Why does my tank look so blah...pics - Page 2

clord · 02/08/2006, 06:28 PM

I used purple up on my tank and its pretty well covered in coraline in 3 months.

fareforce · 02/08/2006, 09:00 PM

To give you some ideas. Here are various pics of my tank after re-doing my rock.. over, and over, and over..... I am sure I am not the only one here that has done this either. It just takes time (ALOT of time) to get it how you will like it. But you do need to add some color!

Tank at first:

Tank later:

Next attempt:

Tank now:

dhnguyen · 02/08/2006, 09:20 PM

Just have fun with your aquascaping. IMO no need to add any additives for coralline growth as long as you keep your calcium and alk up where they should be.

Here's an aquascape idea for ya

But honestly though I think it's tyime for you to start populating the tank with some corals

it's dying for some.

Ti · 02/08/2006, 10:57 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by lfjewett
O'boy.. I hate critisizing others work expecially if they really like what they've done.. BUT you asked for it..

Your rocks really look like you droped them from the buck straight into the tank. Having the smaller rocks on the right discnnected from the main body completes the "dropped" look.

I actually like the way he did his rocks

EmergencyDpt · 02/08/2006, 10:57 PM

I think your aquascaping looks great. I like the small island. I think it will look great with a clam or two in the sand and mabe a small zoo colony. Put a RBTA in there somewhere. Go to your LFS and see what he has. After four months it's time, buddy. Get moving. In four months I already bought a larger tank...Good luck and keep on reefin.

3S1K · 02/08/2006, 11:07 PM

My tank still looks a tad plain and its been over a year.Coralline is really starting to grow which adds alot of color to the rocks.Aquascaping is such a pain and seems to like nice at first gets dull real quick.It takes time and patients and you will get it were you want it.

old salty · 02/08/2006, 11:19 PM

Here is my advice on aquascaping after making several attempts................get a woman!! I'm a guy, so naturally I'm left brained. I called a friend of mine over, and she gave me some pointers (she has NEVER seen a reef tank before!!) One shot, and my tank looks better than it ever has. It looks more like a reef and a whole lot less than a rock farm.

DaveAngie79 · 02/08/2006, 11:25 PM

add some corals and rearange the rock also try using purple up into the mix it does wonders for adding color to the rock

sunfishh · 02/09/2006, 08:46 AM

Fareforce and dhnguyen nice tanks

fambrough · 02/09/2006, 09:03 AM

I think your aqua scaping is fine (pictures never do justice). I would suggest, however, moving the larger rock structure toward the back of the tank so that the aquascape is not all in the same plane. You have the height variance already, now establish some variance of depth.

Also, while I can't speak for coraline boosting additives, I think you might seed your tank better by getting another, small and totally coraline encrusted rock and scrape it in the tank then just add it to your rock work.

Of course, at four months, if all your levels are where they should be, it's time to add some corals. That is going to help you alot.

Please post updated pictures down the road.
Cheers,
Ben

jallard · 02/16/2006, 07:59 AM

instead of window tint....go to a sign shop and ask to buy enough black vinyl to cover the back of the tank. Works great! That's what I have always done....and I also run a sign shop

serob · 02/16/2006, 08:10 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by dhnguyen
My first thought. What a waste of MH lighting when there's no corals

Time to go shopping bud

D.

If you have been running the MH the whole time, keep that in mind for the lifetime expectancy of the bulb. Would hate to see you get a lot of corals and in 3-6 months, wonder why all of a sudden they look...well, blah.

Good Luck,

Sean

RhodeIslandReef · 02/16/2006, 08:22 AM

Hairy Yuma Shrooms will definately give your tank some color for a reasonably low price. Some grow huge and spread really quickly.

To get the purple coraline algae growing faster, you might want to find a friend with a 3" LR that has plenty of purple on it. Wish I was close I would give you one. Using a knife, scrape the coraline off the rock into a cup of salt water. Then turn off all powerheads and use a turkey baster to suck up the now coraline water in the cup. Lightly spray it over your LR. Make sure you have your magnesium levels good in your tank along with Calcium and Alk on the high side.

cheesner · 02/16/2006, 10:30 AM

I am going in a different direction for you here.

I like your aquascaping. I would't change it. It is all personal preference - but I like it better than the single pile method.

I had the same issue with my tank when I first started. I added a couple peppermint shrimp, snails, and hermits. They all went to work cleaning the rock. Especially the pepps. They were reaching into every nook and cranny and pulling out all sorts of junk and debris. In just a few days, the rock was more bare and the coraline really started to take off. I was surprised at how much surface algea there was making the rock look dingy and uninteresting.

