Rock Bowl from DFW MACNA

Prior to MACNA, I had the opportunity to ask the guys at Real Reef to create a Rock Bowl for my tank.  I've wanted something like that to grow mangroves near the top of the rockwork, where they would be able to grow up toward the metal halides high above the water.  From the side, the rock needed to look natural, but within it needed to hold sand for the mangrove root system.  I believe others might like something similar, and such a bowl could be useful for wrasse owners that maintain barebottom tanks.

At the conference, I was told my bowl survived the trip and the second one shattered.  So this is officially a one-of-a-kind rock bowl.  When the 400g is set up anew, I'll incorporate this piece into the aquascaping.  It's somewhat tough to appreciate the texture in 2-dimensional pictures.

There are a few holes that I'll fill in with some putty to keep the sand in the bowl, but I'm excited to give it a try and see how it works out. The bowl could be deeper, but considering this is the prototype I'm quite pleased. Hopefully the walls of the bowl will keep the sand inside where intended despite in-tank flow.