What goes into planning an epic aquascape?

[Daniel@R2R]

What do you think is the key to planning an epic aquascape? What are the things that take a scape from good to GREAT!?

 

[Petcrazyson]

What do you think is the key to planning an epic aquascape? What are the things that take a scape from good to GREAT!?

Imagination

 

[Daniel@R2R]

Imagination

Fair enough. Haha, but what sparks that imagination? And how about bringing that imagined concept to reality (sometimes that's what I think is the hardest part).

 

[j.falk]

Money!

 

[FoolishWizard]

Having an end goal idea and working towards it... Google or R2R for inspiration.

Working with smaller rocks and piecing together with super glue to make bigger structures then piecing those together (if needed) helps me be more able to "shape" as I go as opposed to dealing with big pieces and be at the mercy of their shape.

 

[revhtree]

Oooh good question! I think one matter of concern is the tools or ingredients to make the “look” a reality!

 

[EliMelly]

I’ve only built one NSA aquascape but I’m very proud of it and have a couple steps I suggest people take.

1. Watch a variety of videos on YouTube, BRS and Tidal Gardens have a couple good videos for creating an NSA aquascape.
2. Look on social media, reef 2 reef, etc. for aquascapes that you would like to replicate details of and save the pictures.
3. Have a proper workspace as it is a project that takes a lot of time and will definitely be near impossible to do in a day.
4. Order proper equipment and sufficient materials: Mallet, heavy duty gloves, goggles, chisel, enough Marco rock and foundation pieces, enough glue, enough insta set, marco cement. If I put enough by the product it’s because you should order more than what you’re thinking. About a pound of rock for each gallon is on the conservative side.
5. Mimic the dimensions of your tank by either marking it on a cardboard box to work on or building a 3d tank out of pvc pipes, really a game changer.
6. Remember not to build past 2/3rds of your tank height.
7. Don’t forget about fish hiding spots and coral placements. All of my fish love their homes and it was due to creating the aquascape to fit the needs of my fish not the other way around.
8. Have fun and patience, don’t rush it’s an art.

Sorry for the quick and unclear response, I can give a more organized, and detailed description if anyone would like the help.

 

[Daniel@R2R]

I’ve only built one NSA aquascape but I’m very proud of it and have a couple steps I suggest people take.

1. Watch a variety of videos on YouTube, BRS and Tidal Gardens have a couple good videos for creating an NSA aquascape.
2. Look on social media, reef 2 reef, etc. for aquascapes that you would like to replicate details of and save the pictures.
3. Have a proper workspace as it is a project that takes a lot of time and will definitely be near impossible to do in a day.
4. Order proper equipment and sufficient materials: Mallet, heavy duty gloves, goggles, chisel, enough Marco rock and foundation pieces, enough glue, enough insta set, marco cement. If I put enough by the product it’s because you should order more than what you’re thinking. About a pound of rock for each gallon is on the conservative side.
5. Mimic the dimensions of your tank by either marking it on a cardboard box to work on or building a 3d tank out of pvc pipes, really a game changer.
6. Remember not to build past 2/3rds of your tank height.
7. Don’t forget about fish hiding spots and coral placements. All of my fish love their homes and it was due to creating the aquascape to fit the needs of my fish not the other way around.
8. Have fun and patience, don’t rush it’s an art.

Sorry for the quick and unclear response, I can give a more organized, and detailed description if anyone would like the help.

This is a fantastic contribution to this conversation! Aquascaping is IMO one of the most daunting tasks of setting up a new tank. Few things impact the look of the aquarium longterm in the way that the aquascape will, and it's a tough job to create an epic scape that will lead to being the literal skeleton of an epic tank. Thanks for giving some great points that are certainly handholds for getting at that task!

 

[Petcrazyson]

Fair enough. Haha, but what sparks that imagination? And how about bringing that imagined concept to reality (sometimes that's what I think is the hardest part).

I like to see what rocks on rocks thrown together looks like, and then adjust for eye pleasingness. In the wild you don’t see perfect arches and perfect caves, you see rocks on rocks on rocks lol, so I like to use that as a guide, this and also lots of the tanks of influencers I like like on YouTube and of course the ROTM

 

[EliMelly]

This is a fantastic contribution to this conversation! Aquascaping is IMO one of the most daunting tasks of setting up a new tank. Few things impact the look of the aquarium longterm in the way that the aquascape will, and it's a tough job to create an epic scape that will lead to being the literal skeleton of an epic tank. Thanks for giving some great points that are certainly handholds for getting at that task!

Appreciate the feedback! Normally I’m on the receiving side of the information process so the ability to help others with the limited knowledge I have is quite enjoyable.

 

[Kfactor]

its all in the eye of the beholder

 

[HudsonReefer2.0]

It’s that balance between positive and negative space that requires attention on how the corals will fill the space as they grow.

 

[MrGisonni]

The rule of thirds and the golden ratio

 

[Daniel@R2R]

The rule of thirds and the golden ratio

Definitely!

 

[Daniel@R2R]

wk