Need help with your aquascape?

lillypads reef · May 6, 2018

Thanks for doing this! I have a small budget tank cycling. What do you think (don't mind green tubing; work in progress.)? I want to cement rock together when I figure out what works best. I also have a lot of extra rock if I need to scrap this idea.

Ben Weaver · May 6, 2018

Ardeus said:
Thanks.

Some tanks start with very interesting layouts and then corals come and grow, and while they are the stars of the show, they end up hiding the beauty of the aquascape.

At the moment your layout doesn't look cohesive, you perceive each rock very easily. That's not problem though. When corals grow, that will be automatically solved very quickly, because your tank is small.

Can you try this?

Ok so i rearranged alittle. Does this look better? Is there too much rock for the size of tank it is?

Ardeus · May 6, 2018

@Ben Weaver It looks like a good start.

When placing corals, try to keep the cave open. The same advise goes for the sand.

Small tanks can look stuffed pretty quickly. Keeping both the cave entrance and the sand clean will balance the layout.

Ardeus · May 6, 2018

lillypads reef said:
Thanks for doing this! I have a small budget tank cycling. What do you think (don't mind green tubing; work in progress.)? I want to cement rock together when I figure out what works best. I also have a lot of extra rock if I need to scrap this idea.

Honestly I would take everything out and try a new idea.

Given the size of the tank and the rocks, I would try a bigger structure on the left and a much much smaller one on the right, like they were emerging from the sand.

Try to make the bigger structure look as single rock, not like pilled rocks.

This rock, if you turn it with the flat side down, can be your smaller structure by itself.

Ben Weaver · May 6, 2018

Ardeus said:
@Ben Weaver It looks like a good start.

When placing corals, try to keep the cave open. The same advise goes for the sand.

Small tanks can look stuffed pretty quickly. Keeping both the cave entrance and the sand clean will balance the layout.

Thanks for the help!

PapoReef · May 8, 2018

Hey guys! Any feedback on this? Maybe to much rock? Was thinking on maybe doing another cave con the large rock, similar to the one on the left, a cave on the bottom against the sand. I think this would make it look much less crowded. Thoughts? Thanks!!

Ardeus · May 9, 2018

I would remove 1 of these 2 rocks to start with

In my opinion there's too much rock for the size of your tank.

I think one of those 2 rocks should be taken out because they have similar size. The other 3 make a more interesting group.

I wouldn't pile them though and I would try to go for a Iwagumi inspired setup.

(Watch from 03:50)

Here's how I did a layout with 3 rocks in my tank.

PapoReef · May 9, 2018

Thanks for the tips man! Yeah, i think its too much rock, so im planning on removing the small top right one, since i love all 3 others, but im going to cut a big chunk off from the large one and place it against the flase wall, that should free up a lot of space! Will post pictures after. Thanks !

RtomKinMad · May 9, 2018

Hello! We have had so much trouble with this tank and already added 50lbs more for more biofilter. Moved large leathers from 75 gal when we built this 300gal. It’s just boring. Kind of a mixed reef with too many fish. Lost half our coral whole on vacation phosphorus got really high.
Also just cycled a 93gal cube. Will have very little fish just coral.

Ardeus · May 10, 2018

We put too much stuff in our little boxes, starting with rock. I think it's understandable, we want the tank to look good as soon as possible.

But then we have to add corals and the tank looks like it's about to burst.

In all the suggestions I gave here, less rock is a common factor.

The cube looks good. The rocks look well integrated into a single structure and I like small rock on the left.

RtomKinMad · May 10, 2018

Thank you for your help. My husband builds better when i don’t add any input. He did the cube. We like that one a lot. The shelves have lots of places to place coral and many holes for the fish to swim in and out. It is hallow cave in the center. Out injured tominin went in yesterday and is getting settled in. Spent 10 days in quarantine and medication while the cube cycled. We are going to try Acans and hammers and zoas. Acans didn’t do well in our big tank and one of our fish is eating all the zoas including my 3 year old rasters. Our LFS is a single owner operator and has been very helpful. He has even come to the house to help when we lost alot our coral after vacation and a bad case of ick. Our ick is not seen anymore after increasing flow oxygen and return pump turned all the way up. Using very large UV. LFS owner and I do not agree on my fish choices but I understand they limit our coral. Thank you for the help with the rock we will work on it some. The leathers are over 3 years and the big green one was our first piece of coral. Might be hard to move. We lost zoas, hammers and frogspawn and most of our star polps. We added more rock because the tangs were fighting, had 9 tangs and removed the bully and one severely injured tominin from fighting. Thanks again for your help.
BTW here is our fish only 180g with 10large fish and a jeweled eel.

scott11106 · May 10, 2018

Ardeus said:
This will most likely be your profile line when the corals grow.

Those are all very good points, i orginally did not have the branch in there but the LFS messed up order and was supposed to get shelf and they got branch and due to time i took it (stuck the rest in my sump)

i will make the left side a bit smaller and see where that brings me.

I left a good amount of open sand area as the tank is 36" deep (front to back) and it feel kind of empty but i assume when i start getting a bunch of coral in it that will all change.

Todvod · May 10, 2018

Thanks for any help Ardeus!
This will be my first tank and I love movement. I’d like a mixed reef with predominant LPS and a nem. I would also like to leave some of the rock work exposed(not completely covered with coral). I think rock looks cool by itself. Not sure I love any of the scapes I came up with. My rock pieces are large and a little difficult to work with. The tank will be situated in the family room, along a wall close to a corner, and will be viewed from the front and left side(where the couches are located).
I have pics of two different scapes.
Thanks again!

Justin....#JAMAS · May 10, 2018

Hey man, i think its awesome that your doing this to help out! So great, as aquascaping is such a pain sometimes and cant always figure out a good idea or what it is i actually want!! But i was really wanting to re do my aquascape to something just more unique and kinda crazy, we got this arc and just threw it right in the middle kind of disregarding the law of thirds....but was really wanting to see what ideas or photo sh

ops you could come up with man! Thanks again and cant wait as im really excited about this one!!

MarieG · May 10, 2018

Need SOOO much help with this mess. lol I have a few corals but they aren't in the tank yet.

Ardeus · May 11, 2018

Try starting to build the layout from the right back corner and then create something like a bay. Don't make it too big or get big rocks too close to the viewing glasses, remember that your tank will look smaller the fuller it is.

Avoid symmetry, horizontal or vertical surfaces, they look artificial.

You can use a small rock to isolate your anemone in an island away from the main structure. If you're thinking about a BTA, find a rock that has a hole where it can put its foot and it will likely stay there forever.