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View Full Version : Starting over... ideas?


ACBlinky
03/28/2013, 03:35 PM
So our tank burst a couple of days ago, and the replacement will be at the store in 12 days. In the meantime, I'm planning the rebuild and wouldn't mind a little input.

I tossed the old sand - it was a shallow sandbed, full of pods, and it absolutely STANK after emptying the tank. I didn't want to try to reuse it since it wasn't that much sand anyway.

There are so many types of sand I could get (and I do want to have a sandbed, we've got a pistol shrimp and a goby, and may eventually have a wrasse that will want sand to sleep/hide in), I'm just lost. Fiji pink, Bahama pink, black, oolite, sugar-sized aragonite... any suggestions? Do the pink sands actually look pink under the slightly bluish lighting of a reef? for those with black sand, any drawbacks? I have a black stand, light fixture, the equipment is black, the overflow and silicone will be black, and I want to paint the background black, so black sand is VERY tempting, but I don't want it to appear unnatural.

I also want to use something to keep most of the rocks off the sandbed. The rocks thread onto fiberglass rods, does anyone have an idea for something to use at the bottom of the rod that could safely elevate the entire rock tower 4" or so? What about a section of PVC pipe with epoxy to secure the rod in the center?

Thanks for any thoughts or ideas. I want to turn our disaster into something positive, by making this tank as beautiful as possible :D