# My Saltwater tank (update Mar.23rd with pics)



## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Well seeing so many of u setting up your saltwater tank i decided i will too..i think lol I have a 29g in storage that i will b bringing home hopefully tomorrow. Now i was using this tank as fresh water before, any suggestions on how to convert it?


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Welcome to the Bright and Light (wallet) side. Just fill it with Salt Water ? JK.

Fish only, there really is nothing to change. You can even use your FW filters and bare bottom.

You need to decide what you want to do, fish only, corals, fine sand bottom, or coarse crush coral bottom (which I have some FF).

Coral will require better light. For regular 29g, you can probably get by with 2xT5HO.

Then you need to decide how often you want to change water - skimmer will extend the water change, etc.

Check out Anthony's thread on SW basic 

I saw Algae Beater's SW tank the other day. You should go check it out and give him some company - recovering from ankle surgery


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

hahaha your reply is so funny. Well i had a sw tank before and had live sand and rock and i would like to have that again, i want some soft coral i guess nothing fancy, couple of clowns and some shrimps to clean up etc. I have a lil skimmer which i dont like so i need to get another one, i have a light i believe is a good one, i will post what it is tomorrow when i get my set up out of storage lol Maybe i will have to visit Algae Beater and make him crazy for a while lol


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Welcome to the salt world Claudia! ,to start you need :

1- 30lb live rock and 30lb live sand. 
2- Salinity Refractometer 
3- Sea Salt

What is the lighting system?


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

thank you. I got #2 and #3 already  Just need the live rock and sand


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

You didn't mention you had sw tank before in the first post


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Sorry, yes i did about 2 years ago. I had a 29g cube and i gave it away  cause i had way to many tanks so i kept my other 29g to make it salty, i am a novice dont now too much about it tho, always learning


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## monocus (Sep 27, 2010)

a sump would be good-very easy to make.figure out an overflow-i prefer a stockman ,but it's your choice.algae scrubber would be great for softies


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

if you buy RL and LS from someones tank do dont need to wait for whole cycling


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I do not know anything about sumps tho 


monocus said:


> a sump would be good-very easy to make.figure out an overflow-i prefer a stockman ,but it's your choice.algae scrubber would be great for softies


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

arash53 said:


> if you buy RL and LS from someones tank do dont need to wait for whole cycling


Thats true, maybe i can get some at the open house at Anthonys  I also have a power head but i have heard of people using canister filters? I have an extra xp3 i cpuld use if thats the case


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

This is the tank i am gonna use, this pic is when i had it setup last year, there is a 17g on the bottom


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## JTang (Apr 21, 2010)

Claudia said:


> Thats true, maybe i can get some at the open house at Anthonys  I also have a power head but i have heard of people using canister filters? I have an extra xp3 i cpuld use if thats the case


I started one of my sumpless salty tanks w a XP3. It seemed to work fine in the 1st few months, but I ran into algae problem dued to the build up of debris n organic particles inside the canister. Unless u have the time n patience to open it up n clean it at least once a wk, i would stay away from it.

I've pulled it out after 3, or 4 months n hooked up a HOB instead. I just take the floss out n rinse it every 2 or 3 days. Quick n Easy!

Btw, you must have read my old 46 gal thread from last summer! Lol
I shld update that thread sometime regarding the usage of filter...


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

JTang said:


> I started one of my sumpless salty tanks w a XP3. It seemed to work fine in the 1st few months, but I ran into algae problem dued to the build up of debris n organic particles inside the canister. Unless u have the time n patience to open it up n clean it at least once a wk, i would stay away from it.
> 
> I've pulled it out after 3, or 4 months n hooked up a HOB instead. I just take the floss out n rinse it every 2 or 3 days. Quick n Easy!
> 
> ...


Actually i read it some where on the internet but it said to clean it once month. I have the xp3 in case i need it or want it to use


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

Use canister filters to hold live rock rubble but not regular filter media. That is what causes the problems. And you would need to rinse it out every week or two, not every month if you don't want the canister filter to become a nitrate factory.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Ok so if i use it will b to hold live rock rubble, if i dont use it then skimmer?


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

You can do skimmerless, and just do regular water changes.

My 2' cube (60g) is heavily stocked and was skimmerless for over two years. I notice that corals do better now that I am doing more regular water changes and added an inexpensive HOB skimmer I bought online.

My old 100g 4'x2'x20" fish only had an Eheim canister filter, a Jaubert plenum (DIY xlg undergravel filter plates) and macroalgae for filtration. Worked great until one fish taught my other tangs and angels to eat up the macroalgae, which was a major source of nutrient export.

Also, if you keep bioload low and have only a few small fish, the maintenance is reduced and water quality is improved significantly, even without a skimmer or large water changes. Its when bioload increases (ie. lots of fish for the volume) that most newbies run into issues. Me, I love to have heavily stocked tanks.


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## SeaHorse_Fanatic (Apr 22, 2010)

gklaw said:


> Check out Anthony's thread on SW basic


Psst. It's actually Franklin (fkshiu) who wrote that stickie. Don't want to take credit for his hard work.:bigsmile:


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> You can do skimmerless, and just do regular water changes.
> 
> My 2' cube (60g) is heavily stocked and was skimmerless for over two years. I notice that corals do better now that I am doing more regular water changes and added an inexpensive HOB skimmer I bought online.


Ok well i can maybe start with out it and eventually buy one


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

SeaHorse_Fanatic said:


> Psst. It's actually Franklin (fkshiu) who wrote that stickie. Don't want to take credit for his hard work.:bigsmile:


lol I will sure look for it tho


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Why not sell the XP3 and setup a sump or use it as your return sump. All you need is to pump a hole at the back of your 29g and put a 20g sump at the bottom and you are all set to go.

