Red Sea Max 250 Build

I have finally decided to do a build thread… after the tank had already been running for a month! But it is nowhere near complete with only 30 pounds of lr and two clowns. I've been having more issues than I would've liked with this tank, so I figured there will probably be more to come, and I might as well keep it all organized. This tank is an upgrade from my 40b which had been running for a little under a year. Right now this tank already has sand, about 30-35 pounds of lr, a heater, chiller, built in sump, the works basically. I'm in the process of curing another 30 pounds of rock (20 live, 10 dry) and am going to be building a canister refugium, because the enclosed system unfortunately doesn't allow for a HOB one, and I already have to use a small ladder to accesss the back sump (even though I'm 5' 9") so I figure it'll be easier to just built a canister fuge, and I've seen some cheap canister filters on amazon. I will also probably be getting quite a few new corals once the tank is setup a little more, and also more fish! I will attach some pics of everything in a little bit!

 

Subbed!

 

Subbed!

Thanks!! This thread will probably be pretty boring until my rock is cured and I start adding more coral, but I have some small "projects" I can post about.

 

No worries... We all know that nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

 

No worries... We all know that nothing good happens fast in this hobby.

Guess who just ran into another issue? I didn't even realize this test kit expired 6 months ago the nitrates read ok though, I'd say 2 is probably accurate, so I may be ok.

 

Definitely following and I can't wait to see pics!

Personally, I wouldn't rely on expired tests for long, especially since you've got the clowns in there. They're possibly still as accurate as possible for hobby testing but the risk isn't worth the potential losses, imo.

Which test kit are you using?

 

Definitely following and I can't wait to see pics!

Personally, I wouldn't rely on expired tests for long, especially since you've got the clowns in there. They're possibly still as accurate as possible for hobby testing but the risk isn't worth the potential losses, imo.

Which test kit are you using?

Awesome!! I'll attach some pictures soon, the tank is pretty bare right now though with only the 30lb of rock.

I'm using the Red Sea marine care test kit, I tested nitrates just to see if it seemed accurate and it read 2, which sounds about right to me.

 

I have a large piece of live rock (about 20 pounds) curing in a 5 gallon bucket, it's been there since Sunday so I went ahead and tested the water today, the ammonia looked to be about 0, I'm still using the API kit because I have to return my expired one, so I couldn't tell if it was 0 or .25, but it looked more yellow, so I'm thinking 0. Any idea how long it will take for me to get ammonia when curing this rock?

 

It's unlikely I think, but there's a chance it will not leach ammonia at all. It depends on if the rock experienced any die off on it's way to you, and rock usually does go through some die off in transport, hence the usual leaching of ammonia.

 

It's unlikely I think, but there's a chance it will not leach ammonia at all. It depends on if the rock experienced any die off on it's way to you, and rock usually does go through some die off in transport, hence the usual leaching of ammonia.

It was only out of water for about 30 minutes at most, I got it from a store that's about a 15 minute drive away, and put it in water that had already been mixing for a few days right when I got home, I guess there could be some die off from the change of water conditions maybe? I just like to be super cautious, so I figured I might as well cure it for a couple weeks to be safe, I haven't done anything with the base rock yet, but that was just sitting on a shelf, I googled it and it claims to not need any curing, but I will just to be safe, I've heard of people having issues with it leaching phosphates at first.

 

Hrmm, well since it was quick, maybe there is no die off. You would generally see ammonia spiking right away when there is die off. I think at this point I would be more concerned about phosphates. I like to play it safe too, so I'd give the dry rock a little time in water and test to make sure before moving it. The live may be ready for the tank though. How long have you had it now?

 

Hrmm, well since it was quick, maybe there is no die off. You would generally see ammonia spiking right away when there is die off. I think at this point I would be more concerned about phosphates. I like to play it safe too, so I'd give the dry rock a little time in water and test to make sure before moving it. The live may be ready for the tank though. How long have you had it now?

I got both the live and dry rock on Sunday, I haven't added the dry rock to water yet because there was no room in the bucket, and my other buckets have either sand or water mixing in them, but the live rock has been in a bucket with 2 powerheads since Sunday, the water doesn't have any nasty smell, just kinda smells like the ocean.

 

Sounds good! So, do you have a phosphate test kit yet? Does light reach the bucket? I'm just wondering about the chances of algae growth, but if you've got some kind of phosphate reducer, or you're willing to deal with some algae in the tank, well, I suppose you could move it. I haven't dealt in live rock, so am unsure about the chances of phosphate leaching from it.

