Need opinions! Is my rock too big?

[Madcat]

Here's my tank:

 

 

EVO 13.5 gal. It has 13lbs of dry rock, and a 1lb piece of LR to give it a dash of character. It's still cycling, and I've been fiddling with the rockscape a bit, and I've been starting to fret more and more that my left side piece is too big. I think I took the "1lb of rock per gallon" rule a bit too much to heart, otherwise I'd have gone with a smaller piece at the store. I like how tall it is, but it seems so bulky and seems to take up a lot of space...

 

I'm wondering if I should take it out and break it into smaller pieces. But then what if I somehow ruin it? I'm sure I'm overthinking this... I just really need some feedback!

[WV Reefer]

2 minutes ago, Madcat said:

Here's my tank:

 

 

EVO 13.5 gal. It has 13lbs of dry rock, and a 1lb piece of LR to give it a dash of character. It's still cycling, and I've been fiddling with the rockscape a bit, and I've been starting to fret more and more that my left side piece is too big. I think I took the "1lb of rock per gallon" rule a bit too much to heart, otherwise I'd have gone with a smaller piece at the store. I like how tall it is, but it seems so bulky and seems to take up a lot of space...

 

I'm wondering if I should take it out and break it into smaller pieces. But then what if I somehow ruin it? I'm sure I'm overthinking this... I just really need some feedback!

I would say it's a little overpowering. Just bust it up! Don't be afraid.   

[Kellie in CA]

I am guilty of often using just a few large pieces of rock  in my aquascapes.  I will tell you that it makes coral placement tough. 

[Clown79]

I'd break it up and create a shape with epoxy.

 

 

[Madcat]

Thanks guys! My friends all thought it looked fine... they know nothing.  I hope it looks okay after I've smashed it up!

[Madcat]

So I guess I thought I could hit my rock with a hammer and it would magically fall apart into several pieces I could reshape into something pretty... not so, it turns out. But, I got the hang of it and used a screwdriver and mallet to chip off pieces at a time until it looked small enough. Rinsed it off with distilled water and put it back in. I may fiddle with the scape again later, but I'm MUCH happier with the size of the rock now. And really glad I'm doing this before I have livestock in there.  Here's the new rock! (It still looks kind of big in the pic, but it's a lot thinner and less bulky irl.) Any rockscape ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

[WV Reefer]

1 minute ago, Madcat said:

So I guess I thought I could hit my rock with a hammer and it would magically fall apart into several pieces I could reshape into something pretty... not so, it turns out. But, I got the hang of it and used a screwdriver and mallet to chip off pieces at a time until it looked small enough. Rinsed it off with distilled water and put it back in. I may fiddle with the scape again later, but I'm MUCH happier with the size of the rock now. And really glad I'm doing this before I have livestock in there.  Here's the new rock! (It still looks kind of big in the pic, but it's a lot thinner and less bulky irl.) Any rockscape ideas would be greatly appreciated!

 

 

See, it's not so bad!

 

The only things you ever have to keep in mind when aquascaping are: can I clean the tank easy enough? And do I have room to place my corals?  It can be hard to imagine but think of the corals you want/like and then picture them on your rockwork.    

 

 

[Clown79]

1 hour ago, WV Reefer said:

 

See, it's not so bad!

 

The only things you ever have to keep in mind when aquascaping are: can I clean the tank easy enough? And do I have room to place my corals?  It can be hard to imagine but think of the corals you want/like and then picture them on your rockwork.    

 

 

That's very true.

 

I've changed my aquascape 3 or 4 times and have had to move corals while doing so just because it didn't look right.

 

Difference in heights helps for different coral placement.

 

Printing a pic of the tank and roughly drawing the corals you want on the rock work helps determine if it will work. 

[Madcat]

You guys are very reassuring to an anxious newbie. It's greatly appreciated. 

 

New scape... yea or nay? I'm not sure. I like having an arch though.

 

 

Maybe I should chisel the large rock down even more so it's more pillar-like... I don't want to lose the natural-looking outer surface though.