Give it a shot, and good luck.

davocean · 02/16/2006, 11:03 AM

Rock looks good, you just need some color via shrooms, corals.
Green chromis would be great.
Like fareforce said, your going to change things around from time to time to accomidate your new additions.
Just when I had my tank " perfect" my anemone moved behind the rocks and it was time to do it all over again.
I'm sure my neighbors think I'm mental.
And if you take old salty's advice on a woman, you better make sure she's reef safe!

JRPhd · 02/16/2006, 12:41 PM

Agreed, the pile on the left is pretty decent. Not a lot of openings, but I see lots of places where you can attach corals. The only thing I don't like on the right smaller pile is the vertically stacked rock. I also agree with adding tank backing.

At some point I can post a pic. of my tank, and although I am certainly no reef keeping savant, ppl. do say it looks very bright and busy. And, I don't have any corals yet. In fact, it's just the amount and types of coralline. Lots of colors from Marshall Island LR, including violet, dark purple, and deep maroon. So I guess I owe the beauty of my tank to the Marshall Islands...

zimmy1979 · 02/16/2006, 12:45 PM

I am proud of my tank and most people like how I aquascaped. I have room in the back and I have plenty of places to put corals I think (I am running out of sand room especially after the latest additions which you don't see in this picture):

mecold · 02/16/2006, 03:12 PM

Be careful bout adding rock as you may have too much rock after you start adding coral. Example is buying zoanthids which are almost always on a piece of lr. Lately I have been seeing zoo's on larger and larger pieces of rock, or on long pieces of branch rock. Believe me, it is always fun trying to find a spot to put your new zoos that won't deprive them of light and flow, while at the same time not destroying your aquascaping.

As far as coraline in concerned.. I can say that I used a two part from the time I started to cure my rock, and coraline never disappeared totally, and came back with a vengance. Now I use a calcium reactor, and the coraline receaded a little but is making a comeback.

serob · 02/16/2006, 11:32 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by serob
If you have been running the MH the whole time, keep that in mind for the lifetime expectancy of the bulb. Would hate to see you get a lot of corals and in 3-6 months, wonder why all of a sudden they look...well, blah.

Good Luck,

Sean

Have you been running the MH since you got the tank?

Dubbin1 · 02/17/2006, 12:06 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by lfjewett
O'boy.. I hate critisizing others work expecially if they really like what they've done.. BUT you asked for it..

Your rocks really look like you droped them from the buck straight into the tank. Having the smaller rocks on the right discnnected from the main body completes the "dropped" look. This is not a recent picture of my tank but I think it underscores "one" method of aquascaping.

IMO Kens looks MUCH better then yours. All he needs in there is some corals to help color things up a bit.

Ken, look for some xenia and and maybe a kenya tree leather. They will give the tank movement from the flow.

Fmellish · 02/17/2006, 12:12 AM

Ken, I think its fine. While structure is important, and for more reasons than just looks; you are in more need of color.

Get some corals or something. Or do what I do and cultivate algae on your glass!

nemo g · 02/17/2006, 12:23 AM

try getting some purple up and reducing the light until you need it

the coraline likes lower light and calcium

good luck

nemo g

serob · 02/17/2006, 09:55 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by nemo g
try getting some purple up and reducing the light until you need it

the coraline likes lower light and calcium

good luck

nemo g

The big thing with the light is the cost of bulb. If you burn you MH till they need replaced you are looking at "about" $55 or more a bulb. Do you know how many zoo and mushrooms you can get for $110, especially on RC? My thought has two parts. Each depends on your budget.

1. Shut off the MH and put on a NO(normal output) Flo. There are several great suggestion to get coraline to grow in this thread. Save money, look here for deals on corals. (Do you belong to a reef club near you or a forum on RC near you?)

2. Keep the MH on and start looking for deals on RC. I posted that I was looking for small stuff to fill my tank and one member, who was pruning his tank, gave me about $200 in corals for free. He needed to cut back and I needed corals.

Hmmmm..... Well, I just looked at those two points and see the same thing. Keep on RC and things will work out for you.

Post more pics when you get anything....... I have pics where I have to say," See the little green/pink thing on the top edge of that rock"....and they say no.

Best of luck,
Sean

ken123 · 02/17/2006, 11:43 AM

Thanks for all the great suggestions and comments!!!!

Been a few days since I read this thread. I will be ordering some green chromis soon and some zoas. There are plenty of holes on the large pile to the left that the cleaner shrimp love's to move through, you just can't see them in the pictures. This pile is up against the back of the tank so there is room up front. I am also going to try a blue background for a while. I have not been running the MH's since there's not much in the tank that needs them for now. I fire them up when people are over. I wanted an open area near the center and I think I may move some of the rock on the middle & right side around alittle bit. I like the one rock I have in the middle where it is. It has some nice fingers sticking straight up and some holes on the bottom that the hermits like hanging out in. I will post some pics after I make some changes and get the zoas. Everyone that posted pics, your tanks look good too. Gave me some ideas
Thanks all!

