Aquascaping your Reef Tank - Part I

With the increase of aquarists interested in raising the bar on reef keeping projects to match the Modern Times when it comes to equipment and husbandry techniques, much of that attention has been directed to the smallest details that altogether are known to build the big picture. Still, Modern Reef Tanks are not reflected just in the technical area but also in the aesthetics and the replication of the marine habitat as natural as possible.

While the “ rock wall” layouts or tank full of rocks are still favoured by some reefers, newer and refreshing ideas are becoming more and more common practice when it comes to rock arrangement. Aquarists are beginning to take interest in the construction of their rockwork, paying the same attention to detail in positioning the smallest of the rocks like an artist painting the rocks of the wild riverbed. This article focus this type of commitment and tries to share some principals and notions of Reef Aquascaping, the same principals and notions that can be found in Landscaping and Planted Tanks Aquascaping which are firstly and always inspired by Nature herself.

Building a reef layout can be tricky. While it is always a personal taste, the willing in setting up an environment that is natural and comfortable for the tank inhabitants, providing shelter and space for the fish to swim or enough area for coral placement, or both is, most of the time, common to all aquarists. These are all valid goals that are shared by the reef enthusiasts but the personal taste is something that differs from one person to another. Some will also say that they don´t have the skills or the imagination to create a reef environment that is eye catching and so they leave that effort for coral placement, hopping that these will create a more interesting scenario once they fill in, distracting the view to their beauty. Truth be told, corals do have some of that capability, specially when one plays with colourful species and place them regarding colour contrast and shape but what isn´t realized is that the rockscape itself can be the primary and first factor for a more natural and balanced coral placement, promoting an easier way to appreciate the tank in detail and as a whole. Aesthetics aside, rockscapes that are planned and meticulous built can also promote better biological filtration since water flows more efficiently through and around the rocks, helping bacteria and microorganisms perform their job better, while reducing the chance of detritus accumulation.

I try to follow five simple rules or guidelines, when building a reefscape which can be very orienting and make the task much easier. These are:

- Good water flow around and through the whole rockwork

- Fish shelters

- Fish swimming area

- Coral area

- Natural and aesthetic feeling of the rockwork

So, how should one aquascape his tank in order to provide the five major factors? Lets begin with some Aquascaping notions…

Aquascaping Notions

People often make themselves the questions: what does it mean “ Aquascape”? What is “ Aquascaping” a tank? I don´t think there´s a particular definition of the term, though it´s something that is used for some years by people who refer to something that is created with natural materials so the creation itself can be inserted in a natural underwater or water related context. Some people will consider it as an art form, others a way of life, some will play with it for personal joy, others use it to get away from the daily life. Whichever is the connotation or use, the term “ Aquascaping” is tightly associated to Nature and the pursue of man building scenarios that have Nature as inspiration. So, instead of having at our disposal an infinite amount of space to build such scenarios like in nature, we are limited to a glassbox and it´s inside that glassbox that we try to recreate a small piece of reef. To make such scenarios more natural and more view-friendly, some art notions like, e.g., the ones us ed in paintings, have been imported to the home aquaria, to be used when aquascaping the reef scenario. Lets review the most important…

Focal Point ( fig. 1): this is probably the most important “ rule” of all. It represents the cradle where the layout is born and from where it develops to other parts of the tank when it is viewed from the front glass. When aquascaping a tank, this is the part of the layout that should stand out the most, the dominant area of the whole tank. Focal Point is related to Fibonacci´s number and the Golden Ratio which, in few words, is located in the point where the 2/3 of the tank meet the other 1/3 or, more exactly, in the point achieved by the division of the tank´s length with the constant 1,618. This rule has been used since the Renaissance for artists and architects in their works to make these more balanced and aesthetically pleasing and is now transferred to the aquaria decoration. Focal point can be created through a big rock or pile of small rocks that when positioned in a particular way, can capture the viewer´s attention the minute he looks into the tank. Later on, that same focal point can be strengthen with flashy corals that have warm colours ( red, purple, orange, yellow, etc) or corals that will form a big colony once they fill in, or both. Some aquascapers like to create the focal point in a negative zone such an open sand area or even create more than one focal point. The first technique will have a limited effect since creating the focal point in a sand area will inhibit a pleasing and fluid observation through the rock structure and the corals placed over it since the observation begins in the sand and will continue through the sand until the viewer is forced to turn its observation to the rock structure and corals placed over the rocks. This is because there´s not a natural transition from the sand to the rock. Transitions are made through connection points that belong to the same material or subject. For example, sand pathways will have fluid transitions even if a rock is placed in order to narrow that same pathway because the sand has continuation and we have that perception. Also, rocks will have smooth transition, even between two islands that are separated by sand. This is because rocks can have bigger contrast over the white sand and we can explore that contrast by placing small/medium rocks that will make the transition from one island to another without loosing fluidity. It´s a matter of perception and how equal or different materials can promote or inhibit the viewer´s natural observation of the layout. The technique of using more than one focal point is also very difficult to achieve with success and will often result in confusion and a not so natural feeling when the aquascape is observed. The viewer´s observation gets lost because there isn´t an area where the vision is fixed and from where it begins it´s course through the rocks and corals all the way to the escape lines in order to achieve a balanced perspective of the entire composition.

