Reef Discussion

[MagicJ]

As I will need to do a new aquascape of my 4x2x2 sometime in the next 6 months I have started to have a think about what I might like to do. I will definitely be looking for a very open scape.

This thread will be used to bring together all the pictures, articles and video's I find which appear useful. Hopefully, it might also assist others in what is, for most, a fairly difficult decision.

Happy to have any input from others if you find something useful.

 

[MagicJ]

I really like the LHS of this tank - the open structure looks to be Tonga live rock - that's what it used to be called a few years ago anyway. I do just happen to have some of this in my tank :) Something like this

 

[daveH]

Do you think that low level scape will work in a 2ft high tank? It can seem a little lost in that depth.
I was thinking along those lines when I started the Cade but ended up adding more rock to balance things up.
I love the shallow tank look. If fact that would be my next tank choice.
The main factor is the height of the stand so that the tank is at a pleasing eye level and you're not looking down into the tank too much.

 

[MagicJ]

@daveH - I guess something like the LHS of that tank could be built as high as you wanted to... depending of course, on how much of the thin coral skeleton type rock you had :)

Keep in mind that I am just pulling together things that I like the look of - not all will be feasible in my tank.

 

[daveH]

I love that thin skeleton rock, I haven't seen much of it around.
Do you already have some or are you on the lookout for it?

 

[daveH]

This was posted in another thread a little while back - I think it is really good and maybe it could be copied using the skeleton rock?

 

[MagicJ]

I love that thin skeleton rock, I haven't seen much of it around.
Do you already have some or are you on the lookout for it?

I do already have some - not sure how much until I pull my tank down. I suspect I will need to join some pieces together to achieve the desired result. From memory, this type of rock was known as Tonga rock so I assume that it was imported from Tonga which would no longer be allowed.

 

[MagicJ]

This is an excellent series of articles by Paul Whitby

Aesthetics of Aquascaping
by Paul Whitby

When setting up a new tank we all have a very similar desire to create a living image of a reef, or other biotope that is best suited to the inhabitants we wish to keep. An image forms in our head of how we want this to look and then we begin to add sand, stack rock, create structure and inevitably step back and shake our heads. Welcome to the world of aquascaping. While at first glance the process of building an appealing structure seems easy, it is often the case that the more we work at it the further from our conception it becomes. In this series of articles I want to share with you some hints, tips and ideas on how to create living pictures that are balanced, harmonious and most of all, suited to the species we wish to keep.

To give you some background on where these ideas come from, over the years I have dabbled a little in graphic design, photography, landscaping, and keeping reeftanks. All of these have a visual composition component that can be transposed to the image we wish to create. Some of the ideas presented here are based on experience, observation and personal preference, while others have a sound scientific basis behind them. In this article I wish to discuss some of the rules of thumb to creating a stunning scape and add to this the basis of composition.

Rule 1, Less is often more.

From a visual perspective, discreet structures add more depth and realism to an aquascape than does a solid rock wall. To achieve this, it is often better to fill less of the tank volume with rock to increase the contrast and visual impact. A little later in this series of articles I will delve into the actual process of building structures, but for now let us consider the rockwork as a whole prebuilt unit, that we can position at will. As most of us know, common knowledge is that the rock/water ratio is approximately 1.5 lbs rock/ gal water. Using this formula can lead to a somewhat cramped tank, however, not all the rock needs to be in the display and a fair proportion can be added to a chamber of the sump. Bear this in mind when designing the tank setup. To determine what would be an appropriate amount of rock to use, consider this simple rule of thumb. At least one third of the tank bottom should be free of rock, and one third of the back and side walls should be clearly seen. To further emphasize the visual impact of this space, both of these areas should be free of visual clutter that distract from what we wish to display. By this I mean keep the back wall and sides free of coralline algae growth, visible powerheads, overflows etc., Also keep the sand bed free of small rocks, shells, dead corals and other junk. When you achieve this, the results are dramatic and in essence a frame is created for the structure you are ultimately displaying. This is a concept commonly used in both photography and landscaping and is called “negative space.” Aside from the visual impact of negative space, it also has a number of other benefits that include increased swimming space for the fish, greater water flow due to decreased obstacles and better nutrient depletion since there are less areas for trapped detritus to occur.