02/08/2006, 09:00 PM	#27
fareforce Premium Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Anchorage, AK (Alaska) Home of the frozen weasel Posts: 1,811	To give you some ideas. Here are various pics of my tank after re-doing my rock.. over, and over, and over..... I am sure I am not the only one here that has done this either. It just takes time (ALOT of time) to get it how you will like it. But you do need to add some color! Tank at first: Tank later: Next attempt: Tank now: __________________ It's not my fault!!! It was an I.D.ten.T. thing.. Gosh!!!! (ID10T) --------------------------------------------- Click the red house to see my current build thread! Current Tank Info: Current Project. 110 gallon starphire.

02/08/2006, 11:07 PM	#31
3S1K Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2004 Posts: 391	Re: Why does my tank look so blah...pics My tank still looks a tad plain and its been over a year.Coralline is really starting to grow which adds alot of color to the rocks.Aquascaping is such a pain and seems to like nice at first gets dull real quick.It takes time and patients and you will get it were you want it.

02/08/2006, 11:19 PM	#32
old salty Genius Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: The Island of Misfit Toys Posts: 3,131	Here is my advice on aquascaping after making several attempts................get a woman!! I'm a guy, so naturally I'm left brained. I called a friend of mine over, and she gave me some pointers (she has NEVER seen a reef tank before!!) One shot, and my tank looks better than it ever has. It looks more like a reef and a whole lot less than a rock farm. __________________ "The man who reads nothing at all is better educated than the man who reads nothing but newspapers." Thomas Jefferson Current Tank Info: Out of the marine aquarium hobby

02/09/2006, 08:46 AM	#34
sunfishh Registered Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Fullerton, Ca Posts: 1,875	Fareforce and dhnguyen nice tanks __________________ It's nice to be important, but important to be nice

02/16/2006, 07:59 AM	#36
jallard Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: NY Posts: 2,960	instead of window tint....go to a sign shop and ask to buy enough black vinyl to cover the back of the tank. Works great! That's what I have always done....and I also run a sign shop __________________ (\__/) (='.'=)This is Bunny. Copy and paste bunny (")_(")into your signature to help him gain world domination. URL removed per User Agreement Current Tank Info: 34g Solana

02/08/2006, 06:28 PM	#26
clord Registered Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Langhorne Posts: 904	I used purple up on my tank and its pretty well covered in coraline in 3 months.

02/08/2006, 09:20 PM	#28
dhnguyen Moved On Join Date: May 2004 Location: Kingston, WA Posts: 4,751	Just have fun with your aquascaping. IMO no need to add any additives for coralline growth as long as you keep your calcium and alk up where they should be. Here's an aquascape idea for ya But honestly though I think it's tyime for you to start populating the tank with some corals it's dying for some.

02/08/2006, 10:57 PM	#30
EmergencyDpt Awaiting Email Confirmation Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 584	I think your aquascaping looks great. I like the small island. I think it will look great with a clam or two in the sand and mabe a small zoo colony. Put a RBTA in there somewhere. Go to your LFS and see what he has. After four months it's time, buddy. Get moving. In four months I already bought a larger tank...Good luck and keep on reefin.

02/08/2006, 11:25 PM	#33
DaveAngie79 Premium Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Greenwood, IN Posts: 662	add some corals and rearange the rock also try using purple up into the mix it does wonders for adding color to the rock

02/09/2006, 09:03 AM	#35
fambrough Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Cleveland Heights Posts: 545	I think your aqua scaping is fine (pictures never do justice). I would suggest, however, moving the larger rock structure toward the back of the tank so that the aquascape is not all in the same plane. You have the height variance already, now establish some variance of depth. Also, while I can't speak for coraline boosting additives, I think you might seed your tank better by getting another, small and totally coraline encrusted rock and scrape it in the tank then just add it to your rock work. Of course, at four months, if all your levels are where they should be, it's time to add some corals. That is going to help you alot. Please post updated pictures down the road. Cheers, Ben

02/16/2006, 08:22 AM	#38
RhodeIslandReef Moved On Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Northern Vermont Posts: 191	Hairy Yuma Shrooms will definately give your tank some color for a reasonably low price. Some grow huge and spread really quickly. To get the purple coraline algae growing faster, you might want to find a friend with a 3" LR that has plenty of purple on it. Wish I was close I would give you one. Using a knife, scrape the coraline off the rock into a cup of salt water. Then turn off all powerheads and use a turkey baster to suck up the now coraline water in the cup. Lightly spray it over your LR. Make sure you have your magnesium levels good in your tank along with Calcium and Alk on the high side.

