Tips and Tricks on Creating Amazing Aquascapes

[goreef170]

Here is my attempt keeping note of proportions, symmetry, and open space for fish and coral growth.

Very nice !! Looks very clean.....

 

[odietel]

My rock work so far , just need to rework the right side and open up the island a little . Just opened up the left and middle using a lot of epoxy and a new piece of dry rock and 70 pounds of live. What do you think ?

 

[Jeff000]

I'm really not creative enough to make my rockwork look good.
It looks very bland, like a couple piles of rock right now.

Can someone please help, I can add more rock, move it around, or whatever. Although I do like lots of hiding spots for my fish

 

[iCraigerz]

Here is my attempt keeping note of proportions, symmetry, and open space for fish and coral growth.

I'm into it! Lots of negative space. This is kind of the look I'm going for in my 165 I'm about to set up.

 

[odietel]

This is my 300 , just opened up the left and center with a piece of dry rock and about 70 pounds of new live rock . Will be finishing up the right side in a couple of weeks . What do you think ?

 

[Johnnycat]

I'm so glad I found this thread. I'm about to start a new tank and I had no direction. My plan was to buy a lot of dry rock and throw it in, hoping for the best.

I'm still not sure how it will end up, but at least now I have some general ideas to start.

Thank you, everyone, for sharing some pics.

 

[ljr]

Though I would post an update after cycling and fish... just starting to add coral...

I am not overly thrilled, but I am getting close, the tank is 60Lx26Dx30H.

 

[Heelfiend]

Finally got my rock in the tank, I think I am pretty happy with the aquascape. I know the pic is horrible, it was taken from my iPhone. What do y'all think?

 

[echoreef]

Finally got my rock in the tank, I think I am pretty happy with the aquascape. I know the pic is horrible, it was taken from my iPhone. What do y'all think?

I like this. It conveys the message of the original post very well.

 

[Heelfiend]

Thank you! Hard to see in this photo but there is an arch that ends on the far right rock pictured in the tank which goes up to the center section. I may try to take real pics with my actual camera later.

 

[WareSan]

my 3' x 3' x 2', 135 gallon cube. Original scape. Only ended up using 2 of the rock structures.

A few years later...you'll have to excuse the mess on the bottom. Has since been removed.

you just sold me on the Razor.

 

[kevan]

I'm really not creative enough to make my rockwork look good.
It looks very bland, like a couple piles of rock right now.

Can someone please help, I can add more rock, move it around, or whatever. Although I do like lots of hiding spots for my fish

this looks good to me add a few corals and it will realy come together

 

[goreef170]

Just upgraded to a 250 gallon. Here is what I came up with. Plenty of room for the fish, and lots of area for SPS and lower light corals..

 

[ReneeF]

Request for this to be a sticky

 

[jdamon]

This thread is amazing! Thanks Veganbrian and to all who contributed!

My first draft with the current 150 build... Would like to maybe make the right island a little taller?

 

[aleithol]

Jeff, I'm really liking the angled shelves. Agree though if you could gain a bit of height on the right, it may be that much better, but keep that large rounder rock on the top -- love it too!

 

[3dees]

my 120 gal. started as a fowlr. started adding softies last month. so far all is good.

 

[justinky]

My mixed 82G reef that has been up for a week, will be mainly softies soon as I just upgraded from a tank I had up for 2 months and I will be replacing/adding some new stuff soon. The pastel goniopora was moved further to the left to keep the space under the bridge open after this shot was taken.

I've only been in the saltwater hobby a little over two months now and this is my first aquarium since I was a kid, hope you like it!

 

[Fishyoga]

I've read a lot of the posts here in RC, as well as searching resources on the internet, but it left me with a couple of questions....
1) Anyone here have experience in shaping the rock? What tools could you use other than a hammer?
2) Have you shaped, or have you seen shaped, rock to look like specific structures?

I have a project in mind (no i'm not gonna say just yet, y'all gonna laugh at me), figure I'll take the next couple years to really spend some time on it and make it look good.

 

[aleithol]

I've read a lot of the posts here in RC, as well as searching resources on the internet, but it left me with a couple of questions....
1) Anyone here have experience in shaping the rock? What tools could you use other than a hammer?
2) Have you shaped, or have you seen shaped, rock to look like specific structures?

I have a project in mind (no i'm not gonna say just yet, y'all gonna laugh at me), figure I'll take the next couple years to really spend some time on it and make it look good.

I'm not a sculptor if that's what you intend, but I used a masonry chisel, hammer, and eye protection to enlarge holes in my Fiji and Tonga rock, as well as to help make several of the base pieces more stable and remove a couple otherwise unnecessarily sharp edges. The effect was simply to make what was already natural a little more to my liking -- nothing fancy.

FWIW, I did not have good luck using a variety of drill bits intended for masonry/rock, going fast, slow, with and without pressure, and with and without water. Nearly all my attempts resulted in fractured rocks, or not making a dent in them. My feeling is the Fiji (that I have) is too hard compared to some of the other rocks (US quarried) that others use where you see skyscraper/tower effects, acrylic rods for stability, etc. I used epoxy to put a few pieces together to come up with my own creations, or to hopefully help with future stability while keeping things manageable and reasonably sized should reorganization or removal be needed one day.