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Something off in aquascape


liquid_wind

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I have a 20 gallon high with about 20 lbs of rock I scaped into an arch that I was loving while I was making it. However, once I put it in the tank and staged a few "corals" (I wish I cold get real, but they are illegal) I wasn't loving it. It's ok, but not loving. I was wondering if anyone that has a better eye had anything to say? I have my instinct on what to do, but wanted to get some unbiased opinions before I do anything.

 

Any advice appreciated!

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I like the rock work.

 

Here's an idea.  The blue circle would be for the large coral on top and the other circle for the brain.

 

I'd get artificial sea fan, birdsnest, etc  for top placement

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Thanks Clown, I'm very picky on trying to get the most realistic stuff out there and now that you say that I have seen some sea fans that don't look too bad. Good idea.

 

KNelson: Yeah, that's what I was thinking too, I planned on just sawing off the bottoms of the arch to make it shorter and open up space up top. 

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I think your rockscape looks perfect as is, I would move the corals and I like @Clown79‘s suggestions, or maybe reverse the positions of the two corals. Assuming you are planning on adding sand I wouldn’t make it shorter because the swim through area you have will be really nice for your fish. 

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Since you can't have real corals, aquascape becomes more important because even a half ass scape will look good covered in tons of corals. 

 

Personally I would be looking at tons of freshwater tanks for inspiration and come up with something more dramatic. Then fill in a few realistic fake corals for a little color or if you can do macroalgae, that would work even better.

 

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I'm not sure where you live but some of Natures Image fake corals are pretty nice. Some are crap too... so need to pick through them.

 

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Here is some super cringey ones 😜

 

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I really like a lot of FOWLR tanks out there and I think your scape would work really well as is for your fish. But if you’re looking to do something out of the ordinary, check out what this guy on Facebook has done incorporating a waterfall, mangroves, and (I think?) air ferns:

 

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Thanks for the advice guys, and Hawai'i. 

 

Tamberav: Is that top right tank marine? It looks awesome!

 

And the only corals I have found so far were Ocean Aquatic, currently working with Andy to get realistic colors. Some of those Nature's Image corals look nice though!

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2 minutes ago, liquid_wind said:

Thanks for the advice guys, and Hawai'i. 

Wow, I didn’t realize you couldn’t keep corals in Hawaii... all types?

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I have done as much research as I could, and I'm not 100% on this as some info conflicts. But as far as I've read, importing is illegal and you can only harvest some softies in certain areas.

 

There is one store that carries anything saltwater on island, Petco...so it's pretty limited. I asked there and they can't even get inverts, just fish.

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Just now, liquid_wind said:

I have done as much research as I could, and I'm not 100% on this as some info conflicts. But as far as I've read, importing is illegal and you can only harvest some softies in certain areas.

 

There is one store that carries anything saltwater on island, Petco...so it's pretty limited. I asked there and they can't even get inverts, just fish.

Interesting... reading up on it now. So surprised because I talk with a friend of mine in Hawaii about my reef tank sometimes and he’s never mentioned it. 

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On 10/27/2018 at 3:43 AM, Tamberav said:

I'm not sure where you live but some of Natures Image fake corals are pretty nice. Some are crap too... so need to pick through them.

 

NI-161B.jpg

 

image11.jpeg

NI-21406.jpg

 

Here is some super cringey ones 😜

 

NI-21403.jpg

NI_10-06_NI-116A.jpg

Where can I get a frag of those last two? 

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On 10/27/2018 at 12:50 AM, banasophia said:

Where do you live that corals are illegal? 

There was a ban on collection that going before the courts for possibly being over turned.

 

From what I am reading is stony corals are illegal to keep but certain softies and anemones are legal

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8 hours ago, liquid_wind said:

Thanks for the advice guys, and Hawai'i. 

 

Tamberav: Is that top right tank marine? It looks awesome!

 

And the only corals I have found so far were Ocean Aquatic, currently working with Andy to get realistic colors. Some of those Nature's Image corals look nice though!

 

Far top right with all the green is FW, the one below it is salt using FW techniques. 

 

Can you get macroalgae? maybe it is legal to collect macro yourself? Maybe collect a few collected softies? You don't need a ton of corals or macro to make something nice. Just a few things for a splash of color and movement and they will grow into colonies. 

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3 hours ago, banasophia said:

Ah there are some really beautiful types of macroalgae that look great and can be functional in your display. I really love the red macros myself. Here’s a link to a really great resource that @Subsea often posts about macroalgae, check it out!

 

https://www.marineplantbook.com/

@liquid_wind

 

IndoPacificSeaFarm is located on the big island.   Check out their website for micro fauna & fana.  They have aquacultured coral there as well.  Gerald Hesslinger is the owner.  I am sure he could advise you on current laws in Hawaii.  

 

https://www.ipsf.com/

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I feel like I would rather import than collect. At least then I can get stuff that is aquacultured.

 

And I actually did email that place when I began, no response though... Maybe I need to try to get a more specific email to get to someone more helpful.

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On 10/27/2018 at 6:39 AM, liquid_wind said:

I have a 20 gallon high with about 20 lbs of rock I scaped into an arch that I was loving while I was making it. However, once I put it in the tank and staged a few "corals" (I wish I cold get real, but they are illegal) I wasn't loving it. It's ok, but not loving. I was wondering if anyone that has a better eye had anything to say? I have my instinct on what to do, but wanted to get some unbiased opinions before I do anything.

 

Any advice appreciated!

IMG_3738.JPG

coral is illegal?!

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