[pinantanjohn]

Thanks Woodstock... (that used to be my nick... The bird not the event)

I do intend to have no less than 4 inches of sand, but i didn't want just sand. I also don't have a very wide tank. it measures 12X48X22 high so having the recommended amount of rock dosen't leave much sand area left. There's a photo on the site of a tank that is decorated like a roman ruin and that's been my inspiration.

With roughly 80% of the bottom in sand, 10% rock and 10% eyecandy along with plants, a REALLY big fractionator (4X36) and a bio filter sump/fuge I'm not expecting too much trouble as far as stability. I've had fresh for years and have not lost many fish. I have a goldfish I've had from the last tank I've cycled (I bought a feeder to get things started) and he's now about 6 inches long. Just getting to the point where I'm going to have to get him out of the 25 gal tank before he has too many problems. He's just too big and he trashes anything I put in there. Haven't had plants for a year and he's eaten about 40 livebearers and all my snails. Lil' bugger, but I can't bring myself to actually make him go away...

Call me sentimental...

If you have some idea, with the 4" sand bed and, if I can find some, a couple of cups of good old live sand from an established tank, what would you say would be a general timeframe for reasonable population in the sandbed? 9 months? I know it's going to depend on many things not the least of which is feeding it, but would that be reasonable or am I too optomistic?

Thanks again...

Peace...
John