Tips and Tricks on Creating Amazing Aquascapes

[ReefShrink]

Started my aquascaping yesterday, and here is what I have so far. Let me know what you guys think so far. I really like the center tall piece, and it actually has multiple ledges for coral placement that is hard to see in the pictures.

 

[marspeed]

i like it

 

[Veganbrian]

So it seems like the OP has given us some great tips and is also offering advice. I would appreciate some input on my new 500g 8'x4' build. Below are my current thoughts after this reading this thread with citations. The first two mock-ups include the 5::3 guides from all three perspectives. Thoughts?

Very cool. Id like to see this executed into the real thing. Very interested.

Started my aquascaping yesterday, and here is what I have so far. Let me know what you guys think so far. I really like the center tall piece, and it actually has multiple ledges for coral placement that is hard to see in the pictures.

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I think the right piece should be broken up a little smaller and should connect to the middle more smoothly and less abrupt.

 

[marspeed]

i would flip the right piece up side down and move both off center more

 

[ReefShrink]

I think the right piece should be broken up a little smaller and should connect to the middle more smoothly and less abrupt.

Agreed! That is the one part that has really been bothering me. I have quite a bit more rock left to play with.

i would flip the right piece up side down and move both off center more

I'll give it a try as far as flipping it upside down. I don't want to move any of the pieces closer to the glass as I am trying to keep a minimum of 3 inches of space between rock and glass to keep the open feel.

Thanks for the input so far!

 

[aquanooby]

How dare you ! I rescaped my tank this morning that I'm in the process of cycling ....my first salty tank at that. So I decide to read through some threads for more information. I came across this thread and realized just what an uninspired pile of rocks I just threw together lol. Well 3-4 four hours later I am now done I think it looks good so far and with a few more rocks I think I'll be where I want to be. I really love this forum I have learned so much. I will post some pics after the dust storm settles.

 

[CyclistMT]

So it seems like the OP has given us some great tips and is also offering advice. I would appreciate some input on my new 500g 8'x4' build. Below are my current thoughts after this reading this thread with citations. The first two mock-ups include the 5::3 guides from all three perspectives. Thoughts?

Lav, I know how tricky it can be to aquascape for two viewing positions as I did that with my last tank. I think you've done a great job striking a balance between the two viewing windows.

If it were me (and feel free to disagree, it is your tank after all ), I would make the following really small tweaks to create greater visual interest.




I would make the back left pile go all the way up to the top giving the illusion of a reef wall thus making the rest of your aquascape look like small bommies on the ocean floor. I would put the front left pile in to see what it looks like but be open to leaving it out entirely. It may end up making things feel cluttered.

I would chop the top off the front left bommie and leave it very short. That would provide a nice step down effect flow from the back to the front in both viewing directions.

Good luck!







Current music selection: Tesla - Love Song

 

[greg1786]

March 2006

aquascape tip: stack your rock so it can NEVER topple. Large rock is preferable to small rock. Work with the largest pieces of good quality LR that you can find. NO EGGCRATE ON THE BOTTOM!

is that an emperor? how big is it? that may be the mos beautiful angel fish ive ever seen

 

[greg1786]

could someone give me some help with my aquascape?? does this look good or maybe somebody could make some suggestions? i wanna get about 25 more pounds and id like to get it perfect while my corals are still small so they can grow out and look great!! heres what i have now....
FTS

left side its a stack of 6 small round rocks and the top piece is about 10 inches wide with a nice cave like curve to it, definitely my favorite piece i have

right side, it consists of about 15 or more pieces all ranging in size from small to medium

