200g Reef Tank - Episode 12 - Aquascaping

ADVERTISING

LuxoGear Emergency Whistles with Lanyard

Shop now »

NOCO Genius GEN5X2, 2-Bank, 10A (5A/Bank) Smart Marine Battery Charger

Shop now »

RHINO USA Boat Trailer Transom Straps (2PK)

Shop now »

LUCKY Kayak Portable Fish Depth Finder

Shop now »

Seaview 180 V3 Full Face Snorkel Mask

Shop now »

Most popular comments
for 200g Reef Tank - Episode 12 - Aquascaping

Live comments
Comments on YouTube

Danny Lyle - 7 years ago

I hope you don't mind but I want to use your islands as models for my 75 gallon and I may even put a Skull

JDReef - 7 years ago

I am really enjoying DMC at the moment but if I ever decide to upgrade well you'll just have to wait n see

JDReef - 7 years ago

It's all good Danny, I'm flattered you want to use my aquascapes as inspiration. I love skulls always have done.

Yeah my whole channel and the tank were started with the pirates of the Caribbean theme. The black pearl has came and gone. Currently on Dead Man's Chest but who knows if the story ends there

Ryan Dunbar - 7 years ago

Spot on!

JDReef - 7 years ago

Thank you Ryan

EDK ReefMeister - 7 years ago

youre damn good

JDReef - 7 years ago

Thank you for watching and the kind comment fella.

Cheers
JD

reef guy 92 - 7 years ago

awesome job on that I'm gunna try do this when I set my tank up looks really nice bro

JDReef - 7 years ago

No problem bro... good luck

reef guy 92 - 7 years ago

JDReef4220 I'm going to order some soon for when I do my tank

JDReef - 7 years ago

Thanks fella, the flat rock is reef plate that I bought from my local fish store. But you can get it online easy enough. Just search for reef plate and you will find it. To stick the rocks together I used and have used on my new tank build. Is epo-putty! This stuff is great I love it and use it all the time for aquascaping and securing coral etc.

Cheers
JD

shane richardson - 8 years ago

i tired to do this but failed. rock just fell over

JDReef - 8 years ago

You need a good base rock to build off. But yeah it's trial and error until you get it right.

Good luck...

jeff mays - 8 years ago

The best video on this I've seen. Very imaginative and inspiring.. Gonna follow your lead..

JDReef - 8 years ago

Thank you fella, always nice to hear things like this. Good luck with your aquascaping...

Cheers
JD

eric olsen - 8 years ago

sweet DAWG

cooljz82 - 8 years ago

Absolutely gorgeous job with creating those structures! ! Super inspiring! ! Any tips or sites that inspired you as far as creating those pieces?

JDReef - 8 years ago

Thanks fella, I just got my inspiration from looking at pictures of islands in Thailand and stuff. Then just took my time messing around with the rock until I got something I loved. Best tip I can give you is to not be afraid to break the rock up. Also try to pick interesting pieces with lots of holes and character. Avoid large Boulder pieces as these really are difficult to use. But are good for a foundation. Just don't buy to many of that type. Then really it's just a case of letting your imagination flow. Good luck shipmate!

Cheers JD

patrickfaas - 9 years ago

Great series.
Love the Scottish accent, but it doesn't help to understand the phrase: "leave it to dry for a couple of weeks in the sun."

10. comment for 200g Reef Tank - Episode 12 - Aquascaping

Kris Bury - 9 years ago

a little bit of crushed rock pressed into the putty can make it dissapear

Fish Tales - 9 years ago

Hi thanks for the video, it has given me some inspiration to
change the way my tank looks.
Was wondering could i use Aquarium sealant to stick my rock together?
It sticks glass so i thought it might do the job!

JDReef - 9 years ago

Hi you've got a nice sized tank to start with. It only gets more expensive the bigger you go. I went to big and it ended up that I couldn't afford to stock it. At times I wish I kept my 100 gallon but I've enjoyed my journey with this build anyway and met lots of great people.

