Tips and Tricks on Creating Amazing Aquascapes.

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Here is what I came up with for my 29 gallon Nano. I know that it dark as scrap but the lights are shutting off. What do you guys think?

I really like this one!

 

[Reef_Tank_Fan_SC]

I really like this one!

Thank you very much.. I actually just order a chunk of corals to finally start bringing it to life.

 

[CDavmd]

Great discussion. Thought I’d throw in my little four+ year old 14 gallon AIO I have on my desk at work....it’s all about that golden ratio. Great discussion thread.

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

people should have to read this thread before being able to buy a new aquarium.

the amount of reef tanks that are stuffed to the gills with rock... ugggh.
some great looking scapes!!

 

[Dodgersfan]

You guys are blowing me away with some of these aquascapes! I will hopefully post my new one soon.

What do you think about this aquascape? I'm trying to create depth and interest, and I won't have any SPS so I added some of that look with branching and plate base rock. The top of the structures are all around 14,15&16 inches (without sand) total tank height is 21"

 

[norfolkgarden]

people should have to read this thread before being able to buy a new aquarium.

the amount of reef tanks that are stuffed to the gills with rock... ugggh.
some great looking scapes!!

Lol, as an "art piece", sure, do what ever you like.

As a reminder of living in paradise, the more rock visible and less tank visible, the better!

Not to mention the benefits of live rock as a bacterial growing medium.

What ever you chose have fun wirh it.
[emoji3]

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

Lol, as an "art piece", sure, do what ever you like.

As a reminder of living in paradise, the more rock visible and less tank visible, the better!

Not to mention the benefits of live rock as a bacterial growing medium.

What ever you chose have fun wirh it.
[emoji3]

there are significantly more benefits to having less rock in a tank than more.

improved flow
easier maintenance
more swimming room
more even light distribution

plus, you make it sounds like having your tank look like a piece of art work is a bad thing?

I have a massive pile of rocks for filtration...in my fuge

 

[norfolkgarden]

there are significantly more benefits to having less rock in a tank than more.

improved flow
easier maintenance
more swimming room
more even light distribution

plus, you make it sounds like having your tank look like a piece of art work is a bad thing?

I have a massive pile of rocks for filtration...in my fuge

Easier maintenance with less rock, definitely.

Washing machine flow is desirable in an SPS tank. Less so in a softy tank.

More hiding spaces/homes for smaller fish or just fish that like them for sleeping is always more desirable.

Some fish are supposed to be cryptic. Do some research before you buy them.

Turning your tank into an "art piece" is not a bad thing, just a subjective thing.

If keeping a tank that reminds you of when you lived in paradise and you went scuba diving off the front porch, then more rock is beneficial than less rock.

Whatever you chose, have fun with it.
Some rules are excellent guidelines and some are less so.
[emoji4]

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

true enough. But except when diving in caves, I always remember way more water than rock :).

 

[norfolkgarden]

true enough. But except when diving in caves, I always remember way more water than rock :).

Lol, I have little desire to see 90% of the back glass.

15% near the top with an indistinct blue background looks much nicer.

"New" and "Improved" dont automatically go together. Sometimes yes, sometimes heck no.

But again, whichever way you go, have fun with it.
[emoji4]

 

[pdxmonkeyboy]

yeah, we get it... you like tons of rock. great.

But this thread is about aquascaping and loading your tank with a wall of rock is generally not considered aquascaping.

If that isn't your preference.. ok, cool and the gang. Just try to remember that not everyone has the same definition of "living in paradise". i currently live in paradise and it's full of giant cedar trees, not blasting sun and sand.

 

[norfolkgarden]

yeah, we get it... you like tons of rock. great.

But this thread is about aquascaping and loading your tank with a wall of rock is generally not considered aquascaping.

If that isn't your preference.. ok, cool and the gang. Just try to remember that not everyone has the same definition of "living in paradise". i currently live in paradise and it's full of giant cedar trees, not blasting sun and sand.

A simple wall of rock is pointless.

Rock that extends out into the tank is what I prefer.

Thats called aquascaping.
[emoji4]

 

[jazzmik]

Aquascape ver. 2.3

Awesome!

 

[w.lohrman]

A simple wall of rock is pointless.

Rock that extends out into the tank is what I prefer.

Thats called aquascaping.
[emoji4]

To each his own I have tried quite a few different aquascape and I have found that I like it lifted

 

[itisjp]

Here is mine... just have got water in it. Been doing data collection for lighting all day.

 

[Aaron-A2]

Aquascape ver. 2.3

What's the specs on your tank?

 

[Ferrell]

Awesome article. One of the best ones I’ve read on aquascaping. I also enjoyed the thread and I just found it at a very appropriate time...I’m epoxying rocks this weekend. I moved, adjusted and looked at these rocks all week to make sure I liked it before I glued it up. Still gleened some great ideas from your article for some late additions to the rockwork and great ideas on color selection/placement.

 

[TangingOut]

What's the specs on your tank?

71.5 x 23.5 x 21.5

Here's my build thread if you want to know more about it. https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/cadlights-165-sps-dominate-mixed-reef.322968/

 

[ETBReefer05]

I saw mention of your write-up on BRS TV and man, I was stunned at the way that aquascaping was compared to painting and photography. I will definitely use this in my upcoming build to make a more stunning aquascape.

 

[Ardeus]

It's so much easier to find photos of stunning freshwater tanks when compared to saltwater.

Part of the reason is the Nature aquarium concept.

The other part has to do with the much slower cycle of saltwater.

In freshwater, in a few weeks you can have a breathtaking tank, while in saltwater it will take at least an year.

Because of the larger array of options available for saltwater in terms of shapes and colors, it becomes much harder to create an harmonious tank. To make things more difficult, many corals sting each other, unlike plants.

But it's possible to achieve the same level of high level of aesthetic sophistication of freshwater, just much much more challenging.