This beautiful tank of Adrian Moeller is a perfect example of creating a living picture by eliminating visual clutter from the sides and bottom of the tank, as well as using a large sand bed to emphasize the structure.
Photo by Adrian Moeller
Rule 2: A Mirror is not the best reflection.

As humans, our brain has evolved to be a pattern recognition machine. Our alphabet, music and most visual cues are all centered around our ability to determine patterns. As a consequence we can very easily detect simple patterns, such as something divided down the middle, or symmetrically arranged. Having said that, we are also preprogrammed to automatically arrange things around us to give structure and order to our lives. In essence this translates to an unconscious drive to build things with symmetry. Knowing this upfront will help prevent you dropping into this simple trap and accidentally building something that clearly looks man made. Avoiding symmetry alone can make a huge difference in aquascaping; following the golden rule, detailed below will really help avoid this pitfall.

Rule 3. Avoid the bends.

One stumbling block many people hit when scaping a tank is not allowing for refractive effects. Simply put, refraction is going to bend the path of light as it leaves the tank water/glass and enters the air before hitting our eyes. When it does this it acts like a lens and makes the contents of the tank appear closer. In actuality, refraction will compress the depth of the tank by about one third. Thus, a 2 foot deep tank will look 18 inches deep; a 3 foot tank will be compressed to an apparent 2 foot depth, and so on. Now, aside from the fact that refraction makes our expensive tank looks smaller, the main problem from a scaping perspective is that refraction only affects depth, not height or width. This means that any slope you create in the tank (such as an arch) will become compressed if it moves from front to back. This is a serious problem if you, as many people do, design a structure out of water. Once it goes into the tank a front facing slope will be compressed by 30%. So, a premade 45 degree slope becomes a 60 degree slope. Likewise, a 60 degree slope will resemble a shear wall. Knowing this upfront can save a lot of time when designing your scape. As a general rule of thumb, make slopes that run front to back as gradual as possible.

Rule 4. The correct ratio is Golden.

The Golden rule goes by a number of names, such as the golden rule, 5-3 rule, the golden ratio or the golden mean. Irrespective of the chosen name, the golden rule describes a very simple feature that is a constant throughout nature and science and is based on proven mathematical principles and, as such, is more than just a rule of thumb. As far as we are concerned it states that: Any two features when juxtaposed look most natural or harmonious when the ratio of their dimensions fits the golden rule. While this is a constant in nature, it has also been adopted by many human disciplines such as landscaping, architecture and photography and is a fundamental of virtually all visual based arts. The first people to really recognize the significance of the golden ratio were the ancient Greeks who described its properties in a mathematical form. In the 13th century an Italian mathematician went one step further and described an ascending series of numbers, the eponymously named Fibonacci series, where successive values are the sum of the previous two numbers. The first elements of the series are 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34, 56 etc. The interesting thing about the higher numbers of this series is that if one were to divide successive numbers, the result is the Golden ratio every time. The two numbers 5 and 3 are often used to describe this since they are easy to remember and are the simplest combination that approximates to the golden ratio of 1.6.

When designing the aquascape of my current 600g tank I incorporated a single gully feature sited at the approximate 5/3 dividing line. In addition two coral island were incorporated with approximate 5/3 ratio. Additionally, the aquascaping by Adrian (shown above) also incorporates the 5/3 division of the coral islands. Photo by Paul Whitby