and a few closeups of where my corals are placed in the current setup
left

right side i broke into three shots, a full shot closeup

........and a left half of right rockscape

and right half of right aquascape

i know im probably asking alot and sorry for all the photos i just wanted to try and illustrate my rockwork as best as i could for you guys. I value your guys input and experience very much which is why i always come to rc for advice. The tank is a 4 ft standard 55 gallon so the front to back depth makes it a little hard to work with. I have had this system going for a year and a half and after about 15 different attempts:headwally: this is my favorite set up, however im just not quite fully happy with it. I have good flow with this set up which was hard to achieve with the tank dimensions but i am very willing to re work the powerheads once i get the aquascape down. I think my end result i would like to stick with the two seperate "islands" or "rock piles" and id like the left side to be a little smaller than the right. I also want both formations to go all the way to the top of the tank and slope from highest point in the back corners to the lowest point in the front towards the center of the tank. I like the idea of having a good size "runway" of open space to run between the two islands from the front glass to the back glass on a 45 degree angle and the space being about 10 inches wide. Let me know what you guys think and be gentle if possible lol. Thanks in advance greg

 

[Veganbrian]

Ok, I made a diagram to help you out.

Green is the grid (doesnt have to be exact but close enough)
Red is where the rocks need to be moved
and yellow is where the elevation of rocks need to hit

Left structure should be moved to the right to the red vertical line. arrows showing the left side needs to be towards the front and the right needs to go towards the back.

Yellow lines show where you have to add rock to make it look more correct.

Another suggestion i have is to do something about the blue background with your tank. Good luck and post pictures afterwards please.

 

[Jeff000]

Ok, I made a diagram to help you out.

Green is the grid (doesnt have to be exact but close enough)
Red is where the rocks need to be moved
and yellow is where the elevation of rocks need to hit

Left structure should be moved to the right to the red vertical line. arrows showing the left side needs to be towards the front and the right needs to go towards the back.

Yellow lines show where you have to add rock to make it look more correct.

Another suggestion i have is to do something about the blue background with your tank. Good luck and post pictures afterwards please.

I agree on all points.
The background is distracting at best. I know lots of people like letting coraline grow on the back glass. But you give the sense of depth if you keep all the glass spotless.
I'm also not one for black sand. Makes the tank feel smaller.

 

[greg1786]

Ok, I made a diagram to help you out.

Green is the grid (doesnt have to be exact but close enough)
Red is where the rocks need to be moved
and yellow is where the elevation of rocks need to hit

IMAGE#1

Left structure should be moved to the right to the red vertical line. arrows showing the left side needs to be towards the front and the right needs to go towards the back.

Yellow lines show where you have to add rock to make it look more correct.

Another suggestion i have is to do something about the blue background with your tank. Good luck and post pictures afterwards please.

Thank you so much for the diagram. Its is perfect ! I know I need more rock to get where I need to be but even if I had enough I don't think I would have gotten it quite right without that diagram. I am going to grab some lr from my lfs and order some dry rock from brs in the next few days. once it comes and I cure it ill make the new aquascape. do you think I should move what I have now according to your grid and then build on to it when the new rock is ready or just wait and do it all at once? Also the blue background is hideous I know!! After I got it on the tank, which took about 25 minutes to get it perfect, I spilled some water behind it and that's why it looks like that withthe bubbles. I've tried to fix it but cant get it right. Would I be better served to just paint the back of the tank or is there a better way to attach a background than with just double sided tape? again thanks so much for the help!!


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[greg1786]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veganbrian

Ok, I made a diagram to help you out.

Green is the grid (doesnt have to be exact but close enough)
Red is where the rocks need to be moved
and yellow is where the elevation of rocks need to hit

IMAGE#1

Left structure should be moved to the right to the red vertical line. arrows showing the left side needs to be towards the front and the right needs to go towards the back.

Yellow lines show where you have to add rock to make it look more correct.

Another suggestion i have is to do something about the blue background with your tank. Good luck and post pictures afterwards please.

I agree on all points.
The background is distracting at best. I know lots of people like letting coraline grow on the back glass. But you give the sense of depth if you keep all the glass spotless.
I'm also not one for black sand. Makes the tank feel smaller.

