I absolutely suck at aquascaping

[Scythanith]

I second what Ryancw said. Play around with it and build out some fun shapes

[Ryancw]

There is also a couple YouTube videos put out by BRS on what to do/not to do that have quite a few good tips. if you haven't seen them i recommend checking them out.

[Dearth]

I did a mockup on my floor in the approximate dimensions of my tank I have a 95 gallon I had a 150lbs of dead rock had an awesome setup after about a week of resetting my rock in the mockup Found one I was happy with. Made sure it was all stable then put in my tank two weeks later my carefully laid out setup was thrown into the wind when I came into another 150lbs of rock this time it was live.

Ended up with a 300lb haphazard rockscape that I still have in my tank to this day 7 yrs later minus about 50lbs I’ve removed throughout the years.

[cvrle1]

Thanks for tips everyone. I do have outline of the tank already made, and am using it for this task. I need to spend some time and see how each rock could potentially go with others, and thats my main issue. I just cant visualize things like that haha.

[cvrle1]

I kinda came up with one structure yesterday. It was complete fluke, but so far I like it (location and angle are not final). It did raise some questions thought that i wanted to inquire about




Few of the top pieces are barely touching one another, especially flat piece top right. How would you go about making this more secure? Even if I use glue and/or cement of some sort, there are very few points of contact between the 2 rocks. Should I try to build up shelf piece with smaller rocks using glue/cement and then connect to the bottom one, chisel away until it fits more securely, something else?

Since rock is heavy, and I have limited opening on the aquarium top due to acrylic brace, I will need to do this in 3 pieces. Once it is in the tank, should I connect all 3 pieces or leave them as separate? If I leave as separate, worried about one part falling over. If I connect, I wont be able to take out or remove if need be.

Thanks again for the help and tips so far.

[LifeIsGreat]

Looks great, nice and open. Imagine water flow, crabs and fish bumping them, corals growing and shifting their center of gravity, the tank shaking when people walk by... The question of having the rocks easily removable or very stable is really a personal preference. Personally I lean toward stability, so I glue or cement my rocks. Others do the opposite.

[Ryancw]

Originally Posted by LifeIsGreat

Looks great, nice and open. Imagine water flow, crabs and fish bumping them, corals growing and shifting their center of gravity, the tank shaking when people walk by... The question of having the rocks easily removable or very stable is really a personal preference. Personally I lean toward stability, so I glue or cement my rocks. Others do the opposite.

drill holes and ty wrap once they are inside the tank. Or i've heard of drilling and installing acrylic rods. Me personally, i like to cement as much as possible. in your case i would cement two structures together and then try and make a sturdy resting point between the two and if you are still worried, drill for a single tie wrap you can install once inside. Easily cut-able down the road if you can remember where you tied it


remember when you set the rocks inside the tank, Rocks first, then sand. that will be the main reason your rockwork shifts if it ever does.

[Guy]

If you have some pieces that you know for sure you'll be using on the bottom, wet down some sand paper, put it on a flat surface and shave your rock bottom to a flatness that works for you. It'll help with the stability and also give that look of and endless sand depth as rock seems to rise up from the sand bed.

I used 150 Grit that I had lying around.

[cvrle1]

Originally Posted by Guy

If you have some pieces that you know for sure you'll be using on the bottom, wet down some sand paper, put it on a flat surface and shave your rock bottom to a flatness that works for you. It'll help with the stability and also give that look of and endless sand depth as rock seems to rise up from the sand bed.

I used 150 Grit that I had lying around.

Thats a good idea, and I have loads of sand paper. I do have tile saw that I used on few pieces with idea to do precisely what you said once I have something that I am happy with. A lot faster than sand paper haha.

[lemon604]

This is a very helpful video

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=A_k6EDHvrWc