Aquascaping difficulties

Jeffy Jr · 06/16/2010, 01:02 PM

Hey everybody new to the forum and the hobby. Looking to get some insight on aquascaping as it turns out to be more difficult than I once imagined. Plus, I had everything laid out on the floor like I wanted but replicating that in the tank was another issue.

The tank is 75 gallons with 75lbs of rock from BRS. I'm not sure at this point how I should continue. I'm not totally unsatisfied although I'm not sure if I will be happy with it later. Considered breaking up some of the larger pieces (which I was not expecting to receive pieces as large as I did, not complaining just caught me by surprise) although I'm afraid to do that as you never know how they will break.

Any input, negative or positive, would be appreciated. Also, I apologize for the crappy pics, going to try and get some better ones with a different camera later on.

Thanks!

eho72 · 06/16/2010, 01:04 PM

Try not to do the wall look. Have some peaks and valleys.

mdb_talon · 06/16/2010, 01:06 PM

Personally I would seperate the rock into a couple of different mountains and add more depth from front to back in some sections and none in others.

Jeffy Jr · 06/16/2010, 01:37 PM

Thank you for the opinions. I originally wanted two islands with a passageway in the middle with a cave on the right side with the front facing the right side. But I also want to incorporate the 'holes' in the rock so smaller fish, snails, etc could go through.

I think I need to get away from trying to use all the rock initially and then I can always break the other pieces down some to build it up a little more. As stated before though, just concerned that I will be unhappy with the pieces when I break them apart as there is no guarantee as to what kind of shape or sizes you will get.

GhostCon1 · 06/16/2010, 01:42 PM

If you carefully chisel it, you may get lucky.

Jeffy Jr · 06/16/2010, 01:51 PM

Guess I'm going to try and chisel out some 'arch' pieces to eliminate the large rock/chunk pieces and go from there.

Thanks guys!

DZs · 06/16/2010, 01:59 PM

Do you like pillars? If so, you could stack a few of them on top off each other.

I too was/is dealing with large pieces. 8"+ plus. I agree... aquascaping is difficult. (I like the right side, but the left side was bugging me) I just redid mine last night with helpful insights from a fellow reefer on this board.

Husky_1 · 06/16/2010, 02:31 PM

You can always create arch pieces as well. If you use some aquarium putty and epoxy they can come out quite nice.

Here are some examples of structures I made from the different angles

Here were some of my inspirations, I dont know the original source of these photo's so I apologize in advanced:

DZs · 06/16/2010, 03:42 PM

Beautiful pictures of those tanks!

Jeffy Jr · 06/16/2010, 06:59 PM

Alright so I have one large rock I'm still looking to split up although I am MUCH happier with the setup. I know some like fewer rocks and some like the tower/pillar setup, although, I happen to like cave/'swim-through' areas. I plan on making one side taller once I split the rock also.

Again, sorry for the pics (charging a better camera as we speak).

LMK what y'all think.

Jeffy Jr · 06/16/2010, 07:59 PM

Alright so I through a small light on just to cast shadows and light the tank up some. Apparently I need to work a good bit at taking pictures of the aquarium...lol. Anyhow here are the most up-to-date pics I have right now.

Better? Worse?

Left | Middle | Right

Jeffy Jr · 06/16/2010, 08:00 PM

Here is the total shot of the tank.

firereef · 06/16/2010, 08:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jeffy Jr

Alright so I have one large rock I'm still looking to split up although I am MUCH happier with the setup. I know some like fewer rocks and some like the tower/pillar setup, although, I happen to like cave/'swim-through' areas. I plan on making one side taller once I split the rock also.

Again, sorry for the pics (charging a better camera as we speak).

LMK what y'all think.

Honestly my friend, don't try too hard to aquascape. Trying to hard makes it look too forced. Use your imagination and let it come naturally. Try different looks and choose which looks more natural. The ocean reef isn't put together so be creative

hope this helps. It did for me.

euromomtx · 06/16/2010, 08:31 PM

How about making some structure taller and some not quite as tall.
The dry rock is pretty easy to work with. The Reef Saver stuff is fairly dense and won't split into too many tiny pieces if you hit it with a hammer and chisel.
Very easy to drill.
The Pukani is more porous and it takes a little more care to drill or break it.
I have enjoyed working with nylon rods and nuts to create something I liked.
Now I just have to figure out how to get it into my tank without dropping it and cracking the tank! lol

happyclam · 06/16/2010, 10:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by firereef

Honestly my friend, don't try too hard to aquascape. Trying to hard makes it look too forced. Use your imagination and let it come naturally. Try different looks and choose which looks more natural. The ocean reef isn't put together so be creative

hope this helps. It did for me.

+1. Besides that, once you get all the corals in you won't be able to see any of the original rockscape.

love the scape euromomtx! I hope you set up a build thread.

Husky_1 · 06/17/2010, 03:06 PM

Here is what I did, I laid all my rocks on the floor, and gave my wife and idea of what I would like to see. Then we both worked in building the basic structures. It literally took us 5 minutes to come up with a design. Of course then it took some time to attach all the rocks together, which was my job.

Doing everything on the floor is much easier than in the tank.