 

Sounds good! So, do you have a phosphate test kit yet? Does light reach the bucket? I'm just wondering about the chances of algae growth, but if you've got some kind of phosphate reducer, or you're willing to deal with some algae in the tank, well, I suppose you could move it. I haven't dealt in live rock, so am unsure about the chances of phosphate leaching from it.

I've only heard of issues with phosphate leaching from dry rock. I have some phosphate test strips downstairs, but I have no idea how accurate they are, but I will likely be able to get a liquid test kit on Saturday when I'm exchanging the expired one. The bucket has a lid on it, but it's right below my window, the tank does get some natural sunlight, but I usually move my curtains (blackout curtains) so that the amount of light is limited, (I can show some pictures of what I mean) the tank is already having some issues with algae, luckily no hair algae, but it will get a thin film of brown/green algae on the glass that's easily scrubbed off, it's gotten better now that my chiller is running and the tank isn't at close to 84 anymore though. I also have only like 3 or 4 hermit crabs, and like 3 snails for a clean up crew, so I'm sure once I add more to that, the algae won't be as much of a problem anymore.

 

Exchanged my test kit for something that isn't expired, now it's good till 2019/2020, so I'm gonna test the ammonia levels on that live rock I'm curing, I'm hoping to pick up a phosphate test kit tomorrow, the store I was at only had one and it was $30, I've seen it online for like $13, so I just wasn't willing to do that.

 

Where the photos at?!

 

Where the photos at?!

I haven't taken many as the tank looks very… bare right now, it's only got about 35 pounds of live rock in there right now, from my 40b that started leaking, I have another 30 curing right now too. Right now the tank is more of a "construction zone" than a display tank, this upgrade has been constant work for the past month, and I'm now just getting ready to start working on the look of the tank, now that all my equipment is installed and running. I can attach a few pictures just so I can compare before and afters I guess, I'll definitely add some more pictures in the next month or so once all the rock is ready, and I get more corals.

 

I posted about this in the water parameters section, but I am now thinking I probably should've just put it here instead:

I have upgraded my 40 gallon tank to a Red Sea max 250, this all happened about a month ago. A few days after I upgraded, I checked my parameters, all read fine and I had about 2-3 nitrates on the API kit. I don't really check my parameters often, but yesterday I did on a Red Sea kit, and everything was good, 0 nitrites, 0 ammonia, ph of 8.2, and my fish and my coral look great. I have a few other tests kits on the way to check things like phosphate, magnesium, etc. but I have 0 nitrates, I thought maybe I'm just using this new test kitwrong, and tried the API one, still read 0. So I went ahead and did both again this morning, Red Sea still reads 0, API still reads 0, even after I had shaken the test liquids for about 5 minutes. I know 0 nitrates is good, but where did the nitrates go? I haven't done a water change since it was set up, I only have about 35 pounds of live rock (adding 30 more soon) and I do have skimmer. I only have two ocellaris clowns in this tank, so I'm sure they're not producing much waste, but I'm just confused as to how I could go from 2-3 to 0 by doing nothing. I also heard something about algae consuming nitrates, I have a good amount of algae right now, it's not out of control, but it's there for sure.

Any ideas?

 

Basically like you said in the other post, the algae is comsuming it so it's giving you a false reading. Promise, it's what happened to me and that what Nart told me.

 

Basically like you said in the other post, the algae is comsuming it so it's giving you a false reading. Promise, it's what happened to me and that what Nart told me.

Okay, phew! I was worried about that reading. I am going to do a water change today and suck up as much algae as I can. I know my cycle is fine because everyone is looking very happy, and all my other readings are perfect, and my live rock had been in a tank that was established for a year, water change it is, and get a bigger clean up crew. Thanks!

 

Just finished that water change, only had 5 gallons of water mixed up, so it wasn't much, but I did manage to suck up some algae. I will probably do another water change in a few days to try to suck up some more algae.

 

Glad to see things are going well! Just wanted to chime in on algae cleaning... It doesn't have to wait for a water change if you can do a little tweaking with the mechanical filtration. I don't usually keep floss or sponges in the filter, but do keep lots of floss around for handy reasons like this. So, when I was having some pretty bad algae outbreaks, I would put some floss in the filter and get to scrubbing. I like a grout scrubber for this because they're small for tight spaces, but the bristles are stiff enough to do a good job. I would scrub it all, which of course clouds the tank, but the floss would eventually catch it. Then I'd just toss the floss a few hours later when the tank was clear. I know nothing about how your sump is set up, and my tank is small with an HOB filter/refugium, but just wanted to tell you what worked for me.

