Yendor

82g and 67g are both strange numbers, whereas 75g is a nice figure to work with. It's also the "compromise", the in between choice of the three you are considering. I can see 4" being a big difference, but is 2" going to make that much of a difference? If you're 2" too tall or too short, will it be a big deal? On the other hand, 2' is a nice figure to work with too. 1' 10" and 1' 8" are just strange. As a final note ... 30"x30"x20" just looks cool ... being multiples of 10 and all. Okay, sorry ... I can definitely see your dilemma. Good luck choosing.

Not sure if I should be posting here or in "Member/Vendor Feedback" ... but since I'm asking and not giving feedback, I'll post here. I've been looking around for an affordable RO/DI unit, and came across this one. It claims 100 gpd for only $169. I can't find a name-brand for it ... thinking it's someone selling their hobby. Does anyone have any experience/opinions? http://www.melevsreef.com/ro_di.html

I'm hoping someone out there just upgraded or, for whatever reason, finds themselves storing an RO/DI unit, and would like to help me out for a reasonable price.

Would I be able to bring my 1 1/2 year old to McMenamins, or would I need to ditch her and my wife?

Is it tomorrow yet? Would love an update on your babies.

JManrow, thank you. Now that I know it can be tested for, I'll have to find a shop that has the equipment to let me know. I'm still catching up on old posts, but haven't seen anything about seahorses yet. Have you posted about yours? Would love any kind of advice you may have ... especially start-up advice. spectra, no idea what brand the tank is. I'll be taking a better look at it later today though, and plan on inspecting under every smudge and blotch. It's in my storage locker right now - bad lighting, unable to clean it up, etc. Thank you for the offer to help drill, I might end up taking you up on that ... but will need to know your favorite beverage first. reef-fisher, thanks for the response. You made me feel welcome, and that's always a good thing.

How brittle are they? Can you break them with your bare fingers? Would a fall from 3 feet send it off like pieces of glass? What mixture ratios is everyone using? I've heard that the salt is what makes these rocks so brittle. The rocks that suffered because of too much water ... were they still good base-rocks, only ugly? Or did too much water damage them somehow? Anyone try making them out of just cement & salt? No sand or anything?

Please excuse the new guy butting into the middle of some conversation ... but it seems like it would make the most sense to hold the meetings in a location that would make most of it's members as close as possible. I realize it would be very unfair to those living in the outskirtting areas, but the meetings themselves would be fuller and better. I live in Vancouver, and I would be more than willing to drive to South Salem if there was a get-together going on that I might actually enjoy. Perhaps a poll to figure out where everybody lives, and then plan the meetings to be as convenient as possible to as many as possible. Anyways, I'm going to go vote now. Thanks for reading.

So, being human, I think it's safe to say that my life is very chaotic right now, so this project will be taking quite some time, and updates may feel as though they will never arrive. Bear with me though, I am very stubborn and this project will eventually be complete. It all started many years ago when I saw some seahorses at my LFS and fell in love. My ex-wife decided they were far too creepy (something about brain-sucking alien lifeforms) and would not authorize my new obsession. As luck would have it, I no longer need her permission. I had quit aquariums altogether after that, and hadn't given them much thought until recently, when I acquired an 80 gallon tank, stand and hood (the tanks measurements are 48"x18"x21", in case anyone cares to know). I found a 20 gallon tank that I figure I'd use as a sump, and got a great deal on a "Piece o' Detritus" brand skimmer (Odyssea PS120). Click to Enlarge The 80g tank needs to be re-sealed, the stand needs re-finished, and the hood needs re-built (or at least re-finished and the hardware replaced), but that's okay. We are in the process of buying a house and will hopefully be moving in in a couple of months. After we move, I'll have the space and tools to make this setup look sweet. I'm currently debating about drilling the tank. I can't find anywhere that says it's tempered glass ... is there another way to tell? Should the drilling go wrong, I won't have the finances to buy another and try again ... should I just play it safe and build HOB overflows? I would love to plant sea grasses in this tank, but really don't want to do a DSB. I will be continuing my research hoping find a way to make 1"-3" work, but realize that I'll end up doing macros. I'm also working on some DIY Base Rock, but won't be saying anything more about it because I want it to be a surprise. With curing time and all, it'll probably be more than 6 months before I have anything worth sharing anyways.