Following the work of Fibonacci, artisans and mathematicians realized that sequential numbers of the Fibonacci series represented facets of geometry and natural structures and that the golden rule is a relative constant in nature. This was famously described by Leonardo DaVinci, who stated that bodily proportions exhibit the golden ratio (in fact many art critics speculate that the face of the Mona Lisa is constructed around this principle, explaining her enigmatic beauty). Aside from the work of Da Vinci, the golden ratio has been deliberately employed in a number of architectural structures such as the Taj Mahal, In nature, examples of the ratio can be seen in the arrangement of sunflower seeds, the growth of pine cones, the spacing between elements of our heart beat, crystal structures, flower petal arrangement, the segments of animal bodies and even the very structure of DNA. So to summarize, the golden ratio is seen everywhere and we have become so accustomed to it that anything following this ratio is automatically aesthetically pleasing to us. So- how can we utilize this peculiarity of math and nature to our advantage. Interestingly, there are a number of applications but all of them rely on the division of space into a 5-3 ratio. The simplest application is when choosing the placement of a “center piece” coral in an already scaped tank. Instead of adding at a central location, as the name would imply, divide the tank by an imaginary 5-3 ratio and site the coral as close to the dividing line as possible. If you can also do the same for its vertical spacing as well, the coral will be in the most ideal aesthetic position and will become the most noticed. This is a very common application seen in photography and painting. However the golden rule can be applied to much more. When planning the addition of a single feature to an empty tank- such as the negative space of a gully or canyon, position it off center such that it sits on the approximate 5-3 dividing line. If you are planning on adding multiple structures, work them to have an approximate 5-3 ratio in width and further emphasize this by applying the same ratio to height. If you are planning multiple structures such as rock islands, pillars and towers etc, initially figure where the key element would be (such as the largest or tallest piece), then divide the remaining space into 5-3 and site the center of the other one at this point. In the figure, a theoretical tank is divided into 5-3 segments to show all of the various applications of this simple rule. Choosing any of these easy-to-apply approaches will help create an aquascape that looks both natural (at least in composition) and ensure that symmetry is not inadvertently applied to your rock work.

Please remember, the simple rules and ideas detailed above are approaches to aquascaping, and not absolutes you have to follow. Some are based on observation and some on accepted visual theory. Your tank is that: your tank and you should follow the approach that suits you best. I hope that the ideas I have discussed above stimulate thought and hopefully help you in a quest for the perfect look. In the next article I will look at the value of color theory and forced perspective as applied to marine biotopes.

http://www.reefs.com/forum/reefs-magazine/100520-aesthetics-aquascaping.html

 

[MagicJ]

Aesthetics of Aquascaping: Part 2
by Paul Whitby

Photo courtesy of Steve Weast

In the first article of this three part series on aquascaping, I discussed some of the simple rules of thumb that can be applied to the design of the rock structure that will help you develop a natural looking vista. For the most part, these were based on simple aesthetic principles utilized in other visual arts, such as minimalism, composition and negative space. The application of the Golden Rule introduced a more scientific based element to this decision process. In this installment of the series, I wish to expand upon these basic principles and introduce two other key parts of the scaping process. The first involves a technique used by many in visual 3D designs, that being Forced Perspective, while the second is a very old scientific principle developed in the 1600s and revolves around Color Theory. The application of forced perspective rounds out the decision making process of where to place and arrange our rock structures while color theory moves us into the realm of dressing our rock structures with corals.

1. Forced perspective.

Forced perspective is a technique that once again employs an optical illusion to make something appear artificially altered in size or location. In essence, it’s a technique we can use to make our rock structure appear artificially larger than it really is. Similar to the application of the Golden Rule, forced perspective is a visual technique commonly used in landscaping, architecture and art and is easy to apply to our smaller 3 dimensional structures. As we all know, an object far away looks smaller than the same object up close. By bringing the far away object closer, but making it smaller and viewing from the same place, the illusion of depth and distance is maintained but in a much smaller area. This is the most common application used in aquascaping. To better describe this, let's look at a few examples in architecture and landscaping, which very much reflect the principles we use in aquascaping.

Japanese Rock Garden

Disneyland USA
Probably the undisputed master of forced perspective is Disney. Whenever a Disney park is mentioned the image of the towering castle comes to mind, however the reality of the castle is very much different from our perceived image. Disney uses forced perspective in numerous subltle ways. In the photograph of the main street the Castle can be seen in the distance, but in reality it is much closer. To achieve this effect the ground slopes upwards and the buildings get slowly smaller the nearer they are to the castle. In addition, the street also becomes narrower. All of this serves to create the illusion of depth. In the Japanese water garden the rocks in the foreground are larger than those behind, as are the trees and the shrubs. Also note that the pool narrows to the back and that the stream runs away at an angle. All of which emphasizes, or forces, the perspective.

