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Rock Aquascaping Tips


CAmor07

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Jessy-Ray
I think you should get some nice "dry" rock and take a hammer to it. Get some epoxy putty and some AC glue and see what you come up with.

 

It sounds to me that you really want a nice scape and the rocks you have aren't doing it for you.

 

GO FOR IT!!!

 

My scape took me all day to complete. But I was sipping tequila and having fun with it. Try it, you'll like it. :)

+1 I attacked my scape little bits at a time just taking a look and tweaking it, took months actually haha

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Looks really nice. It does look like a lot of rock, so you need to account for coral growth and volume. I'm facing that problem where I have a monticap and pocilipora up high that are growing out of control and are shading other corals. My hammer is getting huge as well, and takes up a lot of space.

 

I'm building a larger tank as we speak, so everyone will be moved over, including the tang :o

 

Here are some pics of my BC14. I tried to keep a semi-open scape in terms of swimming room and ledges. Behind the big rock in the middle is covering an arch at the base of the main rock pile that the fish swim through. It appears more cluttered in the pic.

 

Here is a very early pic when I was battling cyano....

IMG_7222.jpg

 

Here is a while later from the side, you can see how open it is and that there are swimming lanes in the back of the tank....

FTSside.jpg

 

Here is 2 months ago from the front. Its getting crowded and today, the monticap is nearly touching the return. That coral needs to be lower in the tank, LOL!.....

IMG_0719.jpg

 

I hope this helps a bit. FWIW, I'm doing a 110 gallon shallow with bommie scape for my next tank ;) I'm currently running a Rapid LED kit on my BC14.

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Has anyone flammed you for that tang yet? Lol ... i love it.... FTW

 

Yes, every time I post a pic of my tank, LOL! I bought the tank used and it came with the tang. At the time, I was like....ooooo, look at the pretty little blue fish :lol: I'm cooking 100lbs of Pukani in the garage as we speak, Dory's next "too small" tank is coming :)

 

BTW, what does "FTW" stand for, I want to make sure you're not insulting me :P

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Ftw= f**k the world

 

I wasnt insulting u im on your team. I love gettin the hippies worked up.

 

 

Haha, I thought so ;):lol:

 

Now back to scheduled programming....... B)

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Spirofucci

Yo dude, you crack me up, lol. You are never going to be happy with your scape because you are not happy with the limited number and shape of your rocks.

 

Trust me, before you get much further get some more rock and a hammer and some epoxy putty.....you know what to do........

 

Let the artist in you flow

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haha, i cant get my self to break the rock as there will be no going back)::. i did redo it however and i sorta like it. ill post pics once it clears up

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JoelRHale

A good tip I've used is to think of it as a work of art. Just research the principles of design like the golden mean, movement, scale, texture, etc. and you can create a nice looking scape by following a few steps.

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buddythelion

I definitely liked the previous scape more... unless this is the same one with less cloudy water?

 

Here are nano-reefer members' tanks that I used for inspiration:

fulltankshot-1.jpg

fulltankshot.jpg

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JamesHL88
I cant believe it, but i redid it for the 100th time,

Thoughts

 

Pic

 

I dont even care anymore lol. Break the damn rock already you will be happy you did.

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JamesHL88
I agree, don't break it - I'm not a fan piles of "tiny rubble rock" look.

 

I like the big pieces you have. Once you start adding some corals, it's going to be awesome.

 

I didnt mean break it to the size of rubble. I meant break a couple in half to get some wilder shapes. I honestly like the last scape. But if he isnt happy then its time to break the rock. He has explored every possible combination he can with the current shapes he has at hand.

 

And +1 on too much rock.

But thats personal taste. I like minimal.

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This is my first tank, maybe some of you can tell haha. But with less rock, how many lbs would u get?

Thanks all

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JamesHL88

Pounds shouldnt be determined by water volume. But by bio load. In other words more fish = more rock. Also more porous rock is a better filter so less is needed. And too much rock can be detramental. Because the rock needs good flow all around it so there is no place for detrious to collect. Large rock structures crammed in the back of the tank are impossible to get flow all around. Bt if you keep listening to our opinions you will never get past the rock scaping stage of your tank. So do what looks good to you. Honestly i love the last picture u posted. Flow could be an issue with that structure though.

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Thank you so much james, where would you put the powerhead for the best flow? i know most reccomend in the right corner, but would it be better to put it behind the rocks for the best flow inbetween the rocks

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buddythelion
Thank you so much james, where would you put the powerhead for the best flow? i know most reccomend in the right corner, but would it be better to put it behind the rocks for the best flow inbetween the rocks

Honestly, just move the powerhead around until you find a spot you're happy with. If you think it needs more flow, get another koralia. They don't cost much and you'll be far happier with having two vs one.

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I have the 420 right now, dont you think with another, even a 220 will be like to much for mushrooms and polyps

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JamesHL88
Honestly, just move the powerhead around until you find a spot you're happy with. If you think it needs more flow, get another koralia. They don't cost much and you'll be far happier with having two vs one.

 

^ this ^

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