[WV Reefer]

3 minutes ago, Madcat said:

You guys are very reassuring to an anxious newbie. It's greatly appreciated. 

 

New scape... yea or nay? I'm not sure. I like having an arch though.

 

 

Maybe I should chisel the large rock down even more so it's more pillar-like... I don't want to lose the natural-looking outer surface though.

 

I like the arch.......I would make the "big" rock smaller and then it would match up to the other rock and still maintain your arch. With most rock you can use a hacksaw to be more precise. The hammer method can be unpredictable.  

[porkchop-rob]

Take all out except the smallest piece. Put some Marine Pure balls in the rear chambers.

 

 

Then....Get one SUPER expensive ZOA. ONE Polyp. JUST ONE and put it on the live rock, dead center of the tank.

 

Perfection!

[Madcat]

Think I found a scape I like! I didn't even have to bust the big rock up more, though I will if it seems necessary. But I can get my mag float all around the glass. New arch is much better.

 

[WV Reefer]

22 minutes ago, Madcat said:

Think I found a scape I like! I didn't even have to bust the big rock up more, though I will if it seems necessary. But I can get my mag float all around the glass. New arch is much better.

 

 

Nice!

[Weetabix7]

1 hour ago, Madcat said:

Think I found a scape I like! I didn't even have to bust the big rock up more, though I will if it seems necessary. But I can get my mag float all around the glass. New arch is much better.

 

 

I like this!!

[TheBig053]

Hey, I like the new scape!  I set up an EVO 13.5 about 4 months ago and I am still making adjustments to my scape, hah.  The more recent adjustments are small though.  One thing you may want to try and is turning that dark colored branching rock upside down where it is now.  Could make for some cool little caves and passage ways through the rock for your fish and critters.  The underside with more flat surfaces may be more conducive to mounting corals than the already branching end.  You may have already tried this and it looked unnatural, but thought it was worth a shot just to see how it looks. 

Also, if you have not done so already, you are going to want to plug that hole in the center of the AIO false wall.  This will force all the water entering the AIO chambers through overflow and ultimately keep the back chambers cleaner/free of detritus.  It will also help you to better control the water level in the AIO chambers and display.  I am not sure why Fluval decided to put a hole in the wall.  It really serves no purpose and makes it easier for detritus to build up in the back chambers between cleanings.  

 

Anyways, good luck with the tank/scape.  

[morri307]

I like the new scape! Nice to see the evolution of it.

[Lugmos12]

I tried using a hammer on mine and it did very little to it. I play with aqua scape almost every day lol

 

[Madcat]

3 hours ago, TheBig053 said:

Hey, I like the new scape!  I set up an EVO 13.5 about 4 months ago and I am still making adjustments to my scape, hah.  The more recent adjustments are small though.  One thing you may want to try and is turning that dark colored branching rock upside down where it is now.  Could make for some cool little caves and passage ways through the rock for your fish and critters.  The underside with more flat surfaces may be more conducive to mounting corals than the already branching end.  You may have already tried this and it looked unnatural, but thought it was worth a shot just to see how it looks. 

Also, if you have not done so already, you are going to want to plug that hole in the center of the AIO false wall.  This will force all the water entering the AIO chambers through overflow and ultimately keep the back chambers cleaner/free of detritus.  It will also help you to better control the water level in the AIO chambers and display.  I am not sure why Fluval decided to put a hole in the wall.  It really serves no purpose and makes it easier for detritus to build up in the back chambers between cleanings.  

 

Anyways, good luck with the tank/scape.  

Thanks! I haven't tried that, I'm curious to see how it'll look! I wondered about that hole. How did you plug it up?

[TheBig053]

3 minutes ago, Madcat said:

Thanks! I haven't tried that, I'm curious to see how it'll look! I wondered about that hole. How did you plug it up?

I was lazy and just stuffed it with some purple rock/coral epoxy.  The purple splotch on the wall doesn't bother me.  Others have used a small piece of plastic and some super glue for a cleaner look.  You can see what I did in the most recent FTS form my tank thread below.  

 

 

In hindsight, I probably could have used a smaller piece of epoxy, but oh well!