Feedback requested (?)

[DmitryB]

Ok so spent hours late last night and then today (literally - hours!) doing this thing and ... I dunno. Eventually I just stopped. I always see other people's scapes and love them and ask them how they did it and then I try to do it and it never really works. At some point you just have to stop, I think? (Talking to you, George Lucas!) So this is what I ended up with in my IM 40. (I will try to do better in the 170 when that's ready.)

This is 90% actual live rock, with 2 pieces of LifeRock. Sand from GLR is coming today, 25 lbs. I think that may be too much for this tank, so it'll end up being a very deep sand bed. Is that bad? I don't mind it, but I saw some people on BRS video complaining that it just becomes a "toilet." I guess I'll need serious sand-stirrers.

This will be a softies only tank. (I only put up the light yesterday (Radion) and have no idea how it works.) A few swaying softies, shrooms, zoanthids, that sort of stuff. And an anemone for a pair of clowns. The only inhabitants I have thought of for this tank right now are a pair of Clowns, waaaay down the road a Mandarin (probably the last fish added there to make sure the system is mature enough to sustain pods.) Anybody have suggestions for more fish? Small fish and not even sure how many more fish I should have in a 40 gallon. Maybe 1 or 2 more small ones. Anyway, here are the images. 3 photos and a video. The tank can be seen from 2 sides fully and 1 side at a slight angle, so the scape has to be ok from 3 sides.

Also - I'll need suggestions on how to get the live sand behind the rocks on the back wall. Look at the -Right photo, you can see there's space there and not sure how I can get sand back there. Will flow just distribute it there? I dunno.... Need advice!

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

Sand will usually find its way into most voids at the level it settles, but you could probably take a plastic spoon and scoop it back there a bit at a time.

Alternatively you get a pistol shrimp, then it will be moved everywhere in no time.

 

[DmitryB]

Sand will usually find its way into most voids at the level it settles, but you could probably take a plastic spoon and scoop it back there a bit at a time.

Alternatively you get a pistol shrimp, then it will be moved everywhere in no time.

One day I want to add a Mandarin into this tank; would a pistol shrimp be compatible with them?

 

[nautical_nathaniel]

One day I want to add a Mandarin into this tank; would a pistol shrimp be compatible with them?

They'll probably be pretty indifferent to each other. There are some pistol shrimps to avoid (bullseye pistol shrimp), but a peppermint/candy pistol shrimp or maybe even a tiger pistol shrimp wouldn't bother anything but sand and macro algae/fish food. Most prawn/watchman Gobies also paired with the pistol shrimp wouldn't bother or outcompete the mandarin for pods.

Just be aware wild caught mandarins and scooter blennies are difficult to establish without a very mature and copepod-dense aquarium. That will always the biggest hurdle to jump with those fish.

 

[DmitryB]

One day I want to add a Mandarin into this tank; would a pistol shrimp be compatible with them?

They'll probably be pretty indifferent to each other. There are some pistol shrimps to avoid (bullseye pistol shrimp), but a peppermint/candy pistol shrimp or maybe even a tiger pistol shrimp wouldn't bother anything but sand and macro algae/fish food. Most prawn/watchman Gobies also paired with the pistol shrimp wouldn't bother or outcompete the mandarin for pods.

Just be aware wild caught mandarins and scooter blennies are difficult to establish without a very mature and copepod-dense aquarium. That will always the biggest hurdle to jump with those fish.

Thanks! I'm going to get as many aquacultured fish as I can and with a Mandarin - 100% from Biota.

I wondered if a Goby and a Mandarin would be ok together in a 40 gallon. (With Mandarin coming last.)

 

[X-37B]

Nice scape. I like more room between glass and rocks. Its hard to clean and eventually you get this look. My 15g.

 

[Euphylliaphyle]

Ok so spent hours late last night and then today (literally - hours!) doing this thing and ... I dunno. Eventually I just stopped. I always see other people's scapes and love them and ask them how they did it and then I try to do it and it never really works. At some point you just have to stop, I think? (Talking to you, George Lucas!) So this is what I ended up with in my IM 40. (I will try to do better in the 170 when that's ready.)

This is 90% actual live rock, with 2 pieces of LifeRock. Sand from GLR is coming today, 25 lbs. I think that may be too much for this tank, so it'll end up being a very deep sand bed. Is that bad? I don't mind it, but I saw some people on BRS video complaining that it just becomes a "toilet." I guess I'll need serious sand-stirrers.

This will be a softies only tank. (I only put up the light yesterday (Radion) and have no idea how it works.) A few swaying softies, shrooms, zoanthids, that sort of stuff. And an anemone for a pair of clowns. The only inhabitants I have thought of for this tank right now are a pair of Clowns, waaaay down the road a Mandarin (probably the last fish added there to make sure the system is mature enough to sustain pods.) Anybody have suggestions for more fish? Small fish and not even sure how many more fish I should have in a 40 gallon. Maybe 1 or 2 more small ones. Anyway, here are the images. 3 photos and a video. The tank can be seen from 2 sides fully and 1 side at a slight angle, so the scape has to be ok from 3 sides.

Also - I'll need suggestions on how to get the live sand behind the rocks on the back wall. Look at the -Right photo, you can see there's space there and not sure how I can get sand back there. Will flow just distribute it there? I dunno.... Need advice!

Looks nice!
A couple of ideas for sand behind the scape:
Can you move the top rock safely? That will give you more room to work.
Maybe you can use a relatively wide-stem funnel to feed the sand from above. You may need to mix the sand in the funnel to get it to pour, but it may not need it if it is underwater.
You could possibly use a cheap $15 pump with hoses on inlet and outlet to siphon sand and blow it behind the rock. Don't do this with a good pump. It won't be good afterward. Regardless of method, you are likely to have uneven piles of sand behind the rock. You might be able to run a rope or something behind the rocks and "floss" it more or less level.
One suggestion: if you have space and they are not glued together, try to arrange the rocks with some more gaps and "caves" for fish to explore and hide in. You may have enough, but it's hard for me to evaluate by photos.
Good work, and good luck!