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well i have had a reef for little over a year and so far i can;t seem to kepe my arms out of the tank. you will never be pleased with it. That is just part of it.
A nice look is to use large flat pieces stacked on "pillar" pieces so that there is a lot of open area beneath. Try to create "caves" and tunnels leaving valleys and passages on the sandy bottom. Fish will use then to hide and sleep. Shrimp will like the security. Make a really nice looking reef.
Look at pics of people's tanks on the web to get more ideas.
I'd also recommend that the bottom layer of rock be firmly on the bottom. I've got a pistol shrimp (and of course his goby buddy) that makes his tunnels uder the rocks and the fine sand. Would hate to see him make one and cause a rock slide. I'm sure there'll be something you're gonna add to your tank that may cause big problems if the rock only sits on top of the sand.