02/16/2006, 10:30 AM	#39
cheesner Registered Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: las vegas Posts: 180	I am going in a different direction for you here. I like your aquascaping. I would't change it. It is all personal preference - but I like it better than the single pile method. I had the same issue with my tank when I first started. I added a couple peppermint shrimp, snails, and hermits. They all went to work cleaning the rock. Especially the pepps. They were reaching into every nook and cranny and pulling out all sorts of junk and debris. In just a few days, the rock was more bare and the coraline really started to take off. I was surprised at how much surface algea there was making the rock look dingy and uninteresting. Give it a shot, and good luck.

02/16/2006, 11:03 AM	#40
davocean Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Location: San Diego, CA Posts: 14,655	Rock looks good, you just need some color via shrooms, corals. Green chromis would be great. Like fareforce said, your going to change things around from time to time to accomidate your new additions. Just when I had my tank " perfect" my anemone moved behind the rocks and it was time to do it all over again. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm mental. And if you take old salty's advice on a woman, you better make sure she's reef safe! __________________ There's a fine line between owning your tank and your tank owning you! Current Tank Info: SCA 120g RR Starfire, Tunze silence 1073.02 return, 40g sump w/ fuge, SWC Extreme 160 cone skimmer,Geismann reflexx 4xT5, 2x Panorama Pro LED strips, Vortech MP40QD

02/16/2006, 12:41 PM	#41
JRPhd Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: SE WI for now Posts: 392	Agreed, the pile on the left is pretty decent. Not a lot of openings, but I see lots of places where you can attach corals. The only thing I don't like on the right smaller pile is the vertically stacked rock. I also agree with adding tank backing. At some point I can post a pic. of my tank, and although I am certainly no reef keeping savant, ppl. do say it looks very bright and busy. And, I don't have any corals yet. In fact, it's just the amount and types of coralline. Lots of colors from Marshall Island LR, including violet, dark purple, and deep maroon. So I guess I owe the beauty of my tank to the Marshall Islands... __________________ Me fail Inglish, that's unpossible. Current Tank Info: 40g Oceanic stretchhex. 24" PC Aqua Lunarlights. 50lbs. Marshall LR. 2"SB. Heater. Maxi-900x2. Aqua C Remora Skimmer w/ maxi-1200. DIY HOT Fuge with Chaeto. mmmmm chaeto.

02/16/2006, 12:45 PM	#42
zimmy1979 Premium Member Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: City of Angels Posts: 405	I am proud of my tank and most people like how I aquascaped. I have room in the back and I have plenty of places to put corals I think (I am running out of sand room especially after the latest additions which you don't see in this picture):

02/16/2006, 03:12 PM	#43
mecold Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Southeast Georgia Posts: 1,087	Be careful bout adding rock as you may have too much rock after you start adding coral. Example is buying zoanthids which are almost always on a piece of lr. Lately I have been seeing zoo's on larger and larger pieces of rock, or on long pieces of branch rock. Believe me, it is always fun trying to find a spot to put your new zoos that won't deprive them of light and flow, while at the same time not destroying your aquascaping. As far as coraline in concerned.. I can say that I used a two part from the time I started to cure my rock, and coraline never disappeared totally, and came back with a vengance. Now I use a calcium reactor, and the coraline receaded a little but is making a comeback.

02/17/2006, 12:12 AM	#46
Fmellish Registered Member Join Date: Nov 2005 Posts: 2,111	Ken, I think its fine. While structure is important, and for more reasons than just looks; you are in more need of color. Get some corals or something. Or do what I do and cultivate algae on your glass!

02/17/2006, 12:23 AM	#47
nemo g Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: west side iz da best Posts: 1,039	try getting some purple up and reducing the light until you need it the coraline likes lower light and calcium good luck nemo g __________________ nG Current Tank Info: tis da bestest tank eva

02/17/2006, 11:43 AM	#49
ken123 Premium Member Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Lakewood, New Jersey Posts: 874	Thanks for all the great suggestions and comments!!!! Been a few days since I read this thread. I will be ordering some green chromis soon and some zoas. There are plenty of holes on the large pile to the left that the cleaner shrimp love's to move through, you just can't see them in the pictures. This pile is up against the back of the tank so there is room up front. I am also going to try a blue background for a while. I have not been running the MH's since there's not much in the tank that needs them for now. I fire them up when people are over. I wanted an open area near the center and I think I may move some of the rock on the middle & right side around alittle bit. I like the one rock I have in the middle where it is. It has some nice fingers sticking straight up and some holes on the bottom that the hermits like hanging out in. I will post some pics after I make some changes and get the zoas. Everyone that posted pics, your tanks look good too. Gave me some ideas Thanks all! __________________ Ken Current Tank Info: 90 gal AGA, RemoraPro w/Mag3, Outer Orbit 2x150w HQI & 2x130w PC, sump (no fuge)