Aquascape design recommendation?

[Dirt4dinner]

As my new tank nears it's arrival date I can't help laying in bed at all hours of the night thinking about how it is going to look (you know your a reefneck...).
My last aquascape was a little easier, as I had a 48" long tank which leave you lots of room for different peaks throughout the horizon of live rock. My new tank is only 36" but much taller. I am wondering what your thoughts are on the aquascape for this style of tank. I have a builtin overflow in the back center.
I am thinking about just piling the rock up high against the overflow, like a mountain. Or, I could run a line of piled rock from one side of the tank to the other, I could do a horseshoe style deal, with a sandy area in the front. I could but large piles at both back corners and have a lower pile wrap around the front of the overflow. The possibilities are endless. Which makes me wonder what you guys like.
Bring on the suggestions!

[Reptoreef]

I advise against piling against the wall... creates too many "dead flow spots". Instead, why not get a bit creative and build a small diameter pvc frame of what ya want, and wire tie the LR to the frame work? You can create a naturalistic scape with cave and all if that's what you like. IMO, keep as far away as possible from the piling of the rock, though. Insied of the framework could remain hollow... anyway, it may not look super terrific, at first, but with maturity and growth... well, you know.

[dsfdbutterfly]

Tyler,

I had the same problem being my 30 gal is 20" wide and 20" high. You can check out what I did on my thread for the nano stuff. If I had a bigger tank (I was dreaming this last night that's why I know this) I would love to create a landscape that gave me sand area and an overhang. Since so many things are light dependant but, here's the catch, if you go with MH half the stuff doesn't like it directly. I plan for my next project to build a scape that is a steady bottom and then getting a pretty flat piece of lace rock to create an overhang. I would then continue with a few more pieces of LR on top of that. I was even getting creative in my dream and had an area that sloped down and then back up kind of like Greg's pic on the front for TOTM. Been looking at the web site too much I think but love that picture too.

I wasn't concerned with using a few pieces of lace rock, soon it will be covered just like the rest of the rock and well on it's way to blending in. Can't really draw you a picture but I hope this gives you an idea and spurs your own creative thoughts.

Angie

[davejnz]

Tyler,get youself a couple 18" long pieces of Tonga branch LR.Tonga branch is great for elevating your aquascape up off of the sandbed.For a 3' long tank,I'd try to have no more than 3-4 points of contact(base of the aquascape) in the sandbed.Try to leave as much space between the glass and aquascape as possible.AS Repto mentioned,rockpiles are a bad idea.I prefer to start the base of the aquascape in the back half of the tank and leaving alot of sandbed open in the middle.Then toward the edges,I'll bring the scape up closer to the front.This gives the illusion of a wider tank(more depth of field).It also will be a great place for solitary sandbed corals.

[Dirt4dinner]

I guess when I said "pile rocks" I was being to general, I don't literally mean "pile", it was just a term for a group of rocks, usually with just one rock actually on the sand. But yes Dave, I like the idea of an open center or a "horseshoe" effect. I am not real keen on the idea of PVC frames as I don't really know what I am doing and I would absolutly loose my mind if I could see the PVC from any angle. However, I hadn't much considered tonga branch, and I might have to consider that for the base part of the structure. What do you think of mixed varieties of LR? I have already commited myself to 50# of LR which I believe is just your typical Fiji or Marshal Island shapes. I have never really liked the thought of mixing varieties but it could look good...

[davejnz]

I actually prefer mixing.Tonga branch,Fiji is what 95% of my LR is in my tanks.I recently bought some LR from the LFS called Kaelini,its simliiar to Fiji but not as dense.

[perpetual98]

We don't want Tyler to lose his mind...

Oh wait.... too late..... :)

[carpenterwrasse]

I tried pvc pipe...hated it took it out in a day....I stragically position my rocks not that the wife likes the way i do it and usually end up changeing it again.

[davejnz]

Isnt that the truth C-wrasse.I think it takes at least 3 or 4 re-arrangements before you finally create your "idea" aquascape.