Fig.1: one solid rock island with a pronounced focal point that stands out as a diagonal reef plate

Tension or Escape Lines ( Fig. 2): Tension lines are extensions of rocks that have it´s origin in the focal point and from where they take the direction towards the infinite and/or towards other rock structures. They serve to guide the viewer´s observation from the focal point to the rest of the rockwork, giving a fluid and balanced notion of the entire layout through the background, midground and foreground. They also serve as connections between the main and secondary rock structures, e.g., when one builds a two or more-island layout. They also give detail to the overall composition at the base level ( sand) and provide coral area at the base, middle and superior level of the layout. Always aim for a combination of rocks that can be puzzled together in order to get the appearance that it is a single piece of rock. Playing with tension lines also gives a three-dimension perspective but it should not be done in excess to the point it gets over-distracting or unnatural. Aiming for an impar number of tension lines contributes to an asymmetric effect and asymmetric layouts should always prevale over symmetric ones. Again, for a question of balance and natural feeling since symmetry doesn´t exists in Nature.

Fig.2: note the triangular escape lines in the base and plates at the middle level of the layout

Depth with rock bleachers ( Fig.3): rock bleachers will provide depth to the reef layout by promoting a smooth transition between the foreground, midground and background. The “ Bleacher Effect” is much more noticed if the rocks that serve as “ base rocks” to the rest of the rockwork are smaller in the front and taller in the back. Besides rock size, one can also play with the sand bed by sinking or raising the rocks in/from the sand. Rock bleachers provide more visual effect over the whole tank depth by simply playing with the base rocks and connect them with the upper rocks. When searching for the “ Bleacher Effect”, remember to visually diverge the front base rocks with the back base rocks in a way that the back ones are exterior to the front ones or, in other words, in a way the back ones can be seen from the front glass. This will also give the extra depth at the sand level and will allow a wider view of the layout. The rock positioning must be tried out in several ways to find the best angle for the rocks when viewing the tank from the front and then from slightly angled areas. Remember that depth is a matter of perspective so you have to promote it by playing with several perspectives when looking at the tank. Small rocks in the foreground with bigger rocks in the midground and finally smaller rocks in the background also promote depth as they give the feeling that rocks get smaller with distance. Do not confuse with the “ Bleacher effect” where it´s the opposite ( big rocks in the back, small rocks in the front). The “ Bleacher Effect” is made with the base rocks. The other rocks ( smaller in the back, big in the mid and small in the front) are positioned next to the base rocks to give the final depth effect. Again, remember they always have to be angled to get the most perspective.

Fig.3: Bleacher effect in the two islands but much more noticeable on the main one

Open Spaces ( Fig.4): when aquascaping, you should always consider leaving some areas only with sand to promote more visual impact over the rock structures. Putting a rock next to the lateral glass will inhibit the mind to think that the reef layout is an independent structure from the glass, will not give an open feeling inside the tank, will turn the glass cleaning difficult or even impossible and will ruin that side of the tank if it´s viewed from that glass ( decoratively speaking). Open spaces around the rock structure will call the viewer´s attention to them and to what corals you place over them. It will also give a cleaner look to the overall layout and, of course, will provide much better water flow around the rocks. Open space between two or more rock structures can contribute to a more natural three-dimensional effect, thus providing more depth. This open space between rock structures works best with sand. Sand will increase the feeling of depth if the rock structures get narrower from the front glass to the back glass. This is called “ The Canyon effect” and, if done correctly, will give a great tree-dimensionality feeling to the aquascape ( Fig.5).

Fig.4: open spaces around the rockwork provide better visual effect and efficiently water flow

Fig.5: the Canyon effect – notice the depth created by the two rock structures and evidenced by the sand

Rocks in the sand ( Fig.6): small rocks in the sand positioned as the end terminations of the tension/escape lines give the last detail to the overall aquascape. It´s these small rocks that complete the look of the big basal rocks that erect from the sand bed, giving the appearance that erosion and sedimentation occurred in all rock structures, whether they are under or above water. It´s those same details that give the natural feeling when one looks into a reef tank, even if they are not noticed at a first glance, though they will be surely caught by the eyes once these roll out through the rockscape from the focal point to the escape lines.

Fig.6: every rock structure has small rocks in the end terminations, some next to the big rocks, others serving as small islands

To be continued in " Aquascaping your Reef Tank - Part II" 

Text: André Silvestre

Photography: André Silvestre, Ching Chai, Paul Aka Last Version, Thomas Hirschmann Aka ReefingBuddha, Zachary Ramwa Aka Patwa