Input on 330g reef aquascape

[NeverlosT]

I am working on an aquascape for my 96x30x27 reef. I am shooting for two islands, one larger on the left, one smaller on the right, lots of spots for SPS (will be a high energy SPS reef).

I didn't want any of the aquascape over half the tank height to allow lots of swimming room and room for coral to grow.

I left a lot of room for negative space and water movement (have MP60, MP40, and an ECM 63). Tank is barebottom starboard.

I am trying for the law of thirds but am an engineer, not an artist, so aesthetics do not come easily to me.

Please have a look, I welcome your input!

 

[Jaebster]

Looks great!!!

 

[Salty Lemon]

It looks great. I'm excited for you and even more so to see more pictures! My 210 gal is 30" deep and I have a hard time navigating around without sticking my head in (truth). My only suggestion, would be to make sure you have easy access to work behind the rock-work if needed. This is going to be a beautiful set up. Congratulations.

 

[NeverlosT]

It looks great. I'm excited for you and even more so to see more pictures! My 210 gal is 30" deep and I have a hard time navigating around without sticking my head in (truth). My only suggestion, would be to make sure you have easy access to work behind the rock-work if needed. This is going to be a beautiful set up. Congratulations.

Thanks! I Plan to leave at least 6 or 8" to the back glass from the rock so I can get a hand back there. Also, I plan to put an MP60 low on the left side in the back to basically blast water across the back keeping it clean.

The ECM63 will be located also on left panel toward front midway up and will be the primary source of flow.

I have a set of Gyre XF350's I could use to mix it up even more, but to be honest I cant stand how often they need to be cleaned so I might sell em and get more MP's.

Both returns will be on top right (two right side corners) on Sea Swirls (two 1" returns). So they will be providing some gentle random flow. Overflow in external and on left side of back panel shown here:

Here is the tank. Dont ask about where it is and why not on the stand yet, it is a very, very sore subject!

 

[Jaebster]

Thanks! I Plan to leave at least 6 or 8" to the back glass from the rock so I can get a hand back there. Also, I plan to put an MP60 low on the left side in the back to basically blast water across the back keeping it clean.

The ECM63 will be located also on left panel toward front midway up and will be the primary source of flow.

I have a set of Gyre XF350's I could use to mix it up even more, but to be honest I cant stand how often they need to be cleaned so I might sell em and get more MP's.

Both returns will be on top right (two right side corners) on Sea Swirls (two 1" returns). So they will be providing some gentle random flow. Overflow in external and on left side of back panel shown here:

Here is the tank. Dont ask about where it is and why not on the stand yet, it is a very, very sore subject!

I assume you are going sandless? The MP60 low in the tank will blow tons of sand.

Also, I would also love SeaSwirls in my tank but it defeats the purpose of getting a rimless for me. I've wanted sea swirls for about 20 years now, lol.

 

[jcolliii]

WOW, I *really* dig that right island - it's got a lot of life and energy to it, lots of interest. I think you could play with that left one a bit more - it doesn't have quite the same vibe as the right one, but I suppose if you're going to plant acros all over the top, it would look quite nice as-is when they grow in.

EDIT: Actually, as-is might work really nicely with a big open stag like a slimer or a formosa there on the right side of the left island...

 

[NeverlosT]

WOW, I *really* dig that right island - it's got a lot of life and energy to it, lots of interest. I think you could play with that left one a bit more - it doesn't have quite the same vibe as the right one, but I suppose if you're going to plant acros all over the top, it would look quite nice as-is when they grow in.

EDIT: Actually, as-is might work really nicely with a big open stag like a slimer or a formosa there on the right side of the left island...

Thanks! That is great input. You obviously have a much better eye for Aesthetics than myself, I was way out of my element here. Rough plan is to Put some larger stags on the left to give it vertical dimension, maybe Red Robin, Ultimate Blue, and Blue Tipped Green Slimer. So that they can get big and become a focal point at that area.

The right island that has an odd but interesting look is designed that way to house smaller, more boutique SPS colonies, your Cherry Bombs, Homewreckers, some weird Smoothskins that I have, etc. Kind of an exhibition island.

The only thing that I have NOT figured out, is one of the goals for this big tank, was to house an anemone. I love anemones, but never had room. So I am considering making one more small tower with a cupped top, and HOPING that an anemone might make the top its home and stay away from the SPS islands... That is still just a concept.

 

[JoshO]

Absolutely love it!

 

[Lam'sReef]

Nice tank, can't wait to see it up and running

 

[ScottB]

I am working on an aquascape for my 96x30x27 reef. I am shooting for two islands, one larger on the left, one smaller on the right, lots of spots for SPS (will be a high energy SPS reef).

I didn't want any of the aquascape over half the tank height to allow lots of swimming room and room for coral to grow.

I left a lot of room for negative space and water movement (have MP60, MP40, and an ECM 63). Tank is barebottom starboard.

I am trying for the law of thirds but am an engineer, not an artist, so aesthetics do not come easily to me.

Please have a look, I welcome your input!

I think you have something really good here. I have been gradually reworking my scape following a lot of research. You seem to have captured the good and avoided some of the mistakes I have seen & made myself for a high energy SPS tank.

Not having sand is going to allow you SO MUCH flexibility in keeping flow even as your reef grows & matures. That to me is a challenge a lot of us fail to plan and design for.

 

[NeverlosT]

I think you have something really good here. I have been gradually reworking my scape following a lot of research. You seem to have captured the good and avoided some of the mistakes I have seen & made myself for a high energy SPS tank.

Not having sand is going to allow you SO MUCH flexibility in keeping flow even as your reef grows & matures. That to me is a challenge a lot of us fail to plan and design for.

Thanks Scott, we shall see, it is all an experiment really. But I like tinkering. I tell you what though, when I started building the structures, I thought the $1000 pre-fab structures were a ripoff... I dont think that anymore lol. These take a long time and lots of care to build!

 

[ScottB]

Thanks Scott, we shall see, it is all an experiment really. But I like tinkering. I tell you what though, when I started building the structures, I thought the $1000 pre-fab structures were a ripoff... I dont think that anymore lol. These take a long time and lots of care to build!

I know exactly what you mean. After I built this piece below, my LFS asked if I could build more for a customer. Instead, I recommended http://aquaroche.fr/en/

This thing is composed of 4 significant Marco chunks and 25 pieces of rubble. Plus some 1/2 acrylic rod to suspend it above the sand. It has 14 spots to fasten large frags or small colonies to it. SPS up top, LPS and zoa below. Those colonies/frags are now encrusting to large rubble pieces that will be epoxied onto the structure. In theory, this should allow me to easily (re)move them for fragging or relocation.

Also pictured is the "problem" I am trying to solve -- overcrowding.

 

[Lam'sReef]

that's a nice table rock. did you glue it together or it came natural that way?