 

Glad to see things are going well! Just wanted to chime in on algae cleaning... It doesn't have to wait for a water change if you can do a little tweaking with the mechanical filtration. I don't usually keep floss or sponges in the filter, but do keep lots of floss around for handy reasons like this. So, when I was having some pretty bad algae outbreaks, I would put some floss in the filter and get to scrubbing. I like a grout scrubber for this because they're small for tight spaces, but the bristles are stiff enough to do a good job. I would scrub it all, which of course clouds the tank, but the floss would eventually catch it. Then I'd just toss the floss a few hours later when the tank was clear. I know nothing about how your sump is set up, and my tank is small with an HOB filter/refugium, but just wanted to tell you what worked for me.

My sump is set up with some media, and then a plastic thing that can hold a cartridge, I also fill it with floss and sponges to catch anything floating around in the tank, I sorta just kicked up all the algae, sucked up what I could, and figured I'd let that mechanical piece take care of the rest. I was feeling a little TOO ambitious today, and decided to clean out some stuff from the back chambers… it involved a ladder, and a lot of towels, I'm now covered in saltwater, and the carpet is only a little bit ruined but hey, at least my sump is clean… sorta. I'm probably not replacing the floss/sponge enough though, I guess I'll just kick it up, let the sump do its thing, and then toss the floss after a couple hours like you said, my only concern is algae potentially going to the other pump, and then going through the chiller and clogging stuff up.

 

Well… I'm thinking this live rock may be cured now. On Sunday it will have been 2 weeks, and I still have yet to see any ammonia spike. I'm just wondering, does it make a difference how much water it's cured in? It's one piece that weighs a little under 20 pounds, and it's only in a 5 gallon bucket… I don't see how that would make a difference, but I'm just trying to be thorough and not mess up at all, now that my tank is finally doing well. Also do any of you know if the Rubbermaid roughneck bins are safe? I have a 35 gallon one in the garage, and I've heard some people say they're great, and others say the opposite.

 

Well, I couldn't be sure about curing without testing for phosphates, but it sounds like it's cycled at the very least. I don't think it makes a difference how little water the rock is in... if anything, it seems to me that smaller amounts of water would only give you a higher reading on tests due to the concentration of nutrients in a smaller water volume.

Sorry, I haven't seen anything about the Roughneck bins. Hoping someone else can give you a good answer on that today.

 

Well, I couldn't be sure about curing without testing for phosphates, but it sounds like it's cycled at the very least. I don't think it makes a difference how little water the rock is in... if anything, it seems to me that smaller amounts of water would only give you a higher reading on tests due to the concentration of nutrients in a smaller water volume.

Sorry, I haven't seen anything about the Roughneck bins. Hoping someone else can give you a good answer on that today.

I'm really hoping these roughneck bins are okay. Still waiting to get that phosphate and magnesium test, also am probably going to be trying to build this canister refugium soon, yesterday I realized just how much of a pain it would be to add it into the sump just because of how tall the tank is, even on a ladder, I can barely see what's in that media chamber… it may just involve some cutting to find a place for the plumbing, I took up the one open spot in the back to plumb the chiller. I've researched refugiums quite a bit, and I really think they're a great thing, but would you say it's worth it to have one? I just want to make sure I'm making a good decision, considering it will be sorta tough, and will likely cost another $100+

 

I was scrubbing some algae and I noticed that… my skimmer is finally working right!!! After adding extra control valves, and fine tuning it for a month, it's finally working perfectly!! It's a small victory, but after all the stress it caused me, I'm definitely celebrating it.

 

I do think a refugium is a wonderful tool for nutrient export. I started mine and it brought nitrates down to zero... not where I wanted it, but worked like a charm. I wanted nitrates higher, so turned off the fuge for over a month. Nitrates rose exponentially, as in one week prior to water change it'd be 3pmm. A 20% change didn't put much of a dent in it, so the following week prior to the wc nitrates would by 6ppm. Also, algae popped up everywhere in the tank. Turned the fuge back on and cut down on the light hours. Nitrates have been stable at 3pm for a few weeks now.

