Your Best Aquascapes

[Atomikk]

I am in pre-stages of a massive haul-over of my show tank. I really want to change the current look and feel of the way the corals are displayed and they way they are growing.

So I want this thread to inspire me to create something amazing. I want your tank to be my muse.

So without anymore words from me, please show me your BEST aquascape. If you can, show me your pictures of the rockwork before the corals had gone in.

 

[Canadian]

This is the best I have. It's been done before and it's been done better by others. But it's the best aquascape I've done in my own tank.

 

[Reefer577]

This tank was very challenging to aquascape because it was a peninsula and I could only rest the rock against one side, where the overflow was located. It also had plumbing from a return that we decided to cap off and I had to do my best to hide it. What a pita. lol

I prefer to use tonga base rock underneath the main rocks so that very little live rock is actually touching the sand bed and impeding filtration. You have to work harder to create a stabile base, but it is the way I was taught to do aqua-scaping and it is better for your sandbed.
I have used Haitian lettuce rock on several tanks and I prefer it. It is lighter and cheaper and usually has very nice shape. I do not like using tonga branch or boulders for visible aqua-scaping as it is hard to place corals in/on it. If you have a lot of corals then its best to get live rock with a lot of holes/ledges. Some flat pieces are good to mix in.

Always less is more, so many people fill their tanks with live rock because they don't want their tank to look empty. Best to be patient and leave room for corals to fill in those spaces. Or get some photosynthetic gorgonians or macro algae as space fillers.

Creating caves and open spaces for fish to swim in and out of is also important. I try to aqua-scape with the tank inhabitants in mind and give them plenty of areas to explore, sleep, and hide. The last thing you want is bored fish constantly swimming circles in your tank.

If you get stumped while doing the aquascaping and can't get things to come together right, take a break for awhile and go at it from a fresh perspective. A lot of people lose patience and then end up with a pile of rocks in their tank. ;]

 

[kellen]

looking good Andrew ! I tried to do something similar with the pilar look by drilling my live rock and using acrylic rods. The depth of my tank limited my structure

 

[64Ivy]

Sorry for the washed out pics but you get the idea. After some logistical problems with my previous tank, I opted to go low this time; four separate 'islands' with none higher than the middle of the tank. Great for growing room, swimming room, and flow.

Two years later. The tank is still young but beginning to come into its own. A bit crowded because of my over zealousness in regards to stocking, but it'll be awhile before I'm forced to frag due to hitting the surface this time.

 

[E.intheC]

Check out the minimalist aquascaping thread . Lots of awe inspiring tanks there.

 

[Atomikk]

Check out the minimalist aquascaping thread . Lots of awe inspiring tanks there.

Sorry for the washed out pics but you get the idea. After some logistical problems with my previous tank, I opted to go low this time; four separate 'islands' with none higher than the middle of the tank. Great for growing room, swimming room, and flow.

Two years later. The tank is still young but beginning to come into its own. A bit crowded because of my over zealousness in regards to stocking, but it'll be awhile before I'm forced to frag due to hitting the surface this time.

This is the best I have. It's been done before and it's been done better by others. But it's the best aquascape I've done in my own tank.

Thanks guys. E.intheC, I know I can check out the thread, but I am not looking for minimalist tanks Looking good 64Ivy. Did you lose anthias as you went along, as I only see a few left.

Again, thanks guys. Keep them coming.

 

[herostar]

Here are a couple pictures from my 58g before I moved and tore it down... First one is from when it was initially set up, second one is about 12 months later.

 

[Denadai]

This is not the best, but different

My nano ( before and after ):

 

[sfsuphysics]

Tank is 4 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet tall, so I'm allowed a little more latitude with what I CAN do. I also used existing rocks that already had corals growing on them, so I was a tad limited to design. But looking at the first shot and the progression through time, your initial rock work could look radically different later simply due to coral growth. Note: rocks were not moved, and very few corals were added (if they were frags at best)


Nov 2009

Feb 2009 (sorry not a FTS)

Aug 2009

Oct 2009

Apr 20 2009

 

[64Ivy]

Looking good 64Ivy. Did you lose anthias as you went along, as I only see a few left.

Actually, there are more. Plenty of dashholes and hiding places are scattered throughout the rockwork. I guess they felt more comfortable in using them.

 

[rutz81]

 

[Leonardo_]

Very nice Rutz!

Leonardo

 

[rutz81]

Very nice Rutz!

Leonardo

Thanks, maybe in a year or two I'll update this thread with my after pic:spin2:

 

[JMalone81]

Sorry for the washed out pics but you get the idea. After some logistical problems with my previous tank, I opted to go low this time; four separate 'islands' with none higher than the middle of the tank. Great for growing room, swimming room, and flow.

Two years later. The tank is still young but beginning to come into its own. A bit crowded because of my over zealousness in regards to stocking, but it'll be awhile before I'm forced to frag due to hitting the surface this time.

Looks awsome

 

[Constantne]

Before I added any coral

 

[SaraB]

Check out the minimalist aquascaping thread . Lots of awe inspiring tanks there.

Where is this thread located? Can you post a link?

 

[Leonardo_]

Where is this thread located? Can you post a link?

Here you go

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1658490

Leonardo

 

[SaraB]

Here you go

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1658490

Leonardo

Thank you Leonardo!

 

[username in use]

This was a couple months ago now, some things have filled in a little more. It is tough from the front to see the depth in the photo, Ill try and get a side shot for you tonight, but it has a lot of front to back stuff going on.

The main rock structure is a "U" side to side with a ric garden and clam in the middle of the "U". All the stinging stuff is off to the right/middle and the sps is kept on the left.