jenna

A ray!? LOL aren't they reef no-no's? I figured they'd at least eat all my snails and crabs lol. That WOULD be cool to have though, I'm jealous!

Oh and the tank will be 6 feet long, 3 feet deep.

Hey thanks for your input! For now, I ordered two MP40's and I'll be using those along with my Koralias. I'm sure I'll have to play around with them a bit to try to get the best flow and prevent them from blasting the sand bed. As for the aquascaping, yea I would like to have several "shelves" higher up on which to grow sps and have a bit of shaded area underneath the rock for fish to swim through. I'd like to have a nice large open clean white sand bed. I think Garrett is going to find some nice large pieces of flat tonga rock for me

I agree! It's exciting and I appreciate all the input. I am really looking forward to getting this started. I should have water in the tank within a couple weeks!

Yeah I may end up getting in touch with him! On Wednesday my stand & hood are coming in, and at that point we're going to figure out the logistics of using a 75 gallon glass tank. I think we'll know pretty fast if it's gonna happen or not... And I know! 1400 views in a day ain't too shabby (laugh)

Yes that's a great example of what I'd like to go for. I think I want some larger overhangs though... I have one large (18+ lb) piece of interesting live rock that plates out and I really want that to be a centerpiece of the design. I sort of want the rock structure to have shelves if that makes sense...

Thanks I will check that out!

Oh here's another question! I've been doing a bunch of searching online for aquascaping ideas & I would love to know where I can find some real flat live and/or base rock to make platforms & overhangs. I have no idea how I'm gonna do it, but I really wanna try to do sort of a bonsai inspired theme! I have a few nice larger pieces already and one GREAT piece of rock that I know exactly what I'm gonna do with, but I just need to get my hands on some flat, thin rock! Thanks in advance! ))

Nice! Lol we might need some help with that. I think my hubby has a couple guys that may be able to help, but I just chewed out the wife on his biggest & strongest buddy so I'm not sure if she'll let him help now (wife). Haha

How long does it usually take to build a custom sump?

I just PM'd you

Ok If the 75 gallon doesn't work out like we've been thinking then I'll do that. Thanks!

So, if a 75 gallon won't fit well inside the stand, then what's an appropriate sized sump for a 300? I definitely don't want to/can't have the sump located anywhere else at this point in time. It NEEDS to go below it. But I definitely want to have as much water volume as possible...

LOL...mhmmm... I died a little inside when he said we might have to go custom. But, it's all for a good cause, right?! (rock2)

Oh I appreciate all the input and advice! Listening to other people's experiences is invaluable! We are still very new to the hobby and won't even pretend like we know a lot... I feel like we know the basics at this point, but I know that we haven't even scratched the surface when it comes to the knowledge one gains through years of trial & error.. So, what would be good to know next is the height of the 75 gallon we'll be using. We're going to trade in our 90 for a 75 and use that since it'll be shorter. I know that the Marineland Monterey stand will be 29" tall... I have a feeling there won't be a problem...

Yes, minimalist aquascaping is the perfect description for what I'd like to do with this tank! Plenty of interesting focal points but lots of open water and room for corals to grow in. With such a big tank I don't want it to be overpowered by too much rock. I already have about 100+ lbs of rock in my 90 gallon and I feel like it's too much. When I set up the tank, I started with a couple boxes of dry base rock and a few pieces of live rock to seed it. Pretty soon I kept visiting the LFS and finding more and more interesting LR pieces I just HAD to add and pretty soon my tank was pretty overloaded haha. I really need to get some pics posted.... I don't just have a "wall of rock", I have some caves, swim-throughs and an overhang but it's still a little crowded IMO. I believe I'll have way more options with a deep dimension tank, because I'm not forced to have my rock up so close to the overflow boxes and the back glass (I kinda hate that!).

Also.... I think I'm gonna have to go with the red oak! I just found pics of the Monterey red oak stand/hood online and I think it's gorgeous.

Oh ok lol. It hadn't dawned on me that he was comparing acrylic to starphire glass. (whistle) I'm currently online browsing through photos of aquascaping using acrylic rods. Looks like so much fun to do but I have no idea how! I think we will need some assistance! Haha

I heard that starphire actually scratches easier because of the lower iron content! Funny how everyone has a different experience Our sump will be going underneath the display. I trust that we're in good hands and will get it set up right; we've had lots of help from day 1!

Yeah, I guess because I've seen so many good results with MH it makes me lean toward those! Not having to buy new bulbs does have its appeal though! Seems like they'd pay for themselves after a while. And considering we'll have a hood on our aquarium, the lower heat output would also be a big advantage. Ahhhhhh too many options!! (scratch)

http://reefkeeping.com/issues/2008-07/totm/index.php Oh my...beautiful. (drooler)

http://reefbuilders.com/2012/03/27/kangs-korean-reef-aquarium/ This is an amazing example!

I've googled "bonsai reef tank" and I think those look so amazing. I'd love to be able to aquascape like that where there's plenty of open sand bed, caves, open rockwork & swimming space to help with flow & aeration. Japanese style reef tanks are beautiful as well. Equipment is hidden as much as possible & there's much attention paid to the way colors and shapes work together. As far as metal halide vs led lights go, I hadn't really thought of it! I have known that mh is typically the go-to lighting for an sps dominant reef but I know that people (like Nate for example) are switching to led. What would be the pros/cons for either?

Oh yikes! Nevermind then...lol