So, given the above examples, how do we apply this to a much smaller enclosed space. The easiest and most common application comes from the use of gullys, or valleys in the rock structure. In part one, I discussed the use of gullys as negative space and the positioning of them to fulfill the golden rule. If a break in the rock is used, it can be made to follow forced perspective by making the back of the gulley narrower than the front of the gap. In this way the break appears to go back farther than it actually does. Another technique is to make the valley at a slight angle, this again emphasizes depth. One can also enhance this by making the height of the rock work at the back smaller than at the front. This would however make for a very odd looking structure, so to achieve the same effect, build the rockwork and then slope the sand bed upwards towards the back. The net result is a smaller height of rock that can be seen, but a very much improved illusion of depth. This is possibly the only aquascaping technique that requires attention over time as the sand will slowly settle to a flat bed, and would need to be pushed back every so often to keep this illusion. In smaller tanks the use of forced perspective can be difficult to apply due to the lack of space. A simple way around this problem is to make any valleys run at a slight angle away from the front. Bear in mind the issue of refraction (discussed in part one of this series) will increase the apparent angle of the valley, and angle both sides, not just one, to create the illusion of narrowing. This will ultimately have two impacts. One will be the addition of apparent depth due to forced perspective and the other will be an interactive component in that the observer is likely to move themselves and their viewing angle to allow them to better observe the valley. This has a psychological component of making the viewer perceive the tank as physically larger. In the tanks that I aquascape, I always use angled gullys to create interest and build forced perspective. In the examples shown below, Steve Weast has utilized forced perspective to make the valley between the rock look longer than it actually is. While Steve's tank is large already, the illusion it creates is that of a much more massive structure.

2. Color Theory.

Color theory is very much a blend of science and aesthetics and essentially describes which colors look best when juxtaposed against one another. The basics of the theory were described by Sir Isaac Newton (Ca.1642-1727) who discovered that when sunlight passes through a prism, the individual colors of the spectrum could be observed. In doing so Newton was the first to understand that sunlight was indeed a blend of lots of different colors which our eyes perceive as white. Newton described the individual colors as being “perceptual” rather than physical. By this he meant that we see different colors and that color is an interpretation by our senses rather than a physical property of the lights wavelength. In doing so he essentially described how eyes work, although those discoveries came several centuries later. Irrespective of this, Newton went on to make a major leap in the understanding of light, and vision, when he realized that the linear spectrum could be folded into a circle and that every known color could be found on that circle by blending those on either side of it. This simple tool has since become known as the color wheel, a tool used throughout modern history in art, design and graphics. An examination of the color wheel shows some interesting features that we can capitalize upon to increase the visual impact of our aquascaping. The first key feature is that the primary colors red, blue and yellow form an equilateral triangle. All other colors are a blend of these three primary colors. These are also the three color receptors of the human eye and, likewise, we perceive colors as a blend of the signal from the three receptors. Another feature of the wheel is that complimentary colors are directly opposite on the color wheel. An interesting property of complimentary colors is that they appear artificially brighter when adjacent to each other. So, as a person wanting the best aquascape- what does all this mean to us and how can we use this information ? The simplest application is that of "complimentary colors". Since our structures are 3 dimensional, there will be many situations where two corals sit next to, or one in front of the other. In this case it is best to choose complimentary colors to enhance the visual effect. The simplest way to do this is to choose a coral that you particularly like as the main focus coral and then choose any other coral that has a complimentary color to bracket, or frame it. An example of a focus coral would be a rose millepora which has a deep pink red color. Using the color wheel, we can see that directly opposite red/pink is green. So, for maximal effect a green complimentary coral is required, such as an Acropora yongeii (green slimer) or an A. abroholsensis- or indeed any other green coral. The focus coral is then placed in the prime location for viewing (following our 5:3 rule of course) and the complimentary coral placed adjacent or behind the focus specimen (see images below). When doing this, bear in mind that we are planning on the future look of the corals and to give them space to grow and colonize that area. This simple technique can be applied to any coral and will make a nice specimen truly outstanding in our tanks.
In nano systems we can go one step further and stock the system with self complimentary corals. A prime example of this would be The Superman montipora, a pink body with blue polyps- while not truly complimentary, the colors are very close to a true diagonal across the wheel, and really stand out against each other. Sunset montipora is another example, but any mushrooms, ricordia or zoanthids exhibiting self complimentarily will really stand out in this smaller environment.

In these examples the Color Wheel of Sir Isaac Newton is shown. From this the complimentary colors of Red and Green can be seen as a diagonal across the wheel. In the last panel a Rose Millipora is bracketed by a green Acropora. Note how the green helps highlight the pink, yet the blue coral to the side appears washed out.