I'm enjoying a break from the hobby now and tbh I'm not in any rush to start again. I will probably get back into it but for the time being I'm enjoying my free time and having cash in my wallet again lol

Best of luck with your tank and remember no matter what happens " There is no problems, only solutions! "

Fish Tales - 9 years ago

Thanks for the info, hope your next project
goes better. I have a 20 Gallon marine tank
and it is expensive and time consuming,
with all the info out there it is confusing especially with it being my first marine setup.
There heave been times when i wanted to give up, but i am going to persevere. And i thought Tropical aquariums we're difficult! :-)

JDReef - 9 years ago

Hi Wendy thanks

Antony487 - 9 years ago

lol too funny at 1 minute on the video, listening to a scot talking about sunshine, JDReef be careful you don't blink you may very well miss that sunshine, that rock will never dry out in Scotland, lol great stuff buddy I'm really enjoying to videos.

JDReef - 9 years ago

Thanks fella, yeah sunshine in Scotland lasts two weeks if we're lucky lol..

Mark Johnson - 10 years ago

really impressed with how these look, will definitely be giving this a go! How did you actually construct the islands, does the acrylic rod go through all of the rocks, or are most of them just stuck together with the putty around the rod? Much better than faffing about under the water trying to stack rocks! Thanks for sharing :)

Mark Johnson - 9 years ago

Thanks JD, will give it a go :)

JDReef - 9 years ago

Hi Mark, drill the rocks and then slide them onto the rod. Once you create the look you want, you can add other bits of rock to it using epoxy for the finishing touches. I used 10mm thick rod on all my islands.

Good luck...

Cheers
JD

Mark Johnson - 9 years ago

Also, what diameter and length acrylic rod did you use?

neker rivera - 10 years ago

Wow really nice.

Gary - 10 years ago

Nice aquascape thanks for the fresh ideas, one think I picked up watching a different video was to use a piece of live rock to texture the putty rather than a screwdriver

JDReef - 10 years ago

Thanks fella, yeah it's six and two threes really as it ends up being covered in time when the rock matures. You can't see where I glued the rocks anymore now. But yeah if I had to do it again and was in a rush then I'd just press rock into it..

I've bought another 21kg of rock and busy trying to aquascape it.... Nightmare can't get it the way I want. I've added more because I want more caves and territories available for future fish... But finding the balance is proving tricky... At this rate I'll stick it in the sump and leave it as it was lol..

Cheers
JD

Kevin watt - 10 years ago

absolutely amazing looking , how long does it take to cycle dry/dead rock as i keep being to its better to use live rock

Kevin watt - 10 years ago

ok think ill do the dry rock , as you say it looks better so its worth the extra waiting period

JDReef - 10 years ago

It takes around 3 wks sometimes longer sometimes a bit less.

Paul King - 10 years ago

I don't understand why you left your live rock in the sun? Doesn't that defeat the point of live rock??

Nice aqua scraping though :)

JDReef - 10 years ago

Hi Paul when I was setting up my new tank I didn't want any pests. I new I had a fair bit in my live rock on my old system. So that's why I left it in the sun. I wanted all the rock going into the black pearl to be 100% pest free. Plus with all the rock being dead I could take as long as I liked aquascaping.
All of the rock cycled and is now live rock again but 100% pest free. I added Copepods and amphipods to the system but that's it.

Thanks fella
JD

espagues a - 10 years ago

So the the rod is secured through the rocks down to the eggcrate base? So without the eggcrate, the island would topple over or can the islands stand up on their own with just the acrylic rod? Thanks!

espagues a - 10 years ago

Functional and aesthetic...dayum son.

JDReef - 10 years ago

Hi Andrew, the egg crate was only used while it was on my kitchen work top. The islands stand up on there own.

Cheers
JD

Primo Reef Acrylics - 10 years ago

Nice aquascape bud.

JDReef - 10 years ago

Thanks fella :)

20. comment for 200g Reef Tank - Episode 12 - Aquascaping

Tim Dyer - 10 years ago

How did you make the flat shelves?

