Parker's 265 Build - Thread Retired

[JDigital]

Hmm I find that Rockscape sorta lacks.... mainly real estate for corals/frags.. They have TONS of room to grow into, but how many can you actually fit on the LR?

Definitely "Minimal"..

[lastlight]

I agree with JDigital.

I would avoid symmetrical designs for starters. Nothing Will make your reef look more un-natural than those perfectly balanced piles.

I also find it alarming that you have rock in the tank at all =)

[Parker]

Originally Posted by Delphinus

It's good - I think you'll like it because it gives the corals a good space to grow INTO.

Growing room was a definate concern of mine. I'm hoping to find the happy medium between the two. Looks good but also functions well.

Originally Posted by karazy

it looks good, the only problem i see with it is lack of hiding places for fish

There is a lot of nooks and crannies that don't come across in the pictures. Some of the fish that get very large would have an issue, but I think they would in most tanks.

Originally Posted by globaldesigns

I love your setup, from the first tank, to smashing it and now the new one... Keep up the great work!

YOU NEED MORE ROCK!

I have about 100 lbs more rock, just have to decide what to do with it.

[Parker]

Originally Posted by JDigital

Hmm I find that Rockscape sorta lacks.... mainly real estate for corals/frags.. They have TONS of room to grow into, but how many can you actually fit on the LR?

Definitely "Minimal"..

Originally Posted by lastlight

I agree with JDigital.

I would avoid symmetrical designs for starters. Nothing Will make your reef look more un-natural than those perfectly balanced piles.

I also find it alarming that you have rock in the tank at all =)

The biggest problem I have is all my live rock is small pieces, I ordered it that way when I was going to do the rock wall thing. I might have to order some larger pieces.

The pile on the right actually looks really cool in person, the center and left piles need some work.

Thanks for the feedback all... I'll post up round two in the next couple of days..


I'm about ready for salt and water Brett, I have a guys trip to Vegas first week in Nov. Once I'm back from that it's time to start this thing up!

[mark]

Liked this tank for the minimalist look.

Have you considered a masonry bit and some plastic dowels?

[Parker]

Originally Posted by mark

Liked this tank for the minimalist look.

Have you considered a masonry bit and some plastic dowels?

I've seen that tank before, amazing looking tank. Some people have a real talent for this kind of thing.

Here is another thread centered around minimalist aquascaping:
http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1658490

[lastlight]

Of course if you look at what SunnyX has created it's most likely 2 similarily shaped lumps of rock on either side. I suppose that once corals are in there and growing the type of corals you select have the final say in what that pile will really look like.

You must be pretty stoked to fire that thing up! I'm finishing up the install of almost all my electrical components and will post an update when I'm done to make it look like I'm still in this race =)

[Parker]

I was thinking about making left side much taller and then having it "slide" into the middle of the tank and leave the right pile the way it is... I'm proud of the right one! ha

[lastlight]

I think that's worth a shot man. A lot can be missed in a photo though there is likely some great little nooks and crannies we're missing.

Wish like hell I had money for a vegas trip. Then I'd take that money and finish my tank and tell Vegas to take a hike.

[Delphinus]

Honestly, I think you're going in a good way with this aquascaping. The look you have reminds me very much of Richard Harker's big tank which was a TOTM over at some other board a few years ago (the name of the board isn't important. Canreef is the one you need! )

Aquascaping

Perhaps the most unusual aspect of the tank is the appearance and aquascaping of the tank. Early photos of the tank accompanied an article in the 2002 Marine Reef and Aquarium Annual. Some hobbyists were surprised by the appearance of the tank suggesting that it was too stark in it's aquascaping.

The average reef tank begins as a glass box packed with live rock and sand. It is not unusual to see the rock-work within an inch or two of the water's surface. With enough rock cleverly aquascaped, one can create a dramatic looking reef tank with nothing else in it. The problem with this approach only becomes apparent over time. With a large portion of the tank's volume consumed by rock and sand, there is comparatively little room for corals to grow and fish to swim. In a short time the tank can become packed with corals crowding each other and fish with little room to swim. If the tank becomes too crowded, tank conditions can deteriorate. If one wants a healthy tank that looks attractive years later, the tank needs to be aquascaped with plenty of open space.

Open space also makes the tank appear more realistic. Most of the stony corals maintained by hobbyists grow on low relief patch reefs with plenty of sunlight and turbulent water motion. I modeled my tank after a patch reef with large areas of sand and isolated patches of live rock, called bommies. This spartan look isn't attractive at first, but over time the empty space is filled by growing corals. The tank's inhabitants will grow and mature as they would on a natural reef.

From http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issu...3/aquarium.htm