Since our tanks, and our aquascape structures, are 3 dimensional, chances are that we will have many corals in a single area and as such the principle of complimentary colors cannot be easily applied. In this scenario, to maximize the visual impact we can apply the principle of harmonic triads. In this the application, the colors at the points of an equilateral triangle are chosen for use as opposed to two directly opposite colors. For example, the primary colors red, blue and yellow make a harmonic triad, as do the secondary colors (secondary colors are found equidistant between the primary colors and are purple, green and orange). By drawing an imaginary triangle on the color wheel and rotating it, all of the harmonic triads can be found. When applying this use it is easiest to choose the specimen, or focus, coral that we desire the most- in the example below, this is a purple acropora. Then, look to the color wheel, mark the purple color and use this as one point of the triangle and find the other two colors to create the harmonic triad. In this example they are orange and green. To build the best arrangement use the focus coral at front and bracket it with the other two corals, once again allowing space for the corals to grow. At this point it is important to mention variety of structure as well as color, and use different corals to create and appealing picture. In the example shown, I have a purple A. valida in front of an orange Montipora digitata and outlined by a lime green Montipora capricornis. From experience I know that the orange digitata will grow upwards, more than out, the valida will form a globe of small branches while the capricornis will plate, so that none of the corals will grow through or over each other for several years. Although this is a single example, the tank I have shown in part one of this series and in several pictures in this installment, was built using the theory of harmonic triads. The corals in the tank are not particularly “collector's items” or “limited editions” but were chosen primarily based on color and growth pattern, representing a secondary benefit of the use of the color wheel. By choosing corals based on these attributes, as opposed to “named” or “limited edition” corals we can make a very beautiful structure with commercially cheaper corals. For those “must have pieces”, the color wheel shows us how to best display these pieces to maximal effect.

On the color wheel the purple color of the Acropora valida is chosen as one point of an equilateral triangle. The other points lie close to orange and green. Corals with these colors were chosen to bracket the focus coral. In this skillfully created example of the use of Harmonic Triads, Steve Weast has built a vibrant aquascape based upon coral placement and visual impact.
With the inclusion of forced perspective, the range of decision making aspects of aquascaping are completed. Together with the other principles discussed in the first part of this series you are now armed with a range of tools you can employ to plan out your rock layout before you start adding rock to the tank. My personal advice is to play with these concepts until you feel confident with their application and that they will provide you with the result you seek. In doing so you will help to solidify the idea you have in your head for how your tank should look. Chances are that this will be completely different to how I would do it, and that is the beauty of the above mentioned principles. They are merely guides, not absolutes. You should feel free to choose which to use, or discard them all, but the principles still remain. With the introduction of color theory you now have access to a very simple decision making process to highlight the corals in your tank. To my mind, color theory is one of the most powerful tools we can use and by doing so it will help you create an image of stunning colors when the tank is viewed as a whole, as well as highlighting specific corals when only sections of the system are observed.

Photos courtesy of Tony Vargas

In the final installment of this series I will detail some of the physical aspects and techniques of structure building. This will include the use of PVC sub frames, drilling and pegging rock, the use of zip ties and how to build arches and pillars and will discuss water flow in the context of tank design.

Photo credits: Japanese water garden from : http://helpfulhintsblog.com/make-you...ed-perspective

Disney Images from: http://bgavideo.wordpress.com/2008/1...d-perspective/

http://www.reefs.com/forum/reefs-magazine/111388-aesthetics-aquascaping-part-2-a.html

 

[MagicJ]

Aesthetics of Aquascaping III
Building the Backbone of an Aquascape.

by Paul Whitby

In the previous two installments of this series, I discussed some of the aesthetic principles that can help with the design of your aquascaping. Armed with these ideas and rules on composition, a picture can be built in our heads, or on paper, of how we want the final product to look. In this, the last article of the series, I want to shed some light on the actual process of construction. Obviously, our raw material is rock, originally derived from a reef, but this may come in many forms from dry through to recently collected live rock. In addition, there are multiple types of rock which each have their own physical structures. Choosing the correct rock for your aquascaping is half of the problem solved. In general, there are two ways to work with rock. The simplest form is using gravity to hold it all in place by simple stacking, or using some form of a rigid structure to provide the template for the design. Both of these approaches will be discussed in this article and shown step-by-step in the accompanying slide shows.

