Rescaping Established Tank

C

chunkylovah

Member
I attempted to re-scape today. I don't like it and it took me like four hours before I realized if I moved one more rock I was going to hold my head under the salty depths and go sleeping with the fishes...

Here is a before and after. If you have any advice or opinions please chime in. If you know someone who I can pay in beer or pennies to fix this mess, please let me know. If you would like to offer your moral support in this time of need, feel free to do so at this time.

20180613_154300.jpg.82d09e2d76467bbef8b0647ec5f2c5c1.jpg


20180627_203617.jpg.9ef4438c7ac69178257f5de759deec22.jpg
 
Not gonna lie, I just look at other people's reef tank build threads and if I see something I like I just copy what I see LoL. . .
 
This looks better. IMO pics under White light will give a better idea on how this actually look and probably will help members to suggest if something need to be changed.

Sent from my ASUS_X00TD using Tapatalk
 
rescaping is a PITA, but if you're going to do it, now is the time-- before it's all encrusted with growth and life.

your tank looks like a nano. what are the dimensions? is there a sump or is it an aio?

aqua-scaping is really subjective, but that being said, i think there are some scapes that are universally appreciated. for nanos, imho, i like the "less is more" types of scapes versus the "pile of rocks" approach. my first nano was a pile of rocks, but i wasn't totally happy with it, and i had a bunch of dead spots that didn't get flow. that being said, i've seen some beautiful pile of rock scapes once they've grown in.

i'm not advocating for "bonsai" specifically, but if you google "bonsai reefscapes" you'll see some really attractive scapes that go beyond just "bonsai". me personally, i like a lot of exposed sand, so i like pillars and overhangs and arches.

to get the scape you want, you may want to take all the rock out (but be careful to not let it dry out) so you have room to mock up the scape and make attachments so you can put it back in the tank the way you designed it.

ultimately, go with what makes you happy :thumbsup:
 
CNGH said:
rescaping is a PITA, but if you're going to do it, now is the time-- before it's all encrusted with growth and life.

your tank looks like a nano. what are the dimensions? is there a sump or is it an aio?

aqua-scaping is really subjective, but that being said, i think there are some scapes that are universally appreciated. for nanos, imho, i like the "less is more" types of scapes versus the "pile of rocks" approach. my first nano was a pile of rocks, but i wasn't totally happy with it, and i had a bunch of dead spots that didn't get flow. that being said, i've seen some beautiful pile of rock scapes once they've grown in.

i'm not advocating for "bonsai" specifically, but if you google "bonsai reefscapes" you'll see some really attractive scapes that go beyond just "bonsai". me personally, i like a lot of exposed sand, so i like pillars and overhangs and arches.

to get the scape you want, you may want to take all the rock out (but be careful to not let it dry out) so you have room to mock up the scape and make attachments so you can put it back in the tank the way you designed it.

ultimately, go with what makes you happy :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

That is exactly the style I like, but pulling it off seems so ridiculously hard. It's like making the rocks look like that is hard by itself, but then you have to make sure you have places for coral to go and then make sure flow in the tank is good. It's a nightmare of a skill to learn! lol
 
chunkylovah said:
That is exactly the style I like, but pulling it off seems so ridiculously hard. It's like making the rocks look like that is hard by itself, but then you have to make sure you have places for coral to go and then make sure flow in the tank is good. It's a nightmare of a skill to learn! lol
Click to expand...

well, you aren't forever bound to the rocks you currently have, right? :)

people sell live/dry rock all the time. buy 15-20lbs for your nano, scape it up the way you want, then cure it for a few weeks (seeded by your current live rock), and swap it out. leave some of the old live rock and gradually remove it once you're sure the new cured live rock is keeping up with your system needs.

easier said than done, i know. but easier than trying to work in the tank and force something together that you're not totally happy with or confident about. :beer:
 
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having your dimensions will help..a narrow tank will have to be aquascape differently than if it is wide.

just google reef aquascaping and you will get ideas.
 
HenryTran said:
having your dimensions will help..a narrow tank will have to be aquascape differently than if it is wide.

just google reef aquascaping and you will get ideas.
Click to expand...


its a RS reefer 170, 24x20x20. Yeah, I've been reading a lot on aquascaping and looking at different styles. I think life would be easier if I had a long tank, as I tend to gravitate to the open spaces that can be done in them. Cubes feels like you kinda got smash it all in, but I've seen people get a nice balance of rock, sand and open water in cubes, so at least I know it can be done.

My tailspot is loving the new rocks though so I guess that's a win.
 
chunkylovah said:
its a RS reefer 170, 24x20x20. Yeah, I've been reading a lot on aquascaping and looking at different styles. I think life would be easier if I had a long tank, as I tend to gravitate to the open spaces that can be done in them. Cubes feels like you kinda got smash it all in, but I've seen people get a nice balance of rock, sand and open water in cubes, so at least I know it can be done.

My tailspot is loving the new rocks though so I guess that's a win.
Click to expand...

For short tanks, I like to build "columns". I don't really know how to describe it. Here's a picture of my nano that's currently cycling. That's just something I'm into. I don't like it when rocks are all over the place.

https://ibb.co/ci7GfT

This is my first tank which is long and narrow. I think it looks ok. I could have done a better job but I don't want to keep messing around with it. Once it's stocked with more SPS it won't matter anyway. I made sure to have two arches for the fishies to swim through.


https://ibb.co/cNTNLT
 
Hammer, Chizzle and some AquaMaxx Reef Welder. I think the key is starting with interesting shapes first, then tailor them to your liking. Sometimes live rock is really dense and lacks a unique shape (ie. Boulder Shaped) so its difficult to get something interesting out of them. Maybe order a small box of rock, or go cherry pick somewhere.
 
BeanMachine said:
Hammer, Chizzle and some AquaMaxx Reef Welder. I think the key is starting with interesting shapes first, then tailor them to your liking. Sometimes live rock is really dense and lacks a unique shape (ie. Boulder Shaped) so its difficult to get something interesting out of them. Maybe order a small box of rock, or go cherry pick somewhere.
Click to expand...


Marco rocks are shaped nicely. You can tell him what shapes you want and he will pick them for you.
 
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