What's up everyone!
I've been lurking around the forums for a few years now and held off on starting a build thread because I felt like I didn't have much to contribute since I'm new to the hobby. I now realize that should've been the biggest reason to start one sooner as it would've saved me a ton of headaches and money.
Brief history of the tank
It's been "set up" for a couple of years but it's been through a few moves and I tried to take so many shortcuts when it comes to maintenance and equipment. I was thinking I'm a smart guy I'll figure out whatever hurdles I face while still giving the tank 50% effort. After a green hair algae outbreak, coral, and fish loss I decided to start the tank over. I know this is frowned upon but I just needed the reset.
Below are a few images of the tank before starting over.
![IMG_3909.jpeg IMG_3909.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055457-f8032c856c1756fa69cf9589a3a655d6.jpg)
About 10 days ago I used some extra dry rock I had and bought some Marco mortar to completely redo my aquascape. The mortar was pretty straight forward but there was a little learning curve in getting the mixed consistency right. Here are my first attempts using only superglue and insta-set. I had the dimensions of the tank lined out on the cloth I was using as well as the measuring tape to determine overall height of the structure.
![IMG_4222.jpeg IMG_4222.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055475-b41246dfa56aeca169a954f07373c7af.jpg)
![IMG_4220.jpeg IMG_4220.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055474-4700d7d6b09137ba6ebf73d7a13d6c01.jpg)
After bumping my scape and knocking everything apart I restarted and came up with something I like a lot better. My goal was to create plenty of ledges for me to glue down frags and swim throughs for the livestock. I used the @Bulk Reef Supply NSA video to help with using the glue, insta-set, and mortar combo. I even attempted to add sand on top of the mortar to hide the joints but figured over time this will be covered by coralline or corals. I also gave the rocks 3 day to cure before even attempting to move.
![IMG_4228.jpeg IMG_4228.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055488-311229156e92e4d005bbfda8052ab4ab.jpg)
Since this post is getting pretty long I'll post my next steps shortly.
Thanks for viewing!!!!
I've been lurking around the forums for a few years now and held off on starting a build thread because I felt like I didn't have much to contribute since I'm new to the hobby. I now realize that should've been the biggest reason to start one sooner as it would've saved me a ton of headaches and money.
Brief history of the tank
It's been "set up" for a couple of years but it's been through a few moves and I tried to take so many shortcuts when it comes to maintenance and equipment. I was thinking I'm a smart guy I'll figure out whatever hurdles I face while still giving the tank 50% effort. After a green hair algae outbreak, coral, and fish loss I decided to start the tank over. I know this is frowned upon but I just needed the reset.
Below are a few images of the tank before starting over.
![IMG_3909.jpeg IMG_3909.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055457-f8032c856c1756fa69cf9589a3a655d6.jpg)
About 10 days ago I used some extra dry rock I had and bought some Marco mortar to completely redo my aquascape. The mortar was pretty straight forward but there was a little learning curve in getting the mixed consistency right. Here are my first attempts using only superglue and insta-set. I had the dimensions of the tank lined out on the cloth I was using as well as the measuring tape to determine overall height of the structure.
![IMG_4222.jpeg IMG_4222.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055475-b41246dfa56aeca169a954f07373c7af.jpg)
![IMG_4220.jpeg IMG_4220.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055474-4700d7d6b09137ba6ebf73d7a13d6c01.jpg)
After bumping my scape and knocking everything apart I restarted and came up with something I like a lot better. My goal was to create plenty of ledges for me to glue down frags and swim throughs for the livestock. I used the @Bulk Reef Supply NSA video to help with using the glue, insta-set, and mortar combo. I even attempted to add sand on top of the mortar to hide the joints but figured over time this will be covered by coralline or corals. I also gave the rocks 3 day to cure before even attempting to move.
![IMG_4228.jpeg IMG_4228.jpeg](https://test.reef2reef.com/data/attachments/2055/2055488-311229156e92e4d005bbfda8052ab4ab.jpg)
Since this post is getting pretty long I'll post my next steps shortly.
Thanks for viewing!!!!