#NEGATIVE SPACE AQUASCAPE MOVIE#

I drilled my rocks because they would always fall down and I got tired of breaking corals. I seriously considered doing this with my last tank and I might do it if I ever move. I think it looks really classy when done properly. This is especially popular in cube tanks where space is limited. It's not very hard to do but it can be time consuming. Lastly, around 2005 or so people started to use foam, sand, and liverock to create walls to cover the glass of the aquarium. On a practical level, negative space helps break up territories for fishes, as in the example of a tank aquascaped with multiple rock. Creating a focal point in an aquascape is much easier when there is an open area to break up the visual monotony. Tangs and angels have a hard time in tanks with this design, but some people still use it. First, negative space helps break up long spans of rockwork, adding visual interest. I never liked this design because the flow is awful, detrius builds up behind the rocks and there isn't much room for fish. They got the nickname 'fruit stands' because the bright colors looked like a grocery store display.

#NEGATIVE SPACE AQUASCAPE MOVIE#

It looked something like stadium seating where they would start in the front of the tank and stack towards the back like a movie theater. In the late 90's and early 2000's people started filling their tanks with rocks. They might have a small pile of rocks in the center of the tank or a single layer of rocks in the center of the tank. Some books would recommend undergravel filters and minimal rockwork. I would read all kinds of books from all of the libraries in my area. When I started in the 90's knowledge was limited. Here are some random pictures I pulled from the internet. Maybe it's a sign of the times or maybe it's due to increased understanding of our systems. I've seen quite a few different styles of aquascaping since I have been reefing. Lots of experience in landscape photography makes this come naturally to me, but that wasn't always the case! The set up in the below picture took about 20 minutes to set-up and putty in place still allowing for lots of surface area for filtration and glueing, and lots of caves and pass throughs for swimming area. I don't have the time or skillz to add a visual diagram, but, whether looking from above, in front, or either side of my tank the rule of thirds is applied on all viewing planes. I selected my current standard 90 gallon because the deminsions allow a great balance of rule of thirds on four major planes verticle, horizontal, depth and length. If you don't know what 'the rule of thirds' is google it, it's a very simple concept with countless applications. I agree with BPb in that I don't take a lot of concern in fine detail of rock since eventually it will be <90% covered.īut I will add that having had a few visual art courses in various forms I am a BIG believer in the rule of thirds.

Negative space aquascape