Re-Aquascaping with every coral purchase?

sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Does this happen to everyone or am I he only one who drives herself nuts with the aquascaping in my nano? I have a 14 gallon Biocube and I find it the most difficult to aquascape of all my tanks. I fret and stress and re-design it till I want to throw a rock through the glass and then FINALLY, after several hours, much foul language, sore muscles, and a totally disrupted group of fish and corals, I find the set up that I like. But then I bring home a new coral and I start moving things around to find the perfect spot for the new one and everyone else that I end up gutting the tank and starting from scratch. Tonight I wanted to add a slight overhang to give my new sun coral some shade and it's starting all over again..... I've stepped away from the tank to cool down and will dedicate part of tomorrow to taking out all the rock and coral and starting from scratch.
This is ridiculous. What should be my first priority? Stability? Aesthetics of the rock before I add the corals? Formation that allows the most flat surfaces for the corals?
I'm off to go look at everyone else's tank to get some ideas. If anyone has "been there - done that" please feel free to suggest the best way to arrange the rocks in a biocube. My coral collection is growing so it seems the placement of them all is getting more challenging.
Sue
 
coastie5685

coastie5685

Member
lol... does sound like a bad personal issue to me... just kiddin... just set the rock where you want it and buy the corals according to the spots you have left open to put them.. dont move your entire reef around to fit the coral . make the coral fit the aquascaping duuuuude.
 
premilove

premilove

Active Member
+1 to the max. i have a jbj 28 nc and every time i purchase something new either a frag goes into my other tank or i re aquascape. god i hate it. i need to upgrade!
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Originally Posted by Coastie5685
http:///forum/post/3033072
lol... does sound like a bad personal issue to me... just kiddin... just set the rock where you want it and buy the corals according to the spots you have left open to put them.. dont move your entire reef around to fit the coral . make the coral fit the aquascaping duuuuude.

Oh sure - you make it sound so simple: "just set the rock where you want it . . . ."

Where and how I want it might not necessarily be the way that is stable and sturdy, nor will it be a way that allows enough flow all around and enough places for fish to swim and enough places to place coral, etc. etc. etc. And then there's always the challenge of making sure nothing is so close to the glass that I can't run my magnet cleaner across without knocking stuff over.
I'm actually thinking maybe I need to remove a rock or two - this would be a WHOLE lot easier if I wasn't always trying to utilize all my rock. I don't know how many pounds I have in there but I know it's ridiculously challenging to make it all look good yet still keep the tank functional.
Guess what I'll be doing all day today? (over and over and over again)

Sue
 
coastie5685

coastie5685

Member
lol to funny... well if you remove rock .. youuu knoooow you just cant let the rock goto waste.
looks like sue will be setting up another tank
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Originally Posted by Coastie5685
http:///forum/post/3033877
lol to funny... well if you remove rock .. youuu knoooow you just cant let the rock goto waste.
looks like sue will be setting up another tank

Hah! No way! I have a 55 gallon and a 46 gallon bowfront that I can put any excess rock in - so there!

Oh no! But if I add extra rock to one of the other tanks, I'll end up re-aquascaping that tank to accommodate the new rock!

Maybe I should place the extra rock in my head to go with the other ones in there.
Sue
 