JDReef - 10 years ago

Hi Tim, I used reef plate rock to make the shelves. Just broke it up to get pieces and sizes I wanted for the island.

DopeToys NY - 10 years ago

I tried to aquascape my new 200 gallon deep dimension tank last night (new to the hobby, first tank, water is freshly mixed). Not as easy as one might imagine. I thought I'd do it all inside the tank wet with epoxy, but it was very hard to do it this way, going to go back to the drawing board and use the dry/ framed method.

JDReef - 10 years ago

No worries good luck..

Cheers JD

DopeToys NY - 10 years ago

Yea I will get it in time. The key in this hobby is to have patience. And trial and error is sometimes what it takes. I'm about to order some acrylic rods now. Thanks for the reply, keep up the good work. Subscribing.

JDReef - 10 years ago

Hi Mark, yeah I know the feeling fella. Before this tank I aquascaped all my tanks with live rock in the display. Worked out ok but I couldn't create what I really wanted. One of the main advantages using the dry rock is you have all the time in the world to create whatever you want. Best thing I ever did. Wish I'd done it years ago...

Good luck I'm sure you'll get it how you want it soon.

Cheers JD

taile7973 - 10 years ago

You know, you can use a small piece of live rock and press again the epoxy make the job alot quicker and look better...

JDReef - 10 years ago

Yes I did that on my last island.

Cheers JD

James Ludwig - 10 years ago

very nice aquascaping. really like the islands !!

JDReef - 10 years ago

Thanks James

Guadalupe Delanuez - 10 years ago

I love it! beautiful, i would like to try this for my new 125g tank. hope it comes out as nice as yours = ) thank you for sharing

JDReef - 10 years ago

Hi Guadalupe, thanks for the nice feedback :)

Episode 29 I've added another island to the tank which was done in the same way. Makes the tank look bigger.

Be sure to post videos of your 125 build. I'd love to see your tank develop. Good luck and happy reefing :)

Cheers JD

j santos - 10 years ago

JD, awesome aquascaping. What kind of reef rocks are those, they look great.

JDReef - 10 years ago

I use masonry drill bit very easy! :)

j santos - 10 years ago

How did you drill into the Fiji rock. What type of drill bit did you use. I heard its very difficult drilling into Fiji rocks.

JDReef - 10 years ago

Thanks fella, it's a mix of reef rock and Fiji live rock I dried out.

Cheers JD

Laurie Coleman - 10 years ago

sorry I did mean EpoPutty
regards
Laurie

Laurie Coleman - 10 years ago

Hi, could you tell me where you pick up your plastic rod, I have tried aquascaping but have had no luck using Milliput is Epopoxy better and where do you purchase it.
keep the videos coming.
Regards
Laurie

JDReef - 10 years ago

Hi Laurie, yeah I find epo putty to be much better than milliput. Although both still need to be supported until the epoxy goes off and sets. I get my epo putty and rods from eBay. A quick search on there will give you all you need to create the aquascape you desire. Good luck and thanks JD.

MrPebaa - 11 years ago

Nice work. My next build is a 65 gallon, this IS exactly what I'm looking for.

JDReef - 11 years ago

Thanks MrPebaa glad you like it and good luck with your 65 gallon build.

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi pops, I used some dead reef rock and the rest was live rock I had in my old system. Which I left outside in the sun to dry out and bleach. I used a hammer and chisel to smash the rocks into shapes I wanted to use.

30. comment for 200g Reef Tank - Episode 12 - Aquascaping

BIG DADDY - 11 years ago

What kind of rock did you use and did you make your cuts or was it purchased as such.

JDReef - 11 years ago

Thanks buyseboy, yeah that's a great idea and worth remembering for next time. Cheers fella :)

buyseboy06 - 11 years ago

Don't know if anyone has said before but if you use a small piece of broken off rock to mark the putty it will look as good as rock and will save you loads of time :) great video, and the platforms look awesome!

JDReef - 11 years ago

Thanks Juan, yeah it makes getting nice overhangs etc easy plus you know your rock is safe n secure.

