Aquascaping ideas, please

Make sure you make a rock rubble pile so the pods will have a safe place to breed and support that dragonet.

 

Thanks for all of the suggestions. I'm up at 3:30 this morning thinking about my new tank. Here are the details.

150 gallon glass tank with two megaflow intakes
custom stained oak canopy and stand (espresso)
acrylic sump with bioballs (I think it's 35 gallon)
marineland marine pro 300 skimmer
rio plus 3100 pump
two sundial 4x39w 36" lighting fixtures
160 lbs of dry rock from bulk reef supply
RO/Deionization filter 75gpd

I will pick up some live rock from my lfs to seed the tank when I get it filled and the dry rock stacked. Everything but the lights and dry rock have come from my lfs, absolutely great place, clean well stocked, and owned by someone who spends a great deal of time with someone like me who is picky and wants something out of the ordinary. I have a very modern living space that the tank is going into, and Jason spent a lot of time calling suppliers to find a stand and canopy of the correct dimensions that could be custom stained to match the dark wood floors. It is so nice to deal with a business owner who takes the time to actually give great customer service. Just can't say enough about the experience.

I'm hoping that the tank and stand will arrive next week so that I can begin the set up procedure next weekend. This started out as a fish only tank, but somewhere in the precess turned into something a little more complex. I'm very happy with the setup, and hope that I won't have to do any upgrading down the road to accommodate some corals and anemones when the time comes.

This idea all started after a trip to Maui and snorkeling in Molokini Bay. We want to move there, but until that happens, I'll have my own reef at home to care for.

Thanks again for all of the input.

 

This is a pic of my 110g with a lot of swimming room. I personally prefer this look but it is always up to the individual. Just make sure you have enough rock as a biofilter...

 

here's a nice link that helped when I aquascaped my tank, the "cove" idea is very cool and always looks nice:
Aquarium Aquascape Design Ideas

my tank is a U shaped formation, I started with the "wall of rock" look but am much happier with it now, here's the before and after:

 

If you don't want to upgrade in the future, I would suggest getting some metal halides. A 150 is pretty big and if you ever think you will keep a lot of corals, I would get the lighting. I had 4x65w PCs on my 55 and they suck compared to the Metal Halides I just bought (then had to upgrade to a 75) but it is one of the best purchases i have made!

 

MoJoe,
Nice tank. I definitely like the second pic. I'm thinking something along those lines for my scaping.

As to the MH's, I have already bought some T5 fixtures, so I guess they will have to do for a while. I was planning on this being a FOWLR tank to begin with mainly because I didn't want to put so much light and heat into the tank. Hopefully I will be satsified with the soft corals i can grow with the light i will have.

 

i just did a 3 island and love it. it leaves two big open spaces that i like

 

Patrick,
With 6 ft of length to play with, I'm also hoping to be able to do a three island scape. I have it mapped out in my head, but I haven't received my rock yet. I'm thinking that I will get some egg crate and cut to fit just under the rock, thus leaving the rest of the sand bed clear for any diggers I might get but still having the weight of the rock evenly distributed.

 

Thx Hughey! Scaping can be so rewarding but also can drive me nuts . It's crazy how you can turn one rock a certain way and change the whole look of everything. Best of luck, we def want pics when you're done!

 

I loved molokini, my favorite dive site ever! had alot of fun with reef sharks there!