Aquascape Input

[Unome]

Okay, I've been considering/dreaming of going to SW since we got our first FW tank over 10 years ago. When I started out, I didn't know anything about SW, reef care or anything for that matter. I did some newbie stuff that I thought was good planning.

SO.... long story, some years ago(before I found this site & others), I was at different big chain stores and bought some stuff that I thought would make the tank look good. But after reading here & reading some books, I realize that I went the wrong way concerning stuff to put in main tank. Attached is a picture of some of the stuff I accumulated some years ago & just put in buckets to store for future use.

As you can see(from picture attachment), this stuff was once alive. The blue item(upper tight hand in picture) was collected under the guidelines of CITES(according to sticker on the bag). The rest have no such sticker. The bag below it was a bag of broken coral that I figured I'd put in the sump under the tank. Hey, I at least knew about sumps.

So that being said, once I go to SW(later this year) should I use this stuff in the main tank or put it all(except the bright red barnacles) in the sump? The broken pieces I figured I could use as filtration media. The rest I was thinking I could put it in with the dry & live rock I was going to put in tank and let it all get covered. I figured on starting a FOWLR tank & maybe after getting the hang of everything, eventually going with some corals & stuff.

Give me your opinions please and don't worry about hurting my feelings.

Thank you in advance.

[thegrun]

You can use it wherever you think it would look best (or left unseen) with the understanding it will all be covered in algae of one type or another. I personally don't like the look of old dead coral skeletons in my tank (it freaks out the living corals:eek1:), but some do.

[Unome]

You can use it wherever you think it would look best (or left unseen) with the understanding it will all be covered in algae of one type or another. I personally don't like the look of old dead coral skeletons in my tank (it freaks out the living corals:eek1:), but some do.Thanks, grun. After I had bought them and then started reading here & books, I realized that it might not be best way to go. I have no problem with them getting covered by algae because I figured the dead stuff would help with filtration & provide hiding places for pod population. It will eventually depend on tank size. I'm considering starting with a 75 but really want something in 125 - 150 range. I figure with larger tank, it would be easier to hide/disguise the dead stuff. Once it became covered in algae, it would less noticeable.

[mal7887]

Go with what you want the first time. You'll save alot that way in the long run!