thanks fishy, after some slight tank leveling and my aquascaping I have finally got my tank full(almost) with water and my sand in!
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/0ad0dd51.jpg
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/678bb3ca.jpg
had to do some trimming on the black rim in order for the LED mount to fit
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/f4ee2aad.jpg
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/a6de2616.jpg
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/686dcda1.jpg

Its getting there! looks good :)

Thanks man! The water was clear last night do I added the heater and power heads. This morning the thermometer said 75.6, so I did some calibrating of my jäger heater. Salt is in and solinity is 1.026! I will be adding a small piece of live rock to seed the tank, along with a shrimp from Safeway to decompose and begin my cycle!

The Cycle has began! I went to Bayside Corals and picked up some live rock to seed the tank. It took some time to fit the LR in but i managed. I then placed a shrimp from safeway in to decompose and to help start out the cycle!


heater, powerhead, and thermometer
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/1c0ebc33.jpg
tank before live rock added
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/3b777eba.jpg
new live rock (top)
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/9eebe71b.jpg
(bottom)
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/9ae019b4.jpg
tank with LR added (front)
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/177fc21f.jpg
tank with LR added(side)
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/2cf78d6d.jpg
shrimp
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/8acfef09.jpg

Looking great man! What have you been thinking will go in the fuge/overflow portion? Gonna run any carbon or anything?

I have a hang on skimmer that I will be adding soon, once I pick it up from my parent house. As for carbon or calcium reactors, I haven't put much thought into them yet. I'll have to do some more research and maybe if they would benefit the tank I might think of adding them in a few months.

I don't think there would be any use for reactors on a tank that small, but I would certainly put a bag of carbon in there. I find small tanks do well with Boyd Chemi-Pure Elite. Just huck a sack of it in the first overflow section.

Any live rock or Live rock rubble going into the fuge section?

Yes, I am putting rubble rock in the mini sump, although it is dead rock. I have an extra few pounds that I didn't want to put in the display, so I will break it up with a hammer and I plan on putting it in tonight! After a few months hopefully my rock isn't so dead anymore!

Ryan when I sent home the RO and tank and everything I also sent a container about half full of carbon with a mesh sock to hold it for you. Once things get up and running you can fill that sock with carbon and give it a good rinse and then place it into the first chamber of your mini-sump.

Ahhhh I knew You sent the carbon but I didn't notice the sock inside, awesome! I added the rubble rock tonight, but added some of it to the display as well. I built up some rock in the little jut-out in the corner of my tank, where before I had none. I am unsure if this looks better or worse, so it is a temporary(maybe permanent) side wall. Let me know what you think! Does it look better or worse then before? Thanks!

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/227df414.jpg

Front view(on the right behind the live rock is the new rock)

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/3fa89d35.jpg

side view(right side is new rock)

http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/2ed5977f.jpg

Top view(bottom part is new rock)
http://i1200.photobucket.com/albums/...9/ee4ff47d.jpg