Another example is Nart's IM25. Like me, no skimmer, but a decent fuge, and the tank is beautiful, algae free and stable. Nart's got that good chaeto too. The stuff I got from the LFS did it's job, but didn't grow much at all, was a mess and was full of aiptasia. So, when I restarted, I got chaeto from Nart instead. I would recommend you get it from him as well... even if you find a good strain locally, chaeto is one of the worst things to bring in hitchhikers, but I can guarantee you that the only thing in Nart's chaeto is pods and white worms. Yummy snacks for your fishies!

You certainly don't need to spend much on a fuge. It can be as simple as a small tank or container that you plump in... if you can fit it.ops: And don't forget to search for second hand stuff! People start this hobby then can't or won't keep up. Then they're wanting to sell it fast to get it out of the way. Sweet deals are available, as you well know.

I was writing this as your last post came in. I forgot you were tuning in your skimmer! Glad it's getting there. Now that it has, just keep up with testing and that will let you know if you really need a fuge. The info above stands though, so I'll leave it be for the future.

 

I do think a refugium is a wonderful tool for nutrient export. I started mine and it brought nitrates down to zero... not where I wanted it, but worked like a charm. I wanted nitrates higher, so turned off the fuge for over a month. Nitrates rose exponentially, as in one week prior to water change it'd be 3pmm. A 20% change didn't put much of a dent in it, so the following week prior to the wc nitrates would by 6ppm. Also, algae popped up everywhere in the tank. Turned the fuge back on and cut down on the light hours. Nitrates have been stable at 3pm for a few weeks now.

Another example is Nart's IM25. Like me, no skimmer, but a decent fuge, and the tank is beautiful, algae free and stable. Nart's got that good chaeto too. The stuff I got from the LFS did it's job, but didn't grow much at all, was a mess and was full of aiptasia. So, when I restarted, I got chaeto from Nart instead. I would recommend you get it from him as well... even if you find a good strain locally, chaeto is one of the worst things to bring in hitchhikers, but I can guarantee you that the only thing in Nart's chaeto is pods and white worms. Yummy snacks for your fishies!

You certainly don't need to spend much on a fuge. It can be as simple as a small tank or container that you plump in... if you can fit it.ops: And don't forget to search for second hand stuff! People start this hobby then can't or won't keep up. Then they're wanting to sell it fast to get it out of the way. Sweet deals are available, as you well know.

I was writing this as your last post came in. I forgot you were tuning in your skimmer! Glad it's getting there. Now that it has, just keep up with testing and that will let you know if you really need a fuge. The info above stands though, so I'll leave it be for the future.

My nitrates are currently at 0, but I think it's due to algae (sucked a lot of it up yesterday) I definitely have room under my stand for a canister or 10 gallon tank/container of some sort, most of the money with that would just be a return pump, I just think a canister would probably be easiest to plumb in, but I could look for a used one, I also found a fairly large one on amazon that looks decent for only $55, so that's an option as well. Now that my skimmer is actually doing its job, I'm going to keep testing regularly and go from there, I know I'll have a fuge, it's just a matter of how soon do I want one. Thanks for the advice on the chaeto, wasn't even thinking about hitchhikers! I do have some aiptasia, but I've had the same 3 for the past year, never seems to spread, I'll either use the aiptasia x I have or probably buy a peppermint shrimp. Thanks for all your help so far!

 

I finally got the phosphate test kit today! It's a fluval one, they were on a sale at the lfs I went to and it wound up only being $5, I went ahead and tested phosphates in my tank (no water from my "curing bins" yet) and it read 0.5, too high, but it seems pretty accurate to me, while I was there I also made an impulse buy… my own RO unit finally! I have an RO unit in the kitchen that I occasionally use, but now I finally have a fish only unit in the garage, it was only RO but was $45, I will order the DI part sometime soon, but for that deal I couldn't say no.

 

I got the DI unit in the mail today!!! Gonna set it up soon, so I'll finally have an RODI unit. Now I'm wondering, should I try the instant ocean reef crystals? Or just stick to the regular stuff? I did some searching, and most people say just use the regular instant ocean salt, but what do you guys think? Also what brands do you recommend for salt mix? I like instant ocean and have had no issues, but now that I'm going to be keeping more corals, I want to be sure that instant ocean will be good.

