Looking for aquascaping inspiration

[dixiedog]

It's official: I'm tearing down my 75 for renovations, getting rid of some fish, getting rid of some algae, rebuilding my sump ...

One of my goals in the new aquascape is going to be something "airier" - less of a rockpile, more of a sculpture ... arches and stuff like that. I plan to use reinforcing rods, epoxy, etc. to make it happen.

I'm looking for pics of this type of setup or just hints if you're one of those who're lucky enough to be "good" at this stuff.

I myself don't have an artistic bone in my body so I need all the help I can get.

 

[ludnix]

I built my rockwork over the course of a few days. I started with uncured liverock so once it finished cycled I gave them all a good scrubbing and started putting them together with aquascape epoxy.

I started with my pillars:

I then stacked and epoxied on my caps to finish off the archs:

and here we are 8 months later:

I'm very happy with how my rock work came out. The tangs love to swim in and out of the arches and the pillars allow them to swim in places that they prevent them from seeing each other all at once all the time making it appear cramped.

 

[dnsfpl]

nice concept

 

[dixiedog]

Yeah, that's exactly the sort of thing I have in mind. Tall, open, nothing touching glass anywhere. Enhanced circulation potential, too.

How do you feel about the egg crate?

 

[toonces]

In my opinion, alot of people try too hard to be creative with their rockwork, and in the process build something that looks contrived rather than natural. Like you, I don't have an artistic bone in my body, and I struggle with aquascaping as well.

One of the things I've been noticing on the boards just lately is that more people seem to be taking the long term approach to aquascaping. Rather than trying to build something awesome on day 1, they build their aquascape with an eye to how it will look in a year when their corals grow out. I think this is much harder to do- it takes a ton of patience. But the end result, if you're looking at your tank as a long-term investment, is much more pleasing because it looks natural.

So, since I've given you absolutely no practical advice up to this point, here's what I can recommend:

1. The Amano books are great for browsing aquascape pictures and getting an idea of how to compose one- but they are freshwater aquariums only. Still, there is alot of useful information on the principles of aquascaping in there.

2. I find that I admire tanks that have a FEW corals of significant growth rather than a hodgepodge of different corals. One of the most elegant tanks I've seen on RC was this hex tank this woman did with a huge Montipora (I think) growing up in the center. Most of the tank was devoted to this one large coral and it was stunning- it drew your eye to the coral as the focal point, and then you noticed everything else complimenting it.

3. I think that, in general, less is more. Less rockwork, less clutter, less fish, and let things develop rather than overthink the creativity portion.

Wow, did I help at all? LOL.