Juan's Reef Aquariums - 11 years ago

looks great, the acrylic rods are definitely an awesome idea

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi Dan thanks fella..

Dan Hamilton - 11 years ago

thats some pretty damn good aquascaping mate. once your corals all settled in its going to look amazing. cant wait to see the end product, definitely subscribing to you

JDReef - 11 years ago

Cheers fella we have the same way of thinking :D Yeah I can't wait to start my coral collection the islands will look much better then too..

JDReef - 11 years ago

Cheers Liam, go for it fella :) I've got them in the tank now and they look great. Just working on placement now but they look good I'm happy with them. Good luck with yours.

Liam Needham - 11 years ago

They look ace. Think I'm guna have to have a go at that

JDReef - 11 years ago

Lol thanks fella your aquascapes are always cool though.

jbliss2000007 - 11 years ago

Stunning job with the rockwork. I know have to take a page from your book for the next time I do a tank

JDReef - 11 years ago

Thanks fella :)

JDReef - 11 years ago

Great stuff mate I will check it out once you get a vid up :) Yeah I had big rocks but the secret is to not be afraid to break them up. I smashed loads in order to get what I wanted. I'm sure yours will look ace now though and can't wait to see it.. Your tank is stunning :)

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi Brett, thanks yeah that's one of the things I wanted was not to have to much contact with the substrate and it turned out well. Good luck with the larger tank once you get it fella.

JDReef - 11 years ago

Thanks fella :)

Brett'sReef - 11 years ago

Great Job! I like the fact, that you have a lot of space for placement for corals. But you have little rock on the sand, which makes for great flow and less areas for dead spots. Again, great job. You have inspired me to do the same once I get my larger tank.

TheGresham1973 - 11 years ago

Rock scape looks great man wow.

JDReef - 11 years ago

No worries fella :) Bummer about the old light unit but least now you can get something new. Decisions decisions tough choice but those ATI units are sweet mate.

triumphags - 11 years ago

Sorry, jumped the gun! Im at the same stage as you with setting up, but my old halide unit has packed up, & can't decide what to save for (ati dimmable, 8x54w would be nice).

50. comment for 200g Reef Tank - Episode 12 - Aquascaping

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi David, lol thank you mate I'm glad you like it. I new I liked what I made but aquascaping is very much a personal thing not everyone likes the same thing. I'm blown away by these comments thank you :)

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi Stephen lol thanks fella hope you wasn't to late for work ;) Thanks for the great comments :)

JDReef - 11 years ago

Thanks Gil I'm glad you liked it mate. Yeah the islands are super sturdy I made sure to have a solid foundation then worked from there. Good luck with your re-scape I bet it will be stunning.

dm002a8686 - 11 years ago

AWESOME James that's all I can say AWESOME

Stephen West - 11 years ago

Wow work of art there James they really look like a couple of characters off of the flying Dutchman see you've posted two more episodes looks like I'll be late going to work some things just more important great job

JDReef - 11 years ago

No worries thanks for the compliment fella :)

JDReef - 11 years ago

Very handy plus a bit of extra security knowing your rocks ain't going anywhere no matter what tries to budge them ;)

James Macdonald - 11 years ago

Thx for the full view james looks amazing!!

JamesAquariumz - 11 years ago

Looks class, I wish I used them rods ;(

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi bob lol yeah if it's worth doing its worth doing right mate.. Thanks fella.

JDReef - 11 years ago

Hi triumphags indeed you're correct fella & I will be blasting the rocks first with a hose to free off any loose debris & then the rocks will be placed in the display tank in RO water for a week. During that time I'll have a phosphate reactor running rowaphos to help get rid of as much phosphates as possible. The tank will only be filled with as much water that is needed to cover the islands after a week I'll drain it off then get the whole system running with salted water. Then the cycle begins

JDReef - 11 years ago

Cheers Aggy yeah I'm very happy with what i created. Makes me happy knowing you like it as much as I do. Aquascaping is a very personal thing " one man's perfume is another man's poison " as they say. I'm looking forward to getting some life and corals on the islands I'll get there eventually :)