As for your current design, here are my suggestions:
- You are getting closer, I really
- For me, there are still too many places for fish to hide
- Think about keep the rock height the same as you have now, but instead of all caves add a couple valley's/canyons
- Do everything in 3's, or at least odd numbers.
- Make sure that whatever structures you make will withstand a lot of movement, you will hit things around when cleaning and sand will shift.
- Think about what you want the corals to look like when they grow in, how big they will be, and how the rocks will interfer by having basically a shelf with caves.
- Most of all, dont worry about what others say, if you love the way it looks, then by all means keep it that way.

Jorsan · 06/17/2010, 05:58 PM

Euromomtx, a curiosity: how many pounds do you have inside the tank in the photo?

Saltyllama · 06/17/2010, 06:38 PM

Honestly bro, you will change your rocks at least 10 more times before you are done. The only time I stopped moving rocks is when they were too covered in coral to do anything with.

Tank looks good. I personally would leave it how you have it, then get some live rock and add the mountain peaks where you want them. That way you can keep your caves and then add higher peaks for coral that demands more light.

Good luck!

06/16/2010, 01:42 PM	#5
GhostCon1 Rebmem Deretsiger Join Date: May 2010 Location: Georgia Posts: 1,590	If you carefully chisel it, you may get lucky. __________________ In the works Current Tank Info: Getting a big'un

06/16/2010, 08:31 PM	#14
euromomtx Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Texas Posts: 742 Blog Entries: 3	How about making some structure taller and some not quite as tall. The dry rock is pretty easy to work with. The Reef Saver stuff is fairly dense and won't split into too many tiny pieces if you hit it with a hammer and chisel. Very easy to drill. The Pukani is more porous and it takes a little more care to drill or break it. I have enjoyed working with nylon rods and nuts to create something I liked. Now I just have to figure out how to get it into my tank without dropping it and cracking the tank! lol __________________ Karin Current Tank Info: 215g Caribbean Inspired Reef with Shadowbox

06/17/2010, 03:06 PM	#16
Husky_1 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: South FL Posts: 1,541	Here is what I did, I laid all my rocks on the floor, and gave my wife and idea of what I would like to see. Then we both worked in building the basic structures. It literally took us 5 minutes to come up with a design. Of course then it took some time to attach all the rocks together, which was my job. Doing everything on the floor is much easier than in the tank. As for your current design, here are my suggestions: - You are getting closer, I really - For me, there are still too many places for fish to hide - Think about keep the rock height the same as you have now, but instead of all caves add a couple valley's/canyons - Do everything in 3's, or at least odd numbers. - Make sure that whatever structures you make will withstand a lot of movement, you will hit things around when cleaning and sand will shift. - Think about what you want the corals to look like when they grow in, how big they will be, and how the rocks will interfer by having basically a shelf with caves. - Most of all, dont worry about what others say, if you love the way it looks, then by all means keep it that way. Last edited by Husky_1; 06/17/2010 at 03:13 PM.

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06/16/2010, 01:04 PM	#2
eho72 Registered Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: San Diego Posts: 322	Try not to do the wall look. Have some peaks and valleys.

06/16/2010, 01:06 PM	#3
mdb_talon Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2009 Posts: 94	Personally I would seperate the rock into a couple of different mountains and add more depth from front to back in some sections and none in others.

06/16/2010, 01:37 PM	#4
Jeffy Jr Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 21	Thank you for the opinions. I originally wanted two islands with a passageway in the middle with a cave on the right side with the front facing the right side. But I also want to incorporate the 'holes' in the rock so smaller fish, snails, etc could go through. I think I need to get away from trying to use all the rock initially and then I can always break the other pieces down some to build it up a little more. As stated before though, just concerned that I will be unhappy with the pieces when I break them apart as there is no guarantee as to what kind of shape or sizes you will get.

06/16/2010, 01:51 PM	#6
Jeffy Jr Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 21	Guess I'm going to try and chisel out some 'arch' pieces to eliminate the large rock/chunk pieces and go from there. Thanks guys!

06/16/2010, 01:59 PM	#7
DZs Sunny D's Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: CA Posts: 642	Do you like pillars? If so, you could stack a few of them on top off each other. I too was/is dealing with large pieces. 8"+ plus. I agree... aquascaping is difficult. (I like the right side, but the left side was bugging me) I just redid mine last night with helpful insights from a fellow reefer on this board.

06/16/2010, 02:31 PM	#8
Husky_1 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: South FL Posts: 1,541	You can always create arch pieces as well. If you use some aquarium putty and epoxy they can come out quite nice. Here are some examples of structures I made from the different angles Here were some of my inspirations, I dont know the original source of these photo's so I apologize in advanced:

06/16/2010, 03:42 PM	#9
DZs Sunny D's Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: CA Posts: 642	Beautiful pictures of those tanks!

06/17/2010, 05:58 PM	#17
Jorsan Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2001 Location: Florida Posts: 427	Euromomtx, a curiosity: how many pounds do you have inside the tank in the photo?

06/17/2010, 06:38 PM	#18
Saltyllama Registered Member Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 283	Honestly bro, you will change your rocks at least 10 more times before you are done. The only time I stopped moving rocks is when they were too covered in coral to do anything with. Tank looks good. I personally would leave it how you have it, then get some live rock and add the mountain peaks where you want them. That way you can keep your caves and then add higher peaks for coral that demands more light. Good luck!