Pillar Construction: Drilling and stacking.

Probably the simplest method of aquascaping is simple stacking of live rock to create pillars. This is most readily performed by selecting relatively flat pieces of rock, drilling and mounting them sequentially on a rigid pole such as PVC or acrylic rod. Accompanying this article is a slide show, detailing the steps involved in simple pillar construction. For the most part, when building pillars I tend to use ¾ inch PVC pipe. I find it is easy to work with, it holds the rock well and has a number of fittings that can be utilized to help support the overall structure.

The first step is deciding the overall height of the structure. This is easy to do since we know the water height in our tank and we should by now have a rough idea of how high we would like the rock work to be. Based on this determination, a length of PVC is cut to our requirements. This is mounted to a PVC “T” fitting which is then mounted to two further “T”s. Small extensions of PVC pipe make an H at the base of the pillar which stabilizes the column and holds it upright. I would suggest that each of these fitting is glued to help keep the structure intact while you work. This part of the construction will ultimately be hidden by the sand bed.

The next step is the actual drilling of the rock. For pillars I am a huge fan of shelf rock. In the past, this was readily available- albeit quite expensive. Unfortunately, the availability has dropped to almost none. Recently I have started taking a more environmentally friendly approach to building aquascapes and have become a huge fan of the dry rock supplied by Marco Rocks. This vendor has a range of flat type rock under the name of Prime Cuts which is ideally suited for aquascaping. This material is very easy to use, and due to open structure it is really easy to drill and to lock into place. Now, before drilling, a few words of warning. Safety with power tools is a major concern. Safety glasses are a must, I also recommend using cordless appliances as water and electricity are a bad combination. Until you are comfortable drilling rock I would also like to suggest that you proceed with caution. Drills have a tendency to snag in the rock causing the rock to jump, so please be careful.

When drilling rock, be it dry or wet such as Marshall islands type or Fiji, I use a diamond hole saw. This is sized such that it fits over the PVC pipe we are using. This is important as we want a certain amount of “wiggle room” for the rock to settle onto the top of the rock beneath it, and lock itself in place. If the hole is too tight, the rock will resemble a string of beads as opposed to a solid structure. In this case I am using a 1 ¼ inch diamond hole saw from Gl*******s.com. While drilling, I usually employ the help of a friend who trickles water over the rock to keep the drill bit cool. When building a pillar, the bottom piece of rock should be the largest piece you have, and should be drilled in such a way as to partially, if not completely cover the base of the pillar. This will help stabilize the entire structure when it is in the tank.

After the drill has penetrated a short way it will likely stop, this is due to the plug of rock touching the inside of the drill. To continue, remove the drill and using a screwdriver pop the rock plug out of the hole, and then complete. Once the first piece is done, slide it over the pipe and drill the rest of the rock. With regards choosing the order of pieces on the pillar, there are no rules. Simply select pieces of rock and drill them, trying to avoid the center where possible. As each is drilled, slide them onto the pipe, twist until the rock settles, and you are done. When the last piece is added, mark any remaining PVC at the top of the rock, remove the rock and recut the pipe such that the top is hidden. This is best done outside the tank, but can also be done within the tank.

For best results, I have found that being totally random and not trying to stack rock in any order works really well- but your design may be a pillar that tapers from the base to the top, or completely the opposite with a large top and a smaller base, giving a larger sandbed. A great thing about pillars is the ability to experiment as you go. Small pieces make great fillers, larger pieces make great ledges for corals to sit on. The pillar shown below was constructed with the Prime Cuts rock. Build time was under 30 minutes. The structure was randomly assembled, is very stable and would look natural once encrusted with corals.





Arch Construction: Drilling and Zipties

The easiest and simplest way to build an arch is to construct a PVC frame that will ultimately be encased with rock. By doing this, you can initially play with the PVC to obtain the best shape for the system you are building. With arches, it is more important to take note of the various rules discussed in the first two installments of this series. Remember that refraction will increase the angle of the slope, if the arch is coming forward. The Golden rule can also be applied to the spacing of the legs and the overall height of any arch when compared with other features of the tank.

