Why is reef aquascaping so unexplored when compared to freshwater?

[Ardeus]

I think I see your point: the palette that freshwater aquascapers use resemble above water landscapes and the options provided by reef will only resemble Jupiter gas-scapes.

That being said, you can reduce the reef palette to resemble above water landscapes.

Regarding the sense of depth, I have been playing with the idea by using light to achieve the effect you have on that nemo image.

 

[reefwiser]

Amano strived for a view of Nature.
Some aquascapers try to other designs and showboat a little.
I keep a nature aquarium because it is peaceful and a completely different experience than my saltwater aquarium.


Love Amano so sad that he is no longer with us.

 

[sp1187]

sp1187:

You were right in everything you said, right from the beginning: what looks good varies from person to person.

That being said, I believe most reefers feel a bit disappointed with how good their tanks look, but can't figure out a way to make it look better.

That's where these freshwater aquascaping techniques may help. Whether or not you decide to apply them, it doesn't hurt to understand how to use the rule of thirds, golden ratio, iwagumi, color wheel, creation of color schemes.

After all, it's just another way to make the hobby more challenging and complicated.

lol.... the hobby apparently is more complicated than it was when I left it (1997).
bought a 110g in 1990. added rock, sand and water. plugged it in and started adding live stock.
I've been working on my current build since last June and am hoping to have water in it by the end of this month/early next.
Definitely more challenging and complicated.

 

[NY_Caveman]

I am still thinking a lot about this since I will be picking out my live rock soon. I think reef and planted aquaria can each benefit from a well thought out use of negative space. Not only can it create depth and be aesthetically pleasing, but it can allow for excellent flow through a system. Form and function.

 

[Ardeus]

I am still thinking a lot about this since I will be picking out my live rock soon. I think reef and planted aquaria can each benefit from a well thought out use of negative space. Not only can it create depth and be aesthetically pleasing, but it can allow for excellent flow through a system. Form and function.

Are you familiar with Iwagumi setups? I noticed that after playing around with this technique it becomes a 2nd nature.

 

[NY_Caveman]

Yes and I agree with that. My rough aquascape layout in post 22 was loosely an example of that basic approach used with Iwagumi. My last few aquariums, I realize, have been quite like that rough draft. My current little betta tank is aquascaped much like my last planted tank similar to how I envision my new reef.

 

[Ardeus]

I made a video about a few aquascaping techniques I try to use:

 

[NY_Caveman]

I made a video about a few aquascaping techniques I try to use:

This is an incredible video. Excellent editing and the tank looks beautiful. Consider adding it to the big aquascape thread here:
Tips and Tricks on Creating Amazing Aquascapes.

Your aquarium is quite similar to how I aspire to create mine with good, open space. You have great points on both color and spatial relations. I love your attempt at the visual bridge with the Acanthastrea as you explained and it definitely works.

What is most striking though is the path of the different anemone species leading to the Duncan heads. From the back right down to the front left, crossing the natural path between the rock work. Just stunning. I count three anemone species, a carpet, the magnifica and the BTAs. Are there others?

BTW, good luck not buying any more corals.

 

[reefwiser]

If one is interested in Aquascaping while it is freshwater planted tanks I listen to Tank of Fire podcast daily. You learn a lot everyday on topics that are topical to both planted tanks and saltwater.
I keep both systems and so I love all aquariums. I know many of the advance salt hobbyist that keep both example Sanjay. You will development a more rounded understanding of fish keeping by doing both systems.


One of the problems with doing aquarscaping with corals is that we do not have as much control over corals as we do currently with plants. Not that we are not trying.

 

[Ardeus]

@NY_Caveman I only have 2 types of BTA's (lots of Sunburst and 1 Orange drop) and a Magnifica.

The right side of the tank is ok, the left will take its time.

I already have all the corals I want and I need to find a new home for a few of the old ones in the coming weeks. Then I need an year at least for the corals to grow and create the layout I want.

@reefwiser I watch it too and also check a lot of videos on freshwater aquascapes, especially the more open layouts.

 

[dieselkeeper]

I spent hours stacking rock to get a natural look. 8 years later I upgraded to a 220 gal. Growth of corals hid all the rocks that I spent stacking. If a person is a coral hoarder, like myself, you won't see the rock after a couple of years. Some holes/spaces between the rock for the fish to hide is all you need.

 

[Ardeus]

That's one of the difficulties when creating a rock layout: to leave space enough so that when the corals grow, well, there is still some empty space to rest your eyes.

 

[Brew12]

I made a video about a few aquascaping techniques I try to use:

Very well done!

 

[User1]

I made a video about a few aquascaping techniques I try to use:

@Ardeus thank you for taking the time for putting the video together. Very well done, great speaking and presentations, and even made me smile a couple times. Sometimes videos can seem like they go on for hours. Yours not so. It had a good cadence from start to end. Thanks again.

 

[Ardeus]

Thanks guys I cut myself some slack, because English is not my first language.

 

[fish farmer]

I am still thinking a lot about this since I will be picking out my live rock soon. I think reef and planted aquaria can each benefit from a well thought out use of negative space. Not only can it create depth and be aesthetically pleasing, but it can allow for excellent flow through a system. Form and function.

Since my tank can be viewed from the front and back I am concentrating on trying to keep the empty space between my three main rock features open.

This is an old photo showing the openess of the area I can work with.

This is the current mess, it looks better now due to diligiant WC and aiptasia control. The green nepthia pictured in the first shot on the right is the huge beast taking up most of the right side of the tank. This coral has migrated to the bottom of the piece it was origianally placed on. I have already fragged it to the lower left rock side and am going to try and manage it better there. I want to completely remove the mother colony and play with a different coral in that area. The upper left side will more than likely be a hammer domain. I also want to move the sea rod in the center shot as well as move or snip the colt corals.

 

[Ardeus]

Since my tank can be viewed from the front and back I will concentrating on trying to keep the empty space between my three main rock features open.

This is an old photo showing the openess of the area I can work with.

This is the current mess, it looks better now due to diligiant WC and aiptasia control. The green nepthia pictured in the first shot on the right are the huge beast taking up most of the right side of the tank. This coral has migrated to the bottom of the piece it was origianally placed on. I have already fragged it to the lower left rock side and am going to try and manage it better there. I want to completely remove the mother colony and play with a different coral in that area. The upper left side will more than likely be a hammer domain. I also want to move the sea rod in the center shot as well as move or snip the colt corals.

Those tanks are very difficult to scape. It has to look good from both sides and normally there little depth, so the "contour" must be really great, with interesting shapes, different heights and well defined breaks between different structures.

I would choose a show piece based especially on color and I would place it roughly according to the rule of thirds. Anything with a strong color will stand out beautifully in your tank.

 

[sp1187]

good stuff.
thank you for sharing.
and English is my first language and your's is as good as mine.

 

[sp1187]

what's your secret to keeping all the anenomes located?
I want to get some, but I'm concerned about them roaming.

 

[Ardeus]

Stability and trying to give them what they want.

A BTA with its foot on a crevice is very unlikely to move. The deeper the crevice the more unlikely to move it will be.

Changes in light, flow or water chemistry will make them more likely to move.

But being so many, they do move from time to time. It never caused any big drama mostly because I have them in islands. But I have had them meeting pumps and I always run carbon. Right now I am trying to contain them also with xenias.

I try to treat the magnifica as if she's Marilyn Monroe: I put her on a pedestal and drown her with light and crazy flow blowing her skirt up.