suggestions?

debaric

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Feb 2, 2006
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N.J.
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Here is my 29g reef thats about 4 months old. Its 30X12X18. Its lit with a 150 watt HQI pendant and does not have a sump. Just wanted to know if you have any suggestion that might make it look better in terms of the aquascape or new corals to try out.

Thanks,
Chris

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That's a nice tank! What direction are you trying to go in? That is, what are you trying to accomplish and what are your goals? It looks to me that you haven't made a clear-cut decision in that regard and to me, at least, the aquascape sort of reflects that. I know that it may seem a little counterproductive, but possibly narrowing down the corals you have would make the display look better to me, at least. I like a display of a few larger specimens as opposed to the bonsai look, though many do seem to prefer that. Anyway, answer some of the questions and I may be able to make more suggestions. Just remember, though, this is more in line with my aesthetic, not necessarily yours (though you may very well agree with it). What counts is whether or not you like it, not me. I don't have to live with it.
 
I love the look of large colonies of zoos. Its a new tank so I think it may look weird because most corals are frags or smaller colonies. My next upgrade is going to be a 48g rimless and I plan to do a 6X39 watt T5HO over it.

I love the look of mixed reefs. I see myself having nice diverse large zoo colonies and a bunch of branching SPS coral towards the top. Also, when I do upgrade I want to have clams, brain coral, and Plate on the sand bed. Really, im just looking to have a tank that just pops with a million different colors but large enough specimens to really stand out and catch peoples eyes.
 
See the difference in aesthetic sense? Your goals are completely different from mine. Barring that difference, you can try opening your aquascape a bit. Also, try playing with different themes. Mine, for example, is a solitary rock bommie on one side of the tank. The other tank has some rubble and a few solitary corals. That's it. My best recommendation would be to look at pictures of real reefs or other peoples' tanks and see what you like. My idea basically took the edge of a shelf I saw in the Caribbean and essentially recreated it. It features a gentle slope, creating lots of open surface area and is mostly flat. Something like this (I realize this isn't Caribbean, but close enough):

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