Tips and Tricks on Creating Amazing Aquascapes

[meegwell]

@meegwell....your observation is spot on.
Yellow corals mainly non-photosynthetic and also yellow coloured SPS are kinda tricky to maintain. Yellow coloured SPS though abundant in nature they are known to morph into a different colour under captive conditions.
Iv seen some expert reefers keep em yellow but it's not common.

solution: yellow fish! no wonder those yellow tangs stand out so much!

 

[MikeTR]

Before reading this thread:

After reading this thread:

Let column will be reduced in height and thickened up towards the back. I just piled up the rock to get out of the way. I tried hanging a black background but cannot get it to stay on. Any tips?

 

[nbgen12]

Haha that is an awesome before/after....i keep debating about tearing mine up and starting a fresh scape

Sent from my MB865 using Tapatalk 2

 

[Veganbrian]

Before reading this thread:

After reading this thread:

Let column will be reduced in height and thickened up towards the back. I just piled up the rock to get out of the way. I tried hanging a black background but cannot get it to stay on. Any tips?

Night and day difference! Love it. Very glad this has helped you and keep up the great work! Corals and fish color and placement is your next big task


When it comes to the yellow coral comment, i say this:

When you look at some corals, some people call them green, some people say yellow. Its just one of those greenish tinted yellows. I have lots of yellow skirted and centered Zoas theres yellow ricordea that i use. Theres yellow morphs of hammer corals, yellow tipped euphillia, and i have a kryptinite candy cane that i would say is a bright yellow more then green. Theres chalices with lots of yellows. Fish is another option as mentioned if you dont want any of those corals. Yellow tangs is the best example, for small tanks a yellow clown goby. Theres also yellow macro algae. Good luck, and its best to look at the corals in person to determine how yellow they will be. Photos online are often photoshopped.

 

[byronjbacon]

Thanks for this, very helpful and insightful.

 

[Reef_Noob]

Guys n Gals,
I want your opinion:

I really like this piece of live rock il call it the "bang bang" rock :lol2:

Now...could ya give me some suggestions to where I can incorporate the above piece of live rock to my existing scape (as shown below....)

Any suggestions/ideas :idea: ?

 

[KafudaFish]

Left side in the front.

It would complete the curve like a backwards S if that makes any sense.

That rockwork looks great btw.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

How does mine look? It's a new tank so I don't have much growth yet. Ignore the picture in the background. I haven't found a place to move it to yet. The power head on the left is going to be replaced with an MP40 this weekend, provided the wife doesn't kill me for buying another one. The picture quality is terrible because my iPhone camera has issues with the blue lights.

 

[jbfloor]

@Spyderturbo007
I would suggest taking the rock on the left and turning it upside down. That more closely matches the natural growth pattern. You may need some PVC or cement to make it stable so it does not topple over.

 

[Spyderturbo007]

Humm....That would be a cool idea, but I'm not sure how I would get it to stay. The top has a very small footprint and the logistics of getting it to stay elude me.

 

[jbfloor]

You can try something like this:

<img src="http://cdn.manhattanreefs.com/forum/images/magazine/2012-2/Whitby-ArticleImages/Whitby02.jpg" id="il_fi" height="533" width="399" style="padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; ">

Then either drill a hole through the rock or use cable ties. If your tank can only be viewed from the front, the cable tie method may be easier. It is how I did both pillars in my tank.

 

[Lavoisier]

Very nice! I also thought those three articles were helpful.

I had planned on a "foam" or concrete rock wall on the back and one side of my new 8'x4'x30" build but after reading this thread I have decided against that.

My question to you all is how will I keep the back and side clean? The build is glass/plywood sealed with Blue Max Liquid Rubber. I find the blue rubber color quite pleasing but have no idea how to keep clean. Thoughts?

 

[Spyderturbo007]

You can try something like this:

<img src="http://cdn.manhattanreefs.com/forum/images/magazine/2012-2/Whitby-ArticleImages/Whitby02.jpg" id="il_fi" height="533" width="399" style="padding-right: 8px; padding-top: 8px; padding-bottom: 8px; ">

Then either drill a hole through the rock or use cable ties. If your tank can only be viewed from the front, the cable tie method may be easier. It is how I did both pillars in my tank.

I have egg crate under my sand, so I think with the PVC it would stick up out of the sand. I'm also concerned that I might cause issues if I disrupt the sand bed because of having to move it out of the way to get the PVC buried.

I have a black background on my tank so I'm wondering if you would be able to see the reflection of the PVC off the back glass.

 

[Bernie21]

Guys n Gals,
I want your opinion:

I really like this piece of live rock il call it the "bang bang" rock :lol2:

Now...could ya give me some suggestions to where I can incorporate the above piece of live rock to my existing scape (as shown below....)

Any suggestions/ideas :idea: ?

Like an arch or upside down 'L' from the center rock to the front w one end leaning on the center rock and the other end on the sand bed. Maybe at an angle towards the right side a little. I feel like itll add a little more off center (from back to front depth) between the 3 islands. Nice Piece though.

 

[Curious George]

Please don't take offense, but I'd probably break it into 3 pieces that I could incorporate into the design. That's a tough shape to use.

Like the tank. That's great!

 

[jbfloor]

I have egg crate under my sand, so I think with the PVC it would stick up out of the sand. I'm also concerned that I might cause issues if I disrupt the sand bed because of having to move it out of the way to get the PVC buried.

I have a black background on my tank so I'm wondering if you would be able to see the reflection of the PVC off the back glass.

I used 1/2" PVC and my sandbed is 3" deep, so it was no problem for me. You could also put a couple of small rocks at the bottom to block the view of the pvc.

I checked for reflection and I don't see any in my tank. Besides, in a couple of months the PVC will be covered in coralline and will blend in perfectly.

 

[swcc]

Guys n Gals,
I want your opinion:

I really like this piece of live rock il call it the "bang bang" rock :lol2:

Now...could ya give me some suggestions to where I can incorporate the above piece of live rock to my existing scape (as shown below....)

Any suggestions/ideas :idea: ?

I would not even use it...your rock work is just right as is.

 

[laugh]

Honestly, you need to move the center structure off center. Maybe even combine it with the one on the left and move the one on the right to the left just a few inches and put the new piece with it.

 

[Reef_Noob]

Left side in the front.

It would complete the curve like a backwards S if that makes any sense.

That rockwork looks great btw.

Thanks a lot for the kind words of compliment and the suggestion

 

[Reef_Noob]

Like an arch or upside down 'L' from the center rock to the front w one end leaning on the center rock and the other end on the sand bed. Maybe at an angle towards the right side a little. I feel like itll add a little more off center (from back to front depth) between the 3 islands. Nice Piece though.

Thanks a lot for the idea. I do like the idea of making an arch.