Similar to the simple pillar, I prefer to use ¾ pvc pipe for arch work. On tanks up to 24 inches deep, I generally build an arch that connects onto a pillar structure and bring the arch at a slight angle forward. This is the build detailed in the slide show. By bringing the arch forward at a slight angle the "uniformity" is broken and the image appears to be more natural. In tanks over 24 inches deep, I like to build a multi leg structure that has at least one arch as a leg, if not more. I also usually incorporate small pillar like extensions as well to break the image up and introduce random elements. Since the rock is suspended and held by the PVC it is essential that a solid firm structure is created. Care needs to be taken that all the pieces fit together to make a stable structure, all the fittings are seated well and are firmly locked in place. Due to the nature of the construction, I generally do not glue arches together.

To build an arch, I cut the pieces and assemble the structure. At the base of the legs usually a "T" is fitted or the "H" frame described above can be used. To create an interesting and more natural looking structure, the PVC for the arch can also be sculpted to add flats, curves, angles etc. In general, I use a combination of 45 degree bends along the arch to provide flat areas along its length for mounting corals as well as bending the arch backwards and forwards. This removes the “straight line” of pipe, effectively hiding its origins. While this technique initially appears to be quite daunting, it is in reality a very simple approach to structure building. It does however take time to perform.

The key to success is ensuring stability as you work. The first step is to secure the structure by adding the initial rock piece on the bottom, then working upwards, ensuring each piece of rock is securely anchored to the framework. At the base, a heavy rock is generally placed over the pipe similar to that for the pillar. This can be easily achieved by drilling at an angle through the base piece and sliding down the pipe of the arch. Alternatively, we can begin to drill and zip-tie the rock to the pipe. Much like pillar building, arch work also requires certain shapes of rock, in this case long thin pieces, ideally with a slight curve on one face that can be wrapped around the pipe. If such pieces of rock are not readily available, small pieces can be used to the same effect, but this ultimately requires more work.

Taking each piece of rock separately, I begin by fitting the rock to the pipe to find an orientation that gives the best fit. In this case, best fit means to cover as much pipe as possible and make a good alignment with any other rock already incorporated. Once a rough idea of placement is achieved, the rock can be drilled. I use 6 inch long zip-ties and each of these requires a hole of around 1/4 inch to be drilled, unless the rock already has a convenient hole. Once I have the placement of the rock figured I look for an area that can be drilled such that a zip tie can be passed through the hole, loop around the back of the PVC and hold the rock tightly in place. Preferably, the hole should be in an area not readily visible from the tank front- or one that will be later obscured by a coral or another rock.

To drill the rock I use a masonry bit. I find this drill works very well for smaller holes- but I do not use a hammer setting on the drill since I have found this to sometimes crack thinner pieces of rock. Once drilled, the zip tie is threaded from the back of the rock through the hole then around the pipe. This keeps the bulk of the zip tie out of sight. The rock can then be mounted to the frame simply by aligning, connecting the zip tie and pulling it tight. It is likely that the zip tie may twist the rock slightly, however the next rock piece can be used to force the first piece back into alignment- this makes for a stronger overall structure. When pulled tight, the excess of the zip tie is cut with scissors, or wire cutters. This process is repeated on the back of the pipe to create a covering, on all sides, that runs along the length of the structure. It doesn’t matter if the pieces do not fit perfectly, this adds to the natural look, and corals or small pieces of rock can be used to fill in any apparent gaps in the structure. To ensure that the rock cladding does not slip on the pipe, every so often I also drill a hole through the pipe at the place where a rock is zip tied. The tie is then pushed through the hole and cinched tight. This allows the rock to be very tightly bound to the frame and prevents it from moving. Doing this really ensures stability and permanency of the build.

Another aspect of the arch, is adding platforms for corals. A feature that I personally think looks good are several ledges along the length of an arch, and at various angles to each other. These can be easily added by drilling shelf rock (discussed above) at a slight angle and sliding onto the pipe much like a pillar. Alternatively, if available, a larger hole saw can be used and the hole obscured by rock above and below. If taking this approach, it is obviously important to not glue the PVC frame together and to incorporate flat sections into the original design. As opposed to drilling, rock shelves can be also mounted by simply zip-tieing the rock to the PVC frame and the other existing rock structure. In this instance it is a good idea to drill the PVC pipe as well since this will firmly seat the shelf in place and stop it from tilting.

