RonLarimer Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 This is my 1st saltwater tank and it certainly isn't pushing design at all, but I was trying for an attractive, functional tank. The goal was a design that was attractive from 2 sides and have different "lawns" of open space from each. I planned on having a blenny and wanted to provide it with plenty of perches. The cave is a bit played but not knowing if any of the planned fish would like it... it's there. Still I wanted a valley and elevation changes so they are there too. The coral plan is sparse to try to make it feel like a natural outcrop, as opposed to a piece of reef. They will be weighted heavily to the right to balance the rock with color. Lastly I like clowns so I'd really like my $9 fish to be the center piece, so I'm going the host in the torch on the top of the island... and it will keep it safely away from everything else. Link to comment
Wretched Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 I think it looks amazing, that's some nice looking rock as well. Keep it 100. Link to comment
hey Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Is the rock buried in the sand or sitting on top of it, if it is sitting on top of it you could snug it down a little maybe an inch to really get the top of the rock line at about 1/3rd the way up the tank. The balance left to right is very good I like the V notch in the structure. My only critique of it is the height being a hair too high, great job planning btw. Link to comment
RonLarimer Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hey, everything is on the glass. That "flat rock" in the front is actually a boulder and 2/3 of it are buried in the sand. I went with Fiji Pink sand and maximum stability for the scape because I wanted the option of having sand sifters. Link to comment
hey Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 Hey, everything is on the glass. That "flat rock" in the front is actually a boulder and 2/3 of it are buried in the sand. I went with Fiji Pink sand and maximum stability for the scape because I wanted the option of having sand sifters. darn, visually to me the "horizon" or top of the rock isn't quite at 1/3rd the way up the water column. Something they tend to stress in photography is keep horizon lines either at 2/rds up or 1/3rd up. Rules obviously can be broken though and maybe with some taller corals you will be sitting at around 2/3rds and it will still have the horizon effect. Link to comment
RonLarimer Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 The original plan was to get to 2/3 but with the rocks I had it looked forced... that is sort of the opposite of what I was going for. I originally included the toadstool in the sketch to help with that, I have also considered bird's nest, but those seem forced too. I am open to ideas (short of lifting the rocks off the glass). Link to comment
hey Posted January 3, 2015 Share Posted January 3, 2015 The original plan was to get to 2/3 but with the rocks I had it looked forced... that is sort of the opposite of what I was going for. I originally included the toadstool in the sketch to help with that, I have also considered bird's nest, but those seem forced too. I am open to ideas (short of lifting the rocks off the glass). measure from the top of the sand to water line, then measure from top of sand to about the rock line. I have a feeling its probably close enough to not be an issue if you are really wanting to hit that mark it may be close enough Link to comment
RonLarimer Posted January 3, 2015 Author Share Posted January 3, 2015 The sand to the waterline is 15" even. It is about 6.5" the large shelf and about 8.25 to the peak. I may have lost that one. If you look at the coral plan though, I might be able to bring down the visual focus to the 1/3 level. I'm hoping hosting clowns raise the focus on the pillar, island, torch stand thing. Link to comment
hey Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Yeh its pretty close, just put corals where they look good to your eye and you will most likely nail it. Also, lol at how I eyeballed it to about an inch. Link to comment
ajmckay Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Nice scape!!! I like the type of rock you used and the piece on the left with the cave. I've done similar exercises drawing out a scape on paper first, but I did it before I had the rock in hand so yeah that didn't really work because obviously I had no idea what the rock would look like... If I were to change anything about your scape I would suggest rotating the rock on the right 180 degrees. Because it gets so close to the glass I think you lose a bit of depth perception... If the rock started high in the back and tapered to the front I think it might make the tank seem deeper... And it shouldn't affect the placement of your touch. Link to comment
RonLarimer Posted January 4, 2015 Author Share Posted January 4, 2015 If I were to change anything about your scape I would suggest rotating the rock on the right 180 degrees. Because it gets so close to the glass I think you lose a bit of depth perception... If the rock started high in the back and tapered to the front I think it might make the tank seem deeper... And it shouldn't affect the placement of your touch. When I realized the scape was becoming a bit of an atoll I played around with tapering the rock down in an "L" (which maybe obvious) and from front to back... this is part of the reason for that flat rock. Ultimately I went this way to make the torch/clowns the focal point in the corner nearest the 2 viewing angles. I was also trying to be slick and bait timid fish into hiding from the tank near the glass under the overhang. Time will tell, but I don't think that worked. The flow from the returns comes down the front glass and splits around that rock. It creates what I am calling a clown treadmill near the glass and a dead spot behind the rock the female clown seems to like hang out in... while the male jogs. This is right next to my chair so I'm happy about it. Interestingly enough, the flow that circles around from the other side of the rock does the same thing on the other side and in the middle it is funneled through the cave with enough force that it has excavated more than an inch of sand from that area. Most uneaten food ends up in that back corner just out of the depression and is easily removed. I have dubbed that area "Back stage" as it is the only area hidden from view. Link to comment
xiaoxiy Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 The scape looks great, except the rock on the right kind of bothers me. It carries too much visual weight imo and distracts from the main arch structure. Can you either make the arch structure higher (through the placement of corals) to give it more weight? Link to comment
R1sky_Biz Posted January 4, 2015 Share Posted January 4, 2015 Big fan of the scape. While I do agree with Hey on the rule of 1/3rds, I'm sure once you have some corals in there growing out it will look fine.. Link to comment
RonLarimer Posted January 6, 2015 Author Share Posted January 6, 2015 Well I bought a baby blenny tonight that is holed up under the overhang the torch is on... that plan may work after all. Link to comment
cju84 Posted January 6, 2015 Share Posted January 6, 2015 Very cool scape. 10/10 would bang. Link to comment
alanwest09872 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 Very cool scape. 10/10 would bang. wouldnt that chaffe? Link to comment
RonLarimer Posted January 7, 2015 Author Share Posted January 7, 2015 wouldnt that chaffe? I was thinking the samething... not too mention the size issues. Link to comment
cju84 Posted January 7, 2015 Share Posted January 7, 2015 wouldnt that chaffe? Valid point. Link to comment
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