175g Bow-Front + many beers and tears (many pics)
- Thread starter scmountain
- Start date
Have to Tarantino this post to see how we got to the water being added to the tank...
Went full @Andrew_bram , Luckily Fiancee wasn't too scared as I wasn't cutting a closet out.
the span from wall to wall was 37" so insulating wont be terribly difficult for winter.
Next we started to assemble the stand for the mixing station. (ended up doubling the front left support)
I am not sure if it was the fumes from the glue, or the heat. But I didnt take any pictures while I assembled the mixing station or the manifold
Fiancee also assembled the storage rack and started to organize the large amount of crap we have which REALLY needed to happen.
We still need to paint and seal the wooden stand, also the mixing station "drain" is dry plumbed to get the much needed water change on the cycling rock.
We had to rebuild 4 different pumps due to leaking problems, 1 snapper was a real PITA with leaks but finally got it to seal. So now We have one backup in case of an emergency.
shout out to @MuralReef for coming in clutch with an upgraded impeller to get the GPH we were aiming for.
Went full @Andrew_bram , Luckily Fiancee wasn't too scared as I wasn't cutting a closet out.
the span from wall to wall was 37" so insulating wont be terribly difficult for winter.
Next we started to assemble the stand for the mixing station. (ended up doubling the front left support)
I am not sure if it was the fumes from the glue, or the heat. But I didnt take any pictures while I assembled the mixing station or the manifold
Fiancee also assembled the storage rack and started to organize the large amount of crap we have which REALLY needed to happen.
We still need to paint and seal the wooden stand, also the mixing station "drain" is dry plumbed to get the much needed water change on the cycling rock.
We had to rebuild 4 different pumps due to leaking problems, 1 snapper was a real PITA with leaks but finally got it to seal. So now We have one backup in case of an emergency.
shout out to @MuralReef for coming in clutch with an upgraded impeller to get the GPH we were aiming for.
we drank ourselves an adult beverage and started to aquascape!
I feel this is the most pressure put on us for the build, you dont want it to look like crap, but also you need to have the far sighted ability to know how it will change when dressed with coral. (we read this series several times Aesthetics of Aquascaping)
Also we had to assemble in the shed, since this was all live rock, and then run it into the house and get it in the tank. Working with dry rock is 1billion times easier!
Dirty work
first piece built, and one proud mama
in the water (tape was rule of thirds markers, when viewed straight on)
this was the biggest piece to go in as a single unit, there was just a small vision, and then we mainly let the rock build itself. If you are "unsure" of a piece keep trying others as I feel they really build themselves.
here is the 2nd piece
a look from the front. Really happy with how it is turning out
According to the golden ratio (5/3) 43" of the tank needs to be one piece(5), and then 28" is the other (3). Furthermore the height of the big left structure is 20" therefore the next structure cannot be above 12" to meet the rule.
We wanted an arch, but also had to work with a piece that had a large live (recovering) coral, this was the worst. Had to build from the sky down, as wanted to keep the coral in water as long as possible, not being rattled by drills, and me cursing at it and many other things....
We had to bring that one in 2 pieces, really trying to play the depth of the tank and not just make a wall of rock, also we very much went with the "less is more" due to the large volume of rock still in the sump. Due to having a bow front you can see so much of the tank, we built to have a different experience from every angle. straight on you cannot see the giant shelf, but from a side view there it is!
Always need to remember refraction when building out of the water, this arch came out way better than the first!
Let us know what you like and what you don't. Your fresh set of eyes is a welcome assistant as we have stared at these rocks all weekend.... blah
I feel this is the most pressure put on us for the build, you dont want it to look like crap, but also you need to have the far sighted ability to know how it will change when dressed with coral. (we read this series several times Aesthetics of Aquascaping)
Also we had to assemble in the shed, since this was all live rock, and then run it into the house and get it in the tank. Working with dry rock is 1billion times easier!
Dirty work
first piece built, and one proud mama
in the water (tape was rule of thirds markers, when viewed straight on)
this was the biggest piece to go in as a single unit, there was just a small vision, and then we mainly let the rock build itself. If you are "unsure" of a piece keep trying others as I feel they really build themselves.
here is the 2nd piece
a look from the front. Really happy with how it is turning out
According to the golden ratio (5/3) 43" of the tank needs to be one piece(5), and then 28" is the other (3). Furthermore the height of the big left structure is 20" therefore the next structure cannot be above 12" to meet the rule.
We wanted an arch, but also had to work with a piece that had a large live (recovering) coral, this was the worst. Had to build from the sky down, as wanted to keep the coral in water as long as possible, not being rattled by drills, and me cursing at it and many other things....
We had to bring that one in 2 pieces, really trying to play the depth of the tank and not just make a wall of rock, also we very much went with the "less is more" due to the large volume of rock still in the sump. Due to having a bow front you can see so much of the tank, we built to have a different experience from every angle. straight on you cannot see the giant shelf, but from a side view there it is!
Always need to remember refraction when building out of the water, this arch came out way better than the first!
Let us know what you like and what you don't. Your fresh set of eyes is a welcome assistant as we have stared at these rocks all weekend.... blah
SynDen
Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
M.A.S.C President
M.A.S.C Webmaster
Looks pretty good. Although the piece on the right side should likely come toward the mid a bit more. With it that close to the glass you will eventually have corals growing across that and then you wont be able to get around it to clean the glass and such. otherwise looks really good. Good shape and plenty of room for stuff to grow
I really like what you have going, nice work! I would like more height, but you have to consider that the higher up corals will shade the underneath corals. Maybe some kind of rock frag rack on the back wall? That might add the look of higher rockwork, and give you a place to start off some frags? Like this:
View attachment 15185
View attachment 15184
View attachment 15185
View attachment 15184
Looking good! I will echo Angel that you might want to consider bringing the structures slightly in from the walls. Think about what tool you will need to use to scrape the walls and allow a bit of room for coral growth. You will likely not have room to scrape directly up and down (so allow room to work at a bit of an angle).
Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
Sent from my iPhone using MASC - Marine Aquarium Society of Colorado
I wanted more height too, and was following that article about golden ratio, the right/middle structure wasn't supposed to be over 12.5". Those articles are not gospel, but for someone extremely artistically challenged, I had to try and stick to the math (much easier for me.)
I like those rock plugs holders though! maybe use one or two until I can grow something taller.
I like those rock plugs holders though! maybe use one or two until I can grow something taller.
SynDen
Administrator
Staff member
M.A.S.C Club Member
M.A.S.C. B.O.D.
M.A.S.C President
M.A.S.C Webmaster
Thank you!
It is 3" off the glass, what distance would you recommend, also you think I can actually grow corals?!?!... good one
how do you feel about the height, again assuming I can actually grow stuff
It is 3" off the glass, what distance would you recommend, also you think I can actually grow corals?!?!... good one
how do you feel about the height, again assuming I can actually grow stuff
Height isnt bad, I might add a bit of height to the left side but otherwise I think its good
We picked up an absolute MONSTER of a RBTA from @Cabby, the rock it is on weight over 30 lbs but fits the shape of the aquascape perfectly!
It adds some serious wow factor to the tank, also grabbed a beautiful brain coral that makes the tank look like there is some life in it!
What're your thoughts?
It adds some serious wow factor to the tank, also grabbed a beautiful brain coral that makes the tank look like there is some life in it!
What're your thoughts?
