First Time Reefer - Tips/Advice on Aquascape

[FrontRangeReefer]

Hey R2R family! I am in the process of preparing to set up my first reef tank, a Marine X 60.2 from Waterbox. **insert shameless plug for my build thread**

My Caribsea Liferock bundle arrived the other day and I have been trying to get my aquascape situated so that it’s ready to install in my tank when it arrives.

Planning on the following:

• Fish: 2x designer clowns, 1x Watchman Goby/Pistol shrimp pair, 1x Purple Firefish, 3-4x Pajama Cardinals
• Corals: Mostly soft corals (Xenia, Euphyllia, Sinularia), possibly some Zoas
• Bubble Tip Anenome
• Substrate: Caribsea Arag-Alive Special Grade Sand

I intend on mounting the powerhead (Reef Octo Octo Pulse 2) on the left side of the tank. Will likely place zoas (or the anenome) to the separate island in the front left.

After spending several hours thinking through this, trying different combinations and fine tuning,I ended up with the following:

I’m thinking flow will be sufficient with plenty of hiding and burrowing spots for the fish. I also plan on leaving several inches between the rock and the glass for cleaning and to make sure detritus doesn’t build up.

Thoughts and/or tips? I am brand new to reefing and want to do this right. Constructive criticism and advice is welcome. Thanks!

 

[Rubberfrog]

That looks alright. Maybe leave more than a few inches between the glass. There are times you'll want to get in there and give it a good scrub.

 

[lpsouth1978]

I think you have done a great job and the scape looks great. The only thing I would do is remove the very top rock. I recommend going no higher than 2/3 the tank height with the rocks. This will leave room for you to place corals on top and still have room for them to grow. Ultimately if you like what you have go with it. Just food for thought.

 

[jasper9]

Nice profile logo

 

[FrontRangeReefer]

Nice profile logo

Thanks and hello to a fellow Coloradan!

 

[lpsouth1978]

Nice profile logo

Thanks and hello to a fellow Coloradan!

I'm actually a Colorado Defector. Haha

I left almost 5 years ago after living there most my life. @FrontRangeReefer, I actually was in Aurora myself, for the last 9 years I was in Colorado. Still have a lot of family in Colorado.

 

[Ludders]

Some good tips already which I would echo.

Personally I think people get too caught up with the aquascaping and how it looks when they first create it. I myself have been caught up in this trap with my reefer 170.
There is a lot more to consider other than just how it looks when you first set your reef up, for example;
How will it impact flow
How will it look when coral grows out
Is there enough space around everything for proper maintenance

The best piece of advice I could give would be to consider your likely coral placement and how your aquascape will look in 3 years time when the coral has grown out.

This is my reefer and maintenance is now a complete nightmare because essentially I have too much rock in there. Flow is also a limiting factor in this case as well.
Had I been creating the aquascape for this now, I would have used less rock and not gone as high with the scape.
To compensate for less biological surface area, I would add bio-filter media to my sump.