Landlocked

[prairies]

Aquascape looks great!

Thank you so much! The right and left sections are glued, the middle I'm still fiddling with until my glue comes in. It's honestly been a bit tricky putting it all together as I definitely am my worst critic, and I want it to be aesthetically pleasing while also factoring in caves, tunnels, surface area for corals on various levels, height, water flow, swimming areas, breaking line of sight, and the amount of rock needed for adequate bacteria growth. I just keep telling myself that in the end the rock won't be seen all mature tanks look amazing anyway.

 

[Gumbies R Us]

Thank you so much! The right and left sections are glued, the middle I'm still fiddling with until my glue comes in. It's honestly been a bit tricky putting it all together as I definitely am my worst critic, and I want it to be aesthetically pleasing while also factoring in caves, tunnels, surface area for corals on various levels, height, water flow, swimming areas, breaking line of sight, and the amount of rock needed for adequate bacteria growth. I just keep telling myself that in the end the rock won't be seen all mature tanks look amazing anyway.

Good on you for considering its practicality and aesthetics. Once it's covered with coral, it'll blend in great!

 

[prairies]

Here's a top down view of the incomplete scape. While I feel like it still needs more rock, I'm going to hold off on piling on too much more as I know I'll want some floor space for smaller rock/coral islands. Overall I'm happyish with the coverage.

 

[prairies]

Been chipping away at gluing all the rock together, refining details along the way. I'm hoping to get most of it, if not all, completed this weekend. Overall, I'm happy with how it's coming together.

I've been doing a lot of research on lighting for quite some time, and I think I have my options narrowed down to the final few.

Originally I had planned for 2-3x XR30s, or 2x XR30 with 1x Kessil (Exclusively for shimmer). However, this is a very expensive route *Cries in Canadian*

Then I began to entertain the idea of going with AI blades, either 2 grow/1 glow, or 2x blades paired with pendant LEDs (using the hanging kit) due to their sleek design, popularity and stories of success.

Then I began to consider 2x Reefi Uno Pro, for their high intensity jammed into a small package.

NOW I have researched my way out of LEDs and am considering T5 lighting, or T5/LED hybrid. I would go with 6 bulbs, however am still unclear whether to go for 60" T5 only, or 48" T5/LED hybrid.
Because the ends of the aquarium are fairly rock heavy, I'm concerned about hanging a 48" on top as I know the sides will shadow, and I really want to have the full ability to place anything in the aquarium and find success. This is why I would consider pairing it with LEDs, specifically in order to try and light up those edges.
I know it makes more sense to go all in with the 60", but I do have concerns about too much light spilling out of the tank and becoming a general eyesore in the room. I'm hoping to have time to do some browsing of member tanks today and see if I can get a visual representation.

Anyway, I'm overthinking it as usual. I just don't want to buy and cry!

 

[prairies]

Work in progress with still several revisions to make, but I'm becoming more excited for the day water goes in.

 

[prairies]

The middle piece has been finalized and glued. Very happy with how it turned out, there's several caves and a decent amount of space for coral. It fits nicely beside the right piece, and once they're all grown over you shouldn't be able to tell that they're separate pieces. Still working on detailing and gluing the left side before I consider the scape complete. Fingers crossed I'll have everything finished this week.

 

[prairies]

Here's a sneak peek at the left side still in progress.

 

[SaltySqueeble]

Love it. Looks Natural

 

[prairies]

Love it. Looks Natural

Thank you so much! There's been many times when I've stepped away thinking "I have no idea what I'm doing", but piece by piece it's coming together. It's not just a pile of rocks... It's a pile of rocks with soul