flower

flower

Well-Known Member
Originally Posted by SueAndHerZoo
http:///forum/post/3032931
Does this happen to everyone or am I he only one who drives herself nuts with the aquascaping in my nano? I have a 14 gallon Biocube and I find it the most difficult to aquascape of all my tanks. I fret and stress and re-design it till I want to throw a rock through the glass and then FINALLY, after several hours, much foul language, sore muscles, and a totally disrupted group of fish and corals, I find the set up that I like. But then I bring home a new coral and I start moving things around to find the perfect spot for the new one and everyone else that I end up gutting the tank and starting from scratch. Tonight I wanted to add a slight overhang to give my new sun coral some shade and it's starting all over again..... I've stepped away from the tank to cool down and will dedicate part of tomorrow to taking out all the rock and coral and starting from scratch.
This is ridiculous. What should be my first priority? Stability? Aesthetics of the rock before I add the corals? Formation that allows the most flat surfaces for the corals?
I'm off to go look at everyone else's tank to get some ideas. If anyone has "been there - done that" please feel free to suggest the best way to arrange the rocks in a biocube. My coral collection is growing so it seems the placement of them all is getting more challenging.
Sue
Rearranging is bad for coral. You have to stop yourself. Look at an empty spot on your rock and imagine what will go nice there. Do research to make sure that spot will keep whatever you dream up happy...then purchase. Be selective a nano hasn't much room.
I am compulsive like you. I overwork everything, and never let it be the same. Since I made myself stop my corals are doing much better.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
You're right, Flower, I never thought about the trauma to the corals with all my rearranging. (I thought I was the only one being traumatized!) Maybe if I can remind myself that I'm hurting them it will help me keep my hands out of there and leave it alone. Actually I am very happy with the way the 14 gallon came out so hopefully there will be no need for me to do this ever again. (yeah, right).
Seriously, though..... all the rock is stable, it's away from the edges so I can easily get a magnet glass cleaner around, it has places for fish and inverts to play, and it has plenty of surface area for my corals. The only thing I lack is any more "shady" spots so you're right - no more impulse buying..... I'll figure out what I want first and make sure there is a spot for it before I buy it.
"Step away from the tank, Maa'm".
Sue
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Originally Posted by mtbenino
http:///forum/post/3034490
Where are the pics at?
Very good question ... I am very bad about that. I always enjoy looking at everyone else's pix but when it comes to taking and posting my own I always figure, "eh - who wants to see those?"
I'll take and post some in the next few hours. Thanks for the reminder.
Sue
 
nordy

nordy

Active Member
I hear ya about the re-aquascaping thing-I went through that in my 55G many, many, times and I finally have an arrangement that I am pretty happy with. For now, anyway
At times, I removed LR and gave it away, then ended up buying some more when I changed my mind. Again. Now, as my 55G reef tank has really filled in, the zoas are spreading to all the nooks and crannies, the Rics are happy where they have settled, I am pretty happy and hate to disturb them by aquascaping or, even, cleaning the tank.
It reminds me of when I was really into gardening-I had to learn to let the plants fill in, and to realize that the long term view is important and not to get carried away with every new plant (coral) that I saw and figured could find a place in my garden (tank).
Now that I am starting my Aquapod over again (see my other thread here) I have the chance to do it all over again. it's a lot harder with the smaller tank though-leaving enough room to clean the glass in a 12 gallon doesn't leave much room for creative aquascaping.
Looking forward to some pics of your tank!
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
OK, just took some photos of the newly aquascaped 14 gallon biocube. As with everything else, I got carried away!
Sue




 
salami trigger

salami trigger

Member
YOUR NOT GONNA LEAVE IT LOOKIN LIKE THAT I HOPE!!

Just kidding...It's the artist in you...I am the same way...my wife couldnt believe how I would spend hours getting it JUST RIGHT!
 
mtbenino

mtbenino

Member
Well my problem was that they always attach coral to these big pieces so I had to remove some rock in order to have enough space for everything.
Sue, your tank looks amazing, I have to make a trip to the LFS today and see what they have.
 
sueandherzoo

sueandherzoo

Active Member
Originally Posted by SALAMI TRIGGER
http:///forum/post/3034736
YOUR NOT GONNA LEAVE IT LOOKIN LIKE THAT I HOPE!!

Just kidding...It's the artist in you...I am the same way...my wife couldnt believe how I would spend hours getting it JUST RIGHT!
Oh crap. You may have just been kidding but you KNOW I'm now going to go home for lunch today and look at it critically to see what I could do differently. Thanks a LOT - my poor corals may get relocated yet once again!

I'll get you for this - let's see some of your full tanks shots so I can help you second-guess your placements.

Sue
 
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