The 2010s reef aquascape was a wall of rock filling 70% of the tank volume. The 2020s aquascape is the opposite: minimal rock structures with maximum open swimming space, designed for water flow and visual depth rather than pure rock biomass.
Sketch the aquascape on paper. Decide on 1-2 main structures (peaks, arches, shelves) plus 2-3 small islands. Open back wall, no rock touching glass on the back or sides.
0.5-0.7 lb per gallon of system volume. Marco Rocks, BRS Reef Saver, or Pukani for dry rock; cured live rock if you want biological seed. Mix rock shapes - shelf, branch, foundation pieces.
Pukani and similar high-porosity rocks should be soaked in fresh water for 1-2 weeks with daily water changes to leach phosphate. Skip if using BRS Reef Saver (already cured).
Use reef-safe two-part epoxy putty (Reef Glue, Aquastick) to fix rock pieces together OR drill rocks with a masonry bit and use plastic zip ties / acrylic rod. Build OUTSIDE the tank in a tray, dry-fit, then glue.
Set the cured/glued structure in the empty tank. Verify it doesn't touch the back glass, leaves at least 4-6" of swimming space at the front, and provides multiple coral placement zones at different heights.
Pour sand around the rock structure, NOT under it. Rock-on-sand is unstable and can shift over time. 0.5-1.5 inches of sand is sufficient for a modern reef - deep sand beds (3+ inches) are out of fashion and produce more issues than benefits.
Soft coral spreads. Hammer expands sweepers. Plan placement with 4-6" margins between specimens to avoid future collisions. Bottom third for soft + LPS, middle for hardy LPS + easy SPS, top third for demanding SPS.