I appreciate your input , however I am quite fond of my black sand. Almost all reef tanks I see have white sand so I like having something a little different. Also I am colorblind and the black sand helps to make other colors stand out for me ;-). I actually was however thinking about switching it out for white sand about a month ago because I don't like the fact that i cant get very fine black live sand. My girlfriend quickly and firmly objected as she likes the black sand more than I do and she's the boss Haha. Not to mention it makes things go smoother when I'm dropping a bunch of money and time into the aquarium all the time if I get things that keep her interested lol.


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[greg1786]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Veganbrian

Ok, I made a diagram to help you out.

Green is the grid (doesnt have to be exact but close enough)
Red is where the rocks need to be moved
and yellow is where the elevation of rocks need to hit

IMAGE#1

Left structure should be moved to the right to the red vertical line. arrows showing the left side needs to be towards the front and the right needs to go towards the back.

Yellow lines show where you have to add rock to make it look more correct.

Another suggestion i have is to do something about the blue background with your tank. Good luck and post pictures afterwards please.

I agree on all points.
The background is distracting at best. I know lots of people like letting coraline grow on the back glass. But you give the sense of depth if you keep all the glass spotless.
I'm also not one for black sand. Makes the tank feel smaller.

I appreciate your input , however I am quite fond of my black sand. Almost all reef tanks I see have white sand so I like having something a little different. Also I am colorblind and the black sand helps to make other colors stand out for me ;-). I actually was however thinking about switching it out for white sand about a month ago because I don't like the fact that i cant get very fine black live sand. My girlfriend quickly and firmly objected as she likes the black sand more than I do and she's the boss Haha. Not to mention it makes things go smoother when I'm dropping a bunch of money and time into the aquarium all the time if I get things that keep her interested lol.


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[Jeff000]

Would I be better served to just paint the back of the tank or is there a better way to attach a background than with just double sided tape? again thanks so much for the help!!

Vinyl, can get it in many colors and sticks right on. Although needs a good amount of room behind the tank to apply.

 

[greg1786]

Quote:

Originally Posted by greg1786

Would I be better served to just paint the back of the tank or is there a better way to attach a background than with just double sided tape? again thanks so much for the help!!

Vinyl, can get it in many colors and sticks right on. Although needs a good amount of room behind the tank to apply.

thanks Jeff ! I have about 18 inches between the wall and back of my aquarium. where would I be able to buy vinyl for my tank? is it a certain type made for aquariums or can I just get vinyl laminate from hd or lowes


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[Ted_C]

Here's my scape in my newly set-up 120 - a case of too much rock (maybe 80 #'s of BRS Pukani) on self made pvc rock lifts

 

[marspeed]

greg

where would I be able to buy vinyl for my tank?

a sign store should be willing to sell you what you need it's used for sign lettering

 

[Lavoisier]

Lav, I know how tricky it can be to aquascape for two viewing positions as I did that with my last tank. I think you've done a great job striking a balance between the two viewing windows.

If it were me (and feel free to disagree, it is your tank after all ), I would make the following really small tweaks to create greater visual interest.




I would make the back left pile go all the way up to the top giving the illusion of a reef wall thus making the rest of your aquascape look like small bommies on the ocean floor. I would put the front left pile in to see what it looks like but be open to leaving it out entirely. It may end up making things feel cluttered.

I would chop the top off the front left bommie and leave it very short. That would provide a nice step down effect flow from the back to the front in both viewing directions.

Good luck!

Thanks, Cyclist for the input. I do want to avoid "too much" and your suggestions are excellent because I can always add rock. Here is my rough mock up of what you might be suggesting:

 

[woodnaquanut]

Started my aquascaping yesterday, and here is what I have so far. Let me know what you guys think so far. I really like the center tall piece, and it actually has multiple ledges for coral placement that is hard to see in the pictures.

With such a tall center piece what are your plans for the upper tip? Seems like you couldn't put much up there without it either getting fried or reaching the surface.

I think one of the most difficult parts of any kind of design is imaging how it will look when grown out. If it looks anywhere near full at the beginning it will be overgrown very quickly.