 

I got the DI unit in the mail today!!! Gonna set it up soon, so I'll finally have an RODI unit. Now I'm wondering, should I try the instant ocean reef crystals? Or just stick to the regular stuff? I did some searching, and most people say just use the regular instant ocean salt, but what do you guys think? Also what brands do you recommend for salt mix? I like instant ocean and have had no issues, but now that I'm going to be keeping more corals, I want to be sure that instant ocean will be good.

It depends how much water you change each week, but since you're wanting to hold coral do #reefcrystals or a better alternative

 

It depends how much water you change each week, but since you're wanting to hold coral do #reefcrystals or a better alternative

My tank is 66 gallons and I'm planning to start changing 10 gallons a week or so. I would only change 5 on my previous 40 every week or two, but the tank only had 2 clowns in it, this one also only has the two clowns, but I plan on getting more fish soon.

 

So as not to hijack jamie carmichael 's thread, here's my too long response to your simple question about the AquaStik

I got the AquaStik at the LFS, and it's also available on Amazon, but the selection and pricing there is weird. Check MarineDepot or Bulk Reef Supply. This epoxy sets hard in about 5 minutes, though it isn't sticky. No probs though, I use the superglue/epoxy sandwich that is recommended here, and by Julian Sprung - reef master and owner of 2 Little Fishies. My precise method for mounting frags is this... First, get everything ready and nearby, so glue, epoxy, razor blade to cut the epoxy stick, the coral in a bowl of tank water and a towel of course. Shake the glue so it's ready and uncap it, then slice off as much epoxy as you'll need and start kneading it, (this is usually a very thin slice of epoxy for small frags.) After fully mixing the epoxy, shape it. I usually make a small ball then flatten it a bit for frags. Remove the coral from the bowl and dry off the bottom, then put a bit of glue on the epoxy and stick it to the base of the coral. Immediately after, apply glue to the dry side of the epoxy and stick it in the tank. Hold it for about 30 seconds for the glue to start setting, and done.

I'm unsure about using glue for creating a rockscape. Be sure to do a dry run or three before mixing up the epoxy though, because it does dry quickly enough that if I'm mounting two frags, I cannot mix enough epoxy for both at once. It will dry by the time I'm done with the first frag. Nart made a wicked scape with epoxy though, and he could most certainly advise you on this better than I.

 

So as not to hijack jamie carmichael 's thread, here's my too long response to your simple question about the AquaStik

I got the AquaStik at the LFS, and it's also available on Amazon, but the selection and pricing there is weird. Check MarineDepot or Bulk Reef Supply. This epoxy sets hard in about 5 minutes, though it isn't sticky. No probs though, I use the superglue/epoxy sandwich that is recommended here, and by Julian Sprung - reef master and owner of 2 Little Fishies. My precise method for mounting frags is this... First, get everything ready and nearby, so glue, epoxy, razor blade to cut the epoxy stick, the coral in a bowl of tank water and a towel of course. Shake the glue so it's ready and uncap it, then slice off as much epoxy as you'll need and start kneading it, (this is usually a very thin slice of epoxy for small frags.) After fully mixing the epoxy, shape it. I usually make a small ball then flatten it a bit for frags. Remove the coral from the bowl and dry off the bottom, then put a bit of glue on the epoxy and stick it to the base of the coral. Immediately after, apply glue to the dry side of the epoxy and stick it in the tank. Hold it for about 30 seconds for the glue to start setting, and done.

I'm unsure about using glue for creating a rockscape. Be sure to do a dry run or three before mixing up the epoxy though, because it does dry quickly enough that if I'm mounting two frags, I cannot mix enough epoxy for both at once. It will dry by the time I'm done with the first frag. Nart made a wicked scape with epoxy though, and he could most certainly advise you on this better than I.

Awesome! I'm looking for something that sets quick, and works on rock that's sorta wet. The instant ocean stuff was… terrible, it just wouldn't cure on wet rocks, which is a pretty huge flaw if it's designed for scaping live rock, and horribly overpriced. Was like $15 if I remember right (this was over a year ago) and I actually tried hardware epoxy that cost like $4 for the same thing, that unfortunately didn't work either. I won't be adding any more corals until my live rock is all in the tank and scaped, and also not until I work out a good lighting schedule and hopefully get my timer working, my weird schedule is making the time the light is on so inconsistent, so I want to get everything perfect first, I'm just hoping that this timer works on the tank… I'll see if I can get some of the epoxy stuff and hopefully start scaping soon, the rock is all cured, so I'll have some updates to make here! Thanks!!

