[Sage]

I'm getting the 20 set back up and since I am starting from scratch - do you guys think i should go with cc, sand or bare bottom? (I have a bag and a half of cc left over from redoing my chiropractor's tank) It is just going to be a low key reef like before - a few softies and maybe LPS.

The hex is going back as a fish only with a few crabs fine - have a pair of percs and a coral beauty and the emerald crabs, blue legs, nerites and a chocolate chip star i picked up from work. Don't know why the turbos found it toxic but everything else is fine.

I got another brackish tank set up and waiting for livestock - have some orange chromides on order for it.

That about fills the main floor, which is my living area since I have to sleep on the couch to make sure Dad does not try and cook something in the middle of the night. He had Alzheimers and I have to be in hearing range pretty much all the time or he gets himself in trouble.



Once i get these smaller tanks going on the main floor then I will start clearing the basement completely and it is going to be a fish and reptile room with the 150 as the main piece. I just have to get my molds out of there and a dozen or so trips to the dump with junk that got wasted in the flood.

[charlie]

Sand Gina, at least 4". Crushed coral is gonna be a nitrate nightmare. You gonna have a sump?

[Sage]

No sump - just the HOB fuge and a filter.

I'll get some sand from work then. I have one unopend bag of cc I will take back - that just leaves me with a half bag. I'll just leave it at the docs for replenishing theirs then.

[Sarmo]

hey Gina,

good to hear from you. i like the sand idea as well, just so long as it doesn't take up to much space in the tank. how deep is your 20? and how much live rock are you planning on? if you don't have lights, i'd look at T5's, lower power use and far less heat.

[Sage]

Rob it is a 20 high so I could have 4 inches of sand. The rock that used to be in in it is now in the hex and I will transfer some form the older tanks to it and see if I can scrounge some rubble for the fuge and get a light for it so I can actually have some macro in there too. I will use the power compacts I already have - they worked well before. I just have to make sure the light controls are well hidden as Dad goes around turning off everything he can including all the aquarium lights and such. (which is part of the reason the 150 went south as well as the sump pump in the basement - that door has a lock on it now just like every other door in the house - looking back he has had this going on for some time - he had just been hiding it)

My initial water is going to be getting some pre-mixed from work and then I will just buy RO until I get my RO unit back up.

[Sarmo]

sounds like a good plan. sorry to hear about your dad..... sounds all too familiar . if you need some polyps or a frag of something i have let me know.
how is the log home buisness?

[Sage]

"how is the log home buisness?"

Seems there is no construction in the valley at all. He is travelling arund getting various framing jobs that work a week or so until the owner runs out of money. He might have a job for a month or so in Oklahoma.

I am hoping to get the garage cleaned out to start doing ceramics at least. And now that I have everything but the snake and the blue-tongue downstairs I am going to look for a couple roomies as the boyfriend and his grandson wont be able to move in until probably spring.

I have the sand in with the base rock and it looks pretty good. Now to just add the water and get some circulating going and see which pumps still work.

I have my eye on the black ocellaris at work for this tank.