Thanks for the heads up, this is good to know! I have yet to hear someone say they weren't happy with the rock they got from J & L.

Hmmm, Im gonna definitely shop around. I think we might "double dip" and get our live rock from a variety of vendors to ensure a large biosphere in our tank. Hopefully this pays off if we get from reputable places. I just hope it doesnt also increase our chances of bad hitch hikers coming along... which I suppose will be inevitable. I think we're about 3 weeks away from purchasing some live rock still though. Just got the tank today:

http://i279.photobucket.com/albums/k...1/150GTank.jpg

Quite happy with it after cleaning it all off and what not. Quick question. Think its safe to store outside COMPLETELY under a patio that extends probably at least 6 feet in all directions around it for I think 7 to abolute maximum 14 days? Its slightly covered by a rubber tarp too but not completely. Anyone see any problems with this? Its out of the elements pretty good and weather is good for a while.

Anyways, keep the pointers coming, we'll definitely soak up as much info as we can. We're newbs but have been doing lots of reading about curing rock and cycling and everything so hopefully we do it right from the start.

Just keep the sun off it, UV will weaken the silicone.

I agree with mixing up the live rock from different sources, though a 'biotope' could sort of be established by using rock from only one source.

Ok cool, no sun has a chance of hitting it. That's what I thought was the big concern.

Another question, does anyone know a reputable place we can take the tank to get drilled? This is one of the next steps that we're going to take. Also what price range am I looking at for 4 holes? Or, does anyone have any diamond bits that can drill glass? I would consider DIY for this since a lot of places won't do it. I would just go ultra slow and I think I could get it done. Advice?

There are a couple members here that have experience drilling tanks.. I think the avg price from a shop is $20/hole... If you are a DIY'er you could get a bit and drill it yourself too.

Welcome to Canreef.

How much would like a 2 inch bit cost? I really want to get it drilled but it sounds like none of the glass shops around here drilled assembled tanks, only a pain of glass that will eventually make up a tank. Anyone with experience willing to help me out one way or another? Either I could rent their bit or they could drill it for me? I'm not sure if 2 inch is the diameter I'm ultimately going to go with just yet though.

I actually had my tank dilled at Red Coral here in Calgary, and they did a fantastic job quickly :mrgreen:. That being said I would do it myself next time. I based it off cost when I did mine, two holes were 40 bucks while buying a diamond encrusted hole saw was somewhere around $60-80. Cheapest I found was on eBay and im way to impatient to wait for shipping. As for the hole size that is going to depend on the bulkhead. And the bulkhead is going to depend on the size of your drains and returns. I just drilled for my drains which are 1 1/2 inch but Im not sure what diam hole that bulkhead would require. Ill see if I can dig it up somewhere on the net (EDIT: 1 1/2" bulkhead requires a 2 3/8" hole, found on reefland.com), Im sure many people on canreef would know as well.

I've gotten a couple bits from mops.ca. The price is good and they will do the job for a few holes.

Hmm, red coral hey? They might just be the winners as I havent found anyone else really that is willing to do it. I am not that scared of doing it myself at all, I think I'd just give it the time and presence of mind required so that I didnt crack the tank. Very slow would get the job done safely. Im not positive but I think my glass is either 5/8 or 3/4 inch thick so it's pretty sturdy. I'll have to give them a call in the next little bit and plan this out once I can figure out the hole size I need.

Where are you guys buying bulk heads from? I went to HD and they didnt have any that I could find in the plumbing dept. Is there different kinds that have female parts on both ends so I can attach a filter head to the drain inside the tank and then pvc on the other side? The ones I have at my house (which I dont think I'll be using) have a female side and then another side that is nothing, basically an open smooth hole. Ideas for what I described above as this is likely what I'll be going with.

I think my drains will require 1.5" inside diameter pvc and my return will require 1" inside diameter.

I'll likely have two drains in the upper corners and then two returns in the 2/5 and 3/5 spacings at the top of the tank.

___D________R________R________D___ D= drain and R= Return

Hope that makes sense.