 

I used this stuff AquaStik Underwater Epoxy Putty - Stone Grey - Two Little Fishies for scaping my tank. I used wet live rock. I used a super glue/epoxy sandwich. Worked perfect. I use the same method as stella1979 for mounting frags. Small frags I'll just use super glue gel but bigger frags like larger LPS and SPS I'll use epoxy

 

Eeek! I hate to disagree with my salty buddies, but I was missing some stuff on your thread. I just read back a bit and I have to say, I wouldn't use reef crystals (IORC) or any coral specific salt at this stage. Those salts are made with higher mineral/nutrient levels, and are meant for tanks that are just full of large corals that are taking up those minerals. So, in other words, I think your calcium and alkalinity would run higher than than the recommended range with IORC. I know that Instant Ocean (IO) is a good salt, and I don't really have a good reason, but I switched to Red Sea Salt, (RSS), but not Coral Pro, (RSCP). In the beginning I used IO with RO water. My calcium and alkalinity ran a bit high, but I made two changes at around the same time, so the data is flawed. I wanted salt in a bucket, (could've just bought a bucket), and the tank was still pretty young, so I switched to RSS. Around the same time I got the DI stage installed and started using RODI instead of RO. There's a good chance that calcium was making it through the RO, so I could blame that for calcium & alkalinity being high. Anyhow, the tank is pretty well established now with lots of small but growing corals. I still use RSS, which like IO is not coral specific, and parameters are perfect. There are other supposedly better and definitely more expensive salts on the market, but I've seen plenty of beautiful tanks that use IO or RSS. The hope is, someday we'll have awesome tanks full of large corals, and then we'd be looking at upgrading salts.

 

Eeek! I hate to disagree with my salty buddies, but I was missing some stuff on your thread. I just read back a bit and I have to say, I wouldn't use reef crystals (IORC) or any coral specific salt at this stage. Those salts are made with higher mineral/nutrient levels, and are meant for tanks that are just full of large corals that are taking up those minerals. So, in other words, I think your calcium and alkalinity would run higher than than the recommended range with IORC. I know that Instant Ocean (IO) is a good salt, and I don't really have a good reason, but I switched to Red Sea Salt, (RSS), but not Coral Pro, (RSCP). In the beginning I used IO with RO water. My calcium and alkalinity ran a bit high, but I made two changes at around the same time, so the data is flawed. I wanted salt in a bucket, (could've just bought a bucket), and the tank was still pretty young, so I switched to RSS. Around the same time I got the DI stage installed and started using RODI instead of RO. There's a good chance that calcium was making it through the RO, so I could blame that for calcium & alkalinity being high. Anyhow, the tank is pretty well established now with lots of small but growing corals. I still use RSS, which like IO is not coral specific, and parameters are perfect. There are more supposedly better and definitely more expensive salts on the market, but I've seen plenty of beautiful tanks that use IO or RSS. The hope is, someday we'll have awesome tanks full of large corals, and then we'd be looking at upgrading salts.

I agree, I don't plan to switch anytime soon. I did some further research on it, and most other people I talked to said that they ran tanks with just instant ocean and had no issues. At this point I'm fine with instant ocean and see no reason to change salts.

 

I used this stuff AquaStik Underwater Epoxy Putty - Stone Grey - Two Little Fishies for scaping my tank. I used wet live rock. I used a super glue/epoxy sandwich. Worked perfect. I use the same method as stella1979 for mounting frags. Small frags I'll just use super glue gel but bigger frags like larger LPS and SPS I'll use epoxy

I'll likely wind up doing the super glue/epoxy sandwich for new corals and the current ones, I'm not too worried about those. I'm mostly just looking for something pretty strong to hold 65 pounds of live rock together once I plan my final scape (new live rock is finally cured, yay!) I'm still on the fence about actually gluing/epoxying the scape together, I've heard most people recommend it, but then again, I ran my other tank for a year without anything glued together, and I'm super indecisive and like to switch things up sometimes, so I'll have to see. If I find a scape that I love, I think I will go ahead and attach everything, it's not like it's totally permanent and will never come apart again. Thanks!

 

My scape is glued, though like you say, not totally permanent. I'll say this for not gluing at all though... I'm a little jealous that some friends here can just yank a rock out to attach or frag a coral.