opinion i would redo the left side of the rocks just because its low. you could definitely raise the rocks a little to make a higher bridge. Other than that it looks lovely

 

[Waters]

Off to a good start! I personally would remove the big flat rock.....looks too unnatural compared to the rest. Might be able to break it up and use the pieces throughout the whole scape. A little extra height one of the islands would help the overall appearance also. Remember, once covered in coral, you really won't see much anyways though lol.

 

[CatsandClowns]

it looks really good, in my opinion i would redo the left side of the rocks just because its low. you could definitely raise the rocks a little to make a higher bridge. Other than that it looks lovely

Thank you for the kind words! I do agree the left side should be a bit closer in appearance to the right rock portion. I think that might also help to make the shelf look less awkward. Thanks again.

 

[CatsandClowns]

Off to a good start! I personally would remove the big flat rock.....looks too unnatural compared to the rest. Might be able to break it up and use the pieces throughout the whole scape. A little extra height one of the islands would help the overall appearance also. Remember, once covered in coral, you really won't see much anyways though lol.

Thanks Waters! I totally agree the shelf looks awkward as hell, that said, I flipped it over and the (now)vertical surface is much more irregular/natural looking with more variety of texture and whatnot. I am considering breaking it apart, but knowing myself, I would likely end up turning it to dust in the process(not ideal). I did a bit of a rework, thoughts? I don't want to block the bottom left since that will be for a fungia once I create a little rubble field. I just put in a few pounds of gulf rock rubble so thats fun, I can probably use it for that purpose after the microbiome has had time to settle.

 

[Dragen Fiend]

I would remove the flat shelf rock. It just doesn't work well and can likely help the overall flow in the tank if removed. Everything else looks good to me!

 

[CatsandClowns]

I would remove the flat shelf rock. It just doesn't work well and can likely help the overall flow in the tank if removed. Everything else looks good to me!

I am hesitant to remove it entirely, if possible I will need to break it apart and repurpose it. That seems like the prevailing idea. That said, I have no real way of ensuring the pieces I break apart will be usable in an appealing way.

 

[JohnNYC8]

Heyo, just set up a new aquascape. I initially wanted a series of islands; however, I underestimated how much volume the rock would take, so I went with a tunnel/cave network that runs along the whole structure, with a bunch of access tunnels in every direction. I'll mess around with another wavemaker lower down to see if I can't get some more flow through there. However, I was wondering if you all have any advice regarding any rock-rework, or if you think I should add more irregular verticality, more rock spires or somesuch. Regardless, any advice would be appreciated.

Looks great. What’s the fish stocking plan? If you have any cave dwellers they might want a little more cover or immediately stake out the cave in the middle and protect the area.

 

[CatsandClowns]

Looks great. What’s the fish stocking plan? If you have any cave dwellers they might want a little more cover.

Hello, I have two darwin clowns and an ORA green mandarin who will go in eventually. This is part of the reason i'm so keen on having as much rock as possible(even the non-porous stuff) for grazing room. In addition to that I have been considering YWG, possum wrasse, lawnmower blenny, flame hawkfish or longnose hawkfish. A lot of these are also perching fish which still benefit from more surface area. Im not saying I'll get all these, its just the ones I'm most interested in.

 

[JohnNYC8]

Hello, I have two darwin clowns and an ORA green mandarin who will go in eventually. This is part of the reason i'm so keen on having as much rock as possible(even the non-porous stuff) for grazing room. In addition to that I have been considering YWG, possum wrasse, lawnmower blenny, flame hawkfish or longnose hawkfish. A lot of these are also perching fish which still benefit from more surface area. Im not saying I'll get all these, its just the ones I'm most interested in.

The scape is perfect then.

One fish I had in mind was a royal gramma. They’ll stake out a cave spot and everyone had better clear out.

 

[Waters]

Thanks Waters! I totally agree the shelf looks awkward as hell, that said, I flipped it over and the (now)vertical surface is much more irregular/natural looking with more variety of texture and whatnot. I am considering breaking it apart, but knowing myself, I would likely end up turning it to dust in the process(not ideal). I did a bit of a rework, thoughts? I don't want to block the bottom left since that will be for a fungia once I create a little rubble field. I just put in a few pounds of gulf rock rubble so thats fun, I can probably use it for that purpose after the microbiome has had time to settle.

Definitely looks better. I wouldn't be afraid to break it up if that is what you end up doing....one hit with a hammer in the center should do it lol. You can also use a punch and hammer to strategically break if needed.