You don't even need all the fancy partitions. Just a media tower. I have a TruVu media tower that fit inside a 20g with bioballs for $30.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

The biggest i can put under is a 17g thats what it shows in the pic, i dont know if a 20g would fit at all mmmm now u got me thinking lol


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

The 17g should be adequate for a sump if you still have it. The media tower will fit inside a 20g for sure -12" deep.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I still have the 17g


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I have a nano skimmer but i didnt like it when i was using it, every time i was going to clean it it came apart ggrrr so i am thinking maybe to use this and add it up to an aquaclear Hagen Aquaclear Surface Skimmer


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## BaoBeiZhu (Apr 24, 2010)

Weeeeeee, all these members comming back to brightside Or New to brightside !!


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

BaoBeiZhu said:


> Weeeeeee, all these members comming back to brightside Or New to brightside !!


I know huh lol


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I have been sick and thought i would b better today so i could go get my tank from storage but nope still not feeling that well  Maybe tomorrow...i hope


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Finally i am a bit better, my voice is better too, i hardly could talk yesterday. Hopefully it wont rain later on so i can get the chance to get my tank from storage.


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## crazy72 (Apr 22, 2010)

This cold is a golden opportunity, Claudia. Your last chance to save your wallet! :bigsmile:


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

*My Saltwater tank (update March 2nd)*



crazy72 said:


> This cold is a golden opportunity, Claudia. Your last chance to save your wallet! :bigsmile:


I dont think it will last to long, already bought a bucket of salt today


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

So i got my tank, stand and light today from storage, just having supper then will bring it up from the car and need to clean it a bit as is dusty


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

So i got everything in the house now, I was cleaning the tank a bit and still have to clean the glass top and the light but here it is. I guess is time to get live sand and rock 

This is when i just got it in the house









Here is where i will set it up, tank is a bit cleaner then before too. I h ave the door for the bottom of the stand but i am going to c how the chi will look under there, if doesnt look nice then i will put the door back on and will have to look for a place for the chi


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Tank is full of salty water and going to b adding approx. 20lbs of live rock


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## bonsai dave (Apr 21, 2010)

I have a 10 gallon sump that work well with your tank.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

bonsai dave said:


> I have a 10 gallon sump that work well with your tank.


Comon Dave u know we always want pics lol I will let u know, i am just starting this tank.

I am almost at 1.023 salinity, so hopefully soon


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Claudia said:


>


Did u see the diferent color on the floor? well looking at this pic made me realized how well i did the flooring  I had to replace part of it cause the ac leaked and ruined the floor... sorry i am so proud of the job a did lol


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

So i got more live rock, a yellow gobi, a green lil mushroom and a zoa. Now i will b looking for sand and i want to get a pair of clowns. I will post pics later, will takesome as soon as the light come on


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Here r the pics, I still have to find a way to hide the cables so doesnt look so messy, need the sand so i can do something with the rock too


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

A little update,my kids have been sick so has been a bit crazy lol but i have been working on my tank ok so I got lots of live rock about 39lbs right now lol but i am selling one piece still as i dont need it, got the sand. This is the pic (from a week ago)










Today i added the skimmer i had which is a Fission Nano-protein skimmer, i am still using 2 power heads and dont know to set up the xp3 or an aquaclear. I will take pics tomorrow and post them.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)




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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Looking great Claudia, get an small RBTA for you clown fishes


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Yes i want one, i have to start looking for one


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

What is the light on this tank?


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## Earth Eater (Apr 22, 2010)

arash53 said:


> Looking great Claudia, get an small RBTA for you clown fishes


The tank looks great but I have to disagree with the RBTA. The lighting sadly does not looks sufficient and anenomes do best in a mature tank over 6 months old. It would look good for a while, but then it would die there would a be a nitrate nuke. The coral you have in there are not looking their best so I would wait out until everything stabilizes and go slow. You seem to have high nitrates (or cycle is not finished) based on all the algae. Like I said patience is the key to a salt tank. Good luck. I too just got a nice little watchman goby. Are'nt they just the cutest thing?


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

The light is a Coralife with moonlights, 2 double t6 8,000K 55w each


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Claudia said:


> The light is a Coralife with moonlights, 2 double t6 8,000K 55w each


So its 220W right?


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Some of the corals were just add it when i took the pics so they need some time to adjust, as for the algae, i have none, what u see is what it came with corals i have bought from other members


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

arash53 said:


> So its 220W right?


mmm no the tube is double but each one is 55w so 110w total


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Claudia said:


> mmm no the tube is double but each one is 55w so 110w total


110W is a bit low for BTA , I bought my lighting systems from here : Metal Halide Aquarium Lighting - Metal Halide Fixture available in 18", 24", 30", 36", 48", 60", and 72".

its free shipping to us , and you could pick it up from there and its free tax/duty.

I have it for about 1 year now and I love it and really cheap!


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

arash53 said:


> 110W is a bit low for BTA , I bought my lighting systems from here : Metal Halide Aquarium Lighting - Metal Halide Fixture available in 18", 24", 30", 36", 48", 60", and 72".
> 
> its free shipping to us , and you could pick it up from there and its free tax/duty.
> 
> I have it for about 1 year now and I love it and really cheap!


Thanks Arash,i will check it out


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

How is this one? Odyssea Metal Halide System


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

That's what I bought ,but the 20" model, it's perfect but the MH bulb need to be replace with a good brand it's too yellowish 


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I will search some more tho then will make up my mind...hopefully lol


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## aquaboy71 (Apr 21, 2010)

I'm not a saltwater guy (maybe one day) but it looks like a good start, Claudia!