ciao

Hey Brandon, I'm going to try to make a trip down there sometime next week to pick up that light and take a look at some of those rocks. What kind of rock is it? and if you can, I would like some of the larger pieces if possible. thanks

Since I have an open sump tank with nothing to prevent droplets of water and vapor to escape underneath my tank in a wood stand, I'm wondering how does everybody else keep the salt and rust associated from ruining the wood stand and metal fixtures on the doors? Do people put a plastic sheet over the sump tank? I would appreciate any ideas or tricks anybody has for controlling this problem.

how much do you want for it and what brand is it?

I'm looking to buy 2 36" or one large 72" MH lighting set up for my 250 Gallon tank. Don't mind if it was a DIY but if it is, I would hope it has quality ballasts in it. thanks

I'm looking to buy 2 36" or one large 72" MH lighting set up for my 250 Gallon tank. Don't mind if it was a DIY but if it is, I would hope it has quality ballasts in it. thanks

Thanks guys for the input. I'll try to make a run there as soon as I get a chance.

Does anybody know of a good place locally(Portland or Beaverton) that I can get a retro fit kit or supplies? Thinking about making my own light set and want to talk with somebody at the store first about what I'll need and price out the parts. Thanks

how much do you think you'll want for the 75g tank and stand? I have a friend that might be interested

If I ever decide to throw in the towel I'll have to remember to give you first crack at it. (laugh) I think I might come and visit sometime soon......at least as soon as I can fitting all the fishing I plan on doing up on the Toutle before Nate213 fishes the river out! As for my tank, I finally have it all set up and will be filling it with some fresh water sometime this week for a trial run to make sure all the equipment is running correctly.I plan on running the tank full of fresh water for a few weeks to clean it out and try to absorb any possible lingering Copper ions still present in the tank with a heavy metal sponge. Depending on what the sponge looks like after a couple of weeks, my plan is to either empty out the fresh water and fill it with salt water or mixing in salt into the water directly slowly to get the right salinity.(I would really hate to waste all that water from a environmental point of view(nono)) Hopefully the sponge will give me a clear bill of health and I can start putting in the sand and rocks sooner than later. At least that will give me some more time to decide on what sort of lighting I need to buy and put aside some money for it while I'm waiting for the tank to clear itself. Can't wait to start!

Thank you everybody for the warm welcome. I look forward to meeting/getting to know many of you in the future as I continue to increase my knowledge about this hobby. Now on to answering some questions: Since it's a 250 Gallon tank, I'm hoping of doing a little bit of everything since it's not shallow(I'm estimating it's aobut 36" ? deep but I could be off). Any recommendations on lighting that won't blow my budget would be a big help! I don't have deep pockets unfortunately. For me, it's fortunate that it takes time to establish a tank so I'll be able to spread the cost over time and not have it hit my bank account all at once. If my wife ever finds out how much I've spent on it already, she would kill me! (wife) I think the last big expensive peace of equipment I still need to get is the lighting. Wish I could pay for it in installments! LOL I know my tank is roughly 6' x 2.5'? x 3'?. I could/probably wrong on them but I know I should be close. It's an oceanic brand with overflow sections on the side with a sump tank below. It has 2 Rio 2500 pumps and a protein skimmer that I'm not sure of the brand. The tank was used previously for a salt water aquarium with no coral. I hope I can make it up there in Ridgefield sometime soon Kshak. I would love to see your setup! Is Ridgefield north or south of Castle Rock? I should be going up to Castle Rock sometime soon to do some Salmon fishing next month. So many interests/hobbies and so little time.............. I really should squeeze some time in there for my 1.5 year old soon (whistle)

Hi everyone. I'm really new to the hobby and in the process of setting up my new 250 gallon tank as a fish/reef aquarium. :eek: I starting to feel a little overwhelmed with trying to set up this sucker and really want to do this right. I'm currently in the process of deciding on what sort of lighting I will need. I was hoping there was somebody here in the Beaverton area that I could meet with and maybe see their tank set up or show them mine and ask questions from while I start up this hobby. Anybody out there willing to take a noob under their wing to show them how it should be done??? Thanks