siskiou

You have to realize that we live in a very small house! Anyway, we all three swear that the 120 we looked at at Aqua Serene (we checked out the 75, 90 and 120 there to get an idea of the sizes) was smaller. But I'm sure I'll fill it up eventually! One thing that's already a problem is that my skimmer is a tiny bit too tall. I'll have to set it up outside the stand until I can get a different one (in a year ot ten ). I hope it's not too noisy! It's a strange recirc with a mag 7 on it (Terminator).

The only good thing that happened today! Though I have belatedly realized that I am crazy and should have stuck with something smaller! (whistle) Sean and family and Miles and his wife can attest to the crazyness! But I'm blaming it all on you guys telling me I should get a 120G. I'll get over it once it's not sitting smack in the middle of our rather small living room. My husband took it with grace and we are currently celebrating with a nice beer. This weekend will be busy, emptying out the 40G to make room for the 120. -Susanne

Take a couple of spoonfuls of the sand, pour some white vinegar on it and it should foam and bubble, and basically slowly disolve, if it's calcium based. Did you see that sand here in this area?

I know there is supposed to be a brand called "Yardright". Is the sand you've seen nice and white? You can do the "vinegar test" to see if it reacts. If yes, it's supposedly okay to use.

What a shocker! My daughter just told me. We used to watch his show a lot, when our daughter was younger, and my husband met his wife and daughter once (She's from Eugene and her dad was at the nursing home/rehab center he worked at). I can't imagine what it must be like for his family. :(

LOL! But that's half of the fun, isn't it? A tank is like a marriage, you have to keep working on it to make it a happy one!

So, how about that "black pvc" for aquariums, sold on some websites? Here for example: http://www.savko.com/index.asp?pgid=4&ptid=18&pid=146∂=92010

I'm currently researching spray bars, and have seen some nice over the back ones, in black! There is "black pvc" available on a few websites (and clear). Is the black the same as the ABS you can buy at HD and such? Or is it something "better"? I'd love to do an over the back CL with spray bar, but not in white! Maybe the dark grey schedule 80, but I'd rather do black if abs is considered safe. I'd be fairly inconspicuous to run a black pipe down right next to an overflow, but white would just stand out like a sore thumb (and drilling is out of the question for me, too risky at the price!).

I'm here watching this thread! Someone want to explain in a pm?

Here is the sump I have (Ryan, can you tell me how you had it set up with your 75?). The largest compartment has to be for the skimmer (unless it doesn't fit under the stand, in which case I'll have to build a little side stand to hide it in). I'm planning on putting a bulkhead into the hole leading into the shallow "channel" and plumbing the skimmer output into that. I'm envisioning using that "channel" for frags and putting a 65w PC light over it. The other part will be the refugium somehow, but I have to figure the return pump into it somehow. It needs a few more baffles for that. Should I drill it for an external pump (not sure if I'll have the space, the sump is 16x38, so I'd only have a few inches next to it and along the front). My return pump is an Eheim 1262 that I currently use for the CL on my 40G. Any ideas how to make the sump work to my best advantage will greatly appreciated!

Wow! I'm scared of getting started now! I know I'llbe making mistakes! What type of foam is that hard foam you used, and is it working out well for you? What is it about the spa tube that would make you use it next time (in favor of hard plumbing? Or vinyl tubing?)? Why no algae in the refugium in favor of a DSB? I'm so glad I bought two of the switched powerstrips, because I've already experienced how inconvenient it is to unplug pumps for feeding etc, instead of just throwing a labelled switch! Drock59, I wish I could make the stand bigger, but have opted for an AGA stand. I already know it might be too low for some skimmers (28"). My current tank is about 6" away from the wall, which is barely enough to work behind it, but the 120 might not need that space, depending on what I'll use for water movement. Decisions, decisions... (but the planning stage is so much fun, too! ) I have a large, used sump, that I'm trying to configure! But first I have to see if it even fits into the stand! Ryan, how did you have it plumbed??

Do you have pictures of your spraybar set-up, too? I'd like a pic of the invisible rock lifts and your price, please! My email is siskiou@vcem.com.

This Friday, my new tank (120G AGA RR) will arrive. I'd love some advice about what you would have done differently if you'd known better, after setting up your last tank. Just little things (or not so little) that would have made life easier, or the tank quieter, for example, if you'd only known about it then. Do you put anything under the stand to dampen vibrations (or just under you sump inside the stand)? Do you wish you'd left more space behind the tank to get to the plumbing easier? How about the size of the sump? Should I consider something to put under the rockwork, or is sitting it right on the bottom of the glass okay? Spraybar behind the rockwork? Or is that too hard to get to, and clean when needed, later on? Hard plumbing or flexible? Basically, anything you can think of! Thanks, Susanne

Do you think 50lbs would be plenty for a 120? That's the size bags it comes in. Or should I get 2 bags (100lbs)? I guess I'm still remembering the 1-2lbs per gallon rule, but that may be for DSBs.

Didn't see this until now! Thanks! Something is actually available locally! (clap)

Got another sand question: I'm only aiming for a shallow bed (1- 1 1/2"). How much will I need for a 48X24" footprint?

I think I want to try fine and white this time. Does anybody know what type of sand "ringwurm" is using in his new 330g? It looks great in the pictures. Nyles, ca you give me a price quote?

Well, she's had s freshwater tank since age 4, and her pleco would love a larger thank at this point. She loves helping with the saltwater tanks, too.

Thanks again!

Thanks! I'll give it a try! Anyone else still have a bag or two lying around?

I wish Southdown/Old Castle were available in this area!

Thanks! Are we talking about pvc?

What kind of plug are we talking about, exactly? I think the bulkheads are threaded.

One: where do you get bulkheads locally, or do they have to be ordered? Two: how do I close off bulkheads semi-permanently? My daughter wants the current 40G reef as a freshwater tank in her room, and for that we would need to somehow cap the bulkheads, including the large closed loop intake. I don't want to close them off permanently, just in case we want to use it as a saltwater set-up again in the future.

I'm trying to decide if I should start out with new sand in the 120G I'll be setting up, or if I should use they sand currently in the 40G and add more. I assume my 3 1/2 year old sand in the 20H should go in the compost, even though it looks nice and clean thanks to Pernicus, the Watchman goby and his friend Fidget, the pistol shrimp. I've seen some very nice looking sand in pictures here, and wonder what type of sand people are using. It seems I always end up with the coarse and dirty looking stuff.