Aquascape feedback

K

kth

New member
Picked up my tank last weekend leak tested it now I can start playing with the aquascape.

I'm trying to achieve a minmalist bonsai look while still having places for fish to hide.

What do you think of my current layout? Sorry for all the reflections who would of thought getting a picture of glass would be so hard. The tank is setup as a peninsula room divider. I have not finished the rock wall under the overflow but it gives the general idea.

aquascapeR.jpg


aquascapeL.jpg


I still have lots of rock pieces to work but I'm out of ideas.
 
Sweet lookin tank. Sweet lookin rock. Usually the one you don't end upliking grows on ya and ya love it in the end. Good luck.
 
Thanks for the feedback, I will let it sit in the tank for a few days and see if I feel the need to change anything as I walk by.

BigKahuna,
The rock is indeed sitting on acrylic sheet.
 
I love the look. It looks great as an empty display tank lol except once you start considering coral placement that top shelf might shade everything that u can possibly put in that spot. Plus the rocks on the plumbing side are close to the wall cleaning glass will be difficult and where are u placing your power heads
 
Would love to see some more pictures from different angles. How about a couple top downs? I think the rock looks incredible. Very tastefully done.
 
I love it. Is the top shelf shading the bottom one for lower light corals? What are the plans for the eggcrate behind the rocks that are almost against the glass, foam wall?
 
I was concerned about shadowing the lower shelf. I was able to rotate the top shelf some and it minimizes the amount of shadowing on the lower shelf. I can probably rotate them so they are 180 degrees to each other but currently it will not balance in that postition. It could work out as a good place to put corals that need less light.

Here is a photo from a slight angle.

aquascapea.jpg


This gives a good view of the incomplete rock wall. I was going todo a foam wall but i'm currently on the fence about it. I started this before I had the tank and I blew it on the math so the rocks are a little to close to the sides of the tank. I will have to fix that if i keep it.

Here is a top down shot down.

aquascapeT.jpg


I'm going to need to trim the top shelf it is currently a little to close to the glass. If you squint real hard you can see where I have drawn a line where to trim it.

On a side note the flash really does show just how much stuff is on this rock.
 
I really like the shelves offset like that, more natural & pleasing to the eye than 180. I did see the line, on my phone it was so close to the bottom seam it fooled me for a minute LOL. And you will definitely need a shaded area, ii have learned even in my 55 (don't really have one). What rock is that? It looks so much like my Vanuatu.

I love rock walls, I've see a few in peninsula tanks with tham that look great. You can also combine foam with rock so it wouldn't be so heavy. If done well it would come out great.

Please kep us updated!
 
kth said:
I was concerned about shadowing the lower shelf. I was able to rotate the top shelf some and it minimizes the amount of shadowing on the lower shelf. I can probably rotate them so they are 180 degrees to each other but currently it will not balance in that postition. It could work out as a good place to put corals that need less light.
...
I'm going to need to trim the top shelf it is currently a little to close to the glass. If you squint real hard you can see where I have drawn a line where to trim it.
Click to expand...

Trimming now is a good idea. There's nothing worse than a rock that doesn't let your mag cleaner do it's job, it will become a constant source of irritation.

What kind of lights do you plan on using? I ask because with dramatic overhangs certain light types and especially ones with multiple fixtures and/or point sources will determine just how much shade and spillover you're gonna get. Not to highjack your thread and impressive work but as an example of something to think about:

6991046682_7ab575c89d_b.jpg

That first photo was done w/o the Radions over the tank. I used a pair of powerful PAR38 36W LED spots as stand in's to test it and you can see the subsequent photos showing how much better the pair of Radions fill in comparatively.


7181434945_e07d5b235a_c.jpg


7366661062_6e565d6caf_c.jpg


I knew from the begining I was going for articulated mounts with the pair of Radion's and it makes quite a bit of difference in how I can project the light to get more of it where I want it. I wanted more shadows and more dramatic lighting effect but it helps a great deal when you have lights/mounts that can be fiddled with easily in this regard. Also it isn't a bad idea to get the lights you are going to use over the tank, or at least some analogue of them, because that is going to give you a much better idea of how it will look in use.
 
Very nice. Are the rocks attached to the bottom? How did you pin your rocks together. A step by step would be awesone. Did you use mortar or epoxy, nuts or ties? Looks really nice. I agree the upper flat piece might be a bit much. I think if you trim it down it might look nicer, or maybe make it slightly lower. I'm just trying to picture that with a big coral colony up there and it doesn't have the same appeal as with the bare rock. Overall, kickass job!
 
Boy, I shouldn't type on my phone when I wake up in the middle of the night...typos!

The top shelf would work great for high light, low profile corals...no need to put a giant tall colony up there.

Also, we recently bought a Flipper glass cleaner & the low profile has really helped with the areas where the rock is just a tad too close to the glass, so there is an alternative now to the old bulky mag floats. The Flipper is about 1/2 an inch wide.
 
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