Opinions on nano scape

[fishguy122]

Hi guys, this is the scape of the tank i set up yesterday (5 gallons). All i need to do is add a small rock at the far left and its completely done. What do you think?

http://imgur.com/ouspnpE

 

P.s. would beginner coral be okay with a 12000k led light?

[BlindZide]

You have a lot of open sand space which is awesome for next to no dead spots but the surface area for filtration and coral placement is limited. I like the initial design though.

[fishguy122]

Thanks for replying . Ive already changed it slightly by raising that piece at the left so that it points upwards.

 

Im going to place a rock below it to create a cave and a piece behind to create a sloping effect

[fishguy122]

Slightly changed now - i decided to add some vertically. If i were to. Get some more rock where would be good to put it? Thanks

http://imgur.com/4sR3nRK

[BlindZide]

That last photo is very nice. I like that. Open on the right for low light corals and raised left for high light corals. If you were to add more rock I'd add it to the left side. Leave the right the way it is because it looks amazing already. Again these are my opinions. Your the one that has to look at it everyday and like the way it's set up. Nice scape so far for some breezy water flow.

[fishguy122]

Thanks! I like it like that, the arch/ cave thing that's created looks cool. I didn't actually realise that id made it betyer for corals until i read your post haha - i guess that's another benefit of this scape.

 

Out of interest, how long does it take for coralline algae to start growing as the rock on the left looks rather white compared to the others?

[Pjanssen]

2nd scape is much better. I don't think you need to add any more rock. If you do,maybe a small island?

[fishguy122]

Thank you pjanssen

Thats what i was thinking, just a little piece to go on the left as it looks a bit bare at the moment.

 

Is there any improvements i can make to the current scape? Or is it good as it is?

[Pjanssen]

I like it. You start adding too much and it starts looking junkie. Then you think, maybe this rock will look better over here, and this one here...keep it simple.

[Reef Hollister]

2nd looks great but watch your distance between the rock and glass. Trust me, if you don't you'll regret it at glass cleaning time. You'll have to have a 2 Little Fishes Nano Scraper if you don't have one already.

[fishguy122]

Argh I didn't think about that. I'll have to get one if those glass cleaners then.

 

And I was trying to go for a full yet uncluttered look, which I guess ive achieved.

[lakshwadeep]

I like the low rocks that slope toward the sand; it looks natural. I do think you could make things a little less symmetric by shifting the tall rock to the left or right, but it's not a big issue. Try thinking in terms of a triangle, but not an isosceles.

[fishguy122]

Thanks for the advice, ill go and move things around now

[Clown79]

I like the second one! Its really cool.

 

Yes, put your fingers in between the glass and rocks to make sure you can get in there for cleaning.

 

12,000k will be fine.

What light are you looking into or have?

[fishguy122]

Thanks- ive ran into a problem:(. I decided to break up one of the big rocks, and change the scape. Now im not sure what to do with it.

Can anyone explain/tell me how to scape a nano reef tank? Im really lost haha

[mitten_reef]

Here's a great place to get the basic understanding of aquascaping for aesthetic.

 

http://www.bioaquaria.com/?p=819

[fishguy122]

Thanks for the link!

 

This is what i have so far...not as happy with the left as i amm with the right...

 

(Sorry for the quality)

http://i.imgur.com/vQsnutR.jpg

[mitten_reef]

I'd just remove of the group that is leaning up against the left wall altogether. I like that you managed to create good visual depth with such a small footprint area to work with.

[fishguy122]

Oh so just remove the left side altogether?

Wouldn't that hinder coral placement on the left?

[mitten_reef]

As Reef Hollister alluded to earlier, putting rocks up close against the glass will be a pain when it comes to cleaning algae off the glass later.

If I were to have your current 'scape, I'd just take out the far left group (the dead skeleton and the rock that's up against the glass) for the sake of easier maintenance down the road. If you did that, the front small rock can be moved leftward to balance it out a bit.

But it's really your preference at this point. It also depends a bit on how many and what type of corals you plan on adding to have room for placement, etc. Some corals you'll buy may also come in on their own small piece of live rock (not all of them come on a frag plug), or some pieces may be better suited for placing directly on the sand, so you don't want to fill up the full sand bed right the way.

[fishguy122]

Ok thank you for the advice.

 

Im not sure if the way the scape is now is going to be good for coral...i like the depth but id prefer it if the rocks arent buried in the sand like they are. This is so annoying!

[fishguy122]

Well this is my latest attempt (out of about 40 XD). Trying to create some height like other pics ive seen but it doesn't have the same effect imo.

https://imgur.com/mxlZQ8y

[Clown79]

I like the original second pic. It looked great.

 

There is no real perfect scape.

There are things to do to prevent rock tumbling, to prevent dead spots, help with cleaning, and places to put corals.

 

The rest is personal preference.

[Hammerstone]

I like the second one down from the top. The cave is really cool!???

[fishguy122]

Alright this is my latest scape....the last one before i go stir crazy haha. I kind of like it, but ill see tomorrow if i still like it and if not ill go and get some different pieces of rock (more irregular pieces).

http://i.imgur.com/Wcd7po1.jpg