In the accompanying slide show detailing the construction of a simple pillar and arch I am using pieces of fiji live rock, old corals skeletons, and the dry Prime Cuts rock from Marco Rocks to clad the pipe. The individual pieces of rock are chosen for their shape and how they fit around the PVC. In the slideshow, a piece of shelf has been drilled with a larger hole saw and slid onto the pipe, then zip tied to hold it in place. Another Shelf piece is used on the top of the flatter section of the arch.

The examples shown above are of the initial construction of a large complex arch structure that resides on the right side of my 600g tank. Initially I designed a PVC rack subframe that would ultimately hold the rock. This structure is shown out of the tank so you can see the overall shape. It is also shown sited inside the tank straddling the pipework of the closed loops. Since it has 4 legs, and each is braced, I was able to begin adding rock at the top, flatter section of the arch and building down, hiding each of the black penductors of the closed loop as I progressed. As can be seen, ledges were incorporated by zip-tieing shelf rocks to the frame. Overall, this PVC based arch structure has provided a very open space within the tank. Once corals were added and allowed to colonize the rock, the overall effect became one of a large natural arch. The single piece of exposed pipe stood straight up on the right side was ultimately used to create a small pillar which can be seen in the final aquascape images of my system in this, and in previous articles.




Finishing touches.

The above two discussions really focus on the large scale structure of the system. However, aquascaping is more than just the big rocks. In a lot of structures, I also add smaller rocks to break up an otherwise flat shelf and obscure straight edges. There are two ways to do this, one is to drill and peg the rock and the other is to use a commercial cement type compound to glue the rocks together. The cement I use, and like a great deal, is "E-Marco-400" again available from Marco Rocks. I have used this with many types of rocks and it works equally well with all. My reasons for preferring this compound are that it can be used under water, which is great for finishing touches, it bonds well, has a great track record and is very simple and easy to use. It is also non-toxic which makes it ideal for our needs. I mix about a half cup at a time to a thick consistency and use it exactly like cement to bond the rocks together. Since it will have a slightly smooth finish, I often drop crushed gravel or sand onto the finished edge to obscure the flat texture. This process works well for any rock that is already stable and holding itself in place reasonably well.

If there will be tension on the joint, or the rock is not stable, such as a rock that overhangs the one it's joined to, I drill and peg the pieces. The process is very similar to that discussed above for pillar building, but on a smaller scale. Generally, I cut 3-4 inch lengths of 1/4 inch or 1/2 inch acrylic rod. The two pieces of rock are then aligned at the best angle to incorporate the rod determined. Each rock is drilled for about 2 inches and pegged with the rod. More than likely the fit is not exact- but with the use of the rock cement discussed above, it can be corrected, and locked into place to make a very firm structure. This is the technique used to create the "bonsai" tree arrangement of branches coming from a central spindle.



In summary

In the three articles of this series I have tried to give you insight into the creation of an aquascape that is both functional and pleasing to the eye. Some of the ideas are based on scientific principles, some on art, some on design and some on common sense. Hopefully, after reading these articles you can decide what would work for you and your tank with the resources you have available. Everyone's situation is different, so it is difficult to propose an aquascape plan that works for everyone. It is my hope that I have given you inspiration, and that you can take these ideas, expand upon them and create a final product that is visually stunning.

Years ago, my aquascapes were piles of rocks with corals growing on them. Water flow was impeded and the corals lost their dramatic beauty. When I began incorporating complex structures based on these techniques, I was surprised by how easily they were built and how the overall visual impact was improved. Having lectured on aquascaping at various clubs and conferences for several years, I have also had the great delight to see many tanks that people have scaped taking these principles into account. Again, all of these people were as amazed as I at the ease of the build and the results that could be obtained. So, in closing I encourage you to think outside the box, do something different, play with your aquascaping and create a living image...and if you do create something wonderful- please send me a photo!

http://www.reefs.com/forum/reefs-magazine/119589-aesthetics-aquascaping-iii.html

 

[chimaera]

It's amazing how personal this is. None of the examples shown in that thee part series do it for me, though some of the discussion is great.