About a month or so ago, i started my first sw aquarium, a 20 gallon and a few pieces of live rock, with corals and a pepermint shrimp. I was immediatly enthused and was planning something nicer. I quickly found out how hard it is to keep a small tank healthy after i added two small damsel fish. Green algae overtook my tank in a matter of days and i still haven't gotten it under control. But i know one thing: the solution to pollution is dillution. I had a 55 gallon aquarium in my backyard that i had aquired about two years ago that i had just let sit for another project, and i noticed something about it, it was drilled and had fittings in it just no overflow! Yay! i also had a 30 gallon tank that i had aquired about a year ago that looked in great shape. After two visits to Glass Doctor here in HS (they really worked with me) i had three peices of glass cut for about 60 bucks. I used one piece for the overflow, and the other two for the refugium. and this is what i came up with. I built the stand and painted it myself (probably why its half painted, i hate painting) and figured i would show ya'll what i've created. I of course have let the water stabilize and am currently adding salt waiting for it to stabilize. I got the tank at a dollar a gallon sale for 50 bucks and the stand cost me about 25 bucks in lumber, had the screws and black paint laying around from when i painted my "think tank" black... All the equipment i aquired at an auction for really cheap. I used an old 30-60 wisper housing for flow back into the top tank. The skimmer which i'll place in the far left of the fuge is a 60-100 gallon, which in the 20 gallon i had a really hard time keeping stabil because of evaporation, will work great i think because ive made it a place where the water will stay a constant level, the middle of the fuge of course will be the small habitat, and the right side will do for the mixing/ feeding area for the large tank. Lighting will be a 42 watt actinic and a 42 watt coralife that i will secure next week (per wifey's instruction) with the jbj coralifes working nicely on the 30 gallon. ive got a few more pumps ill add for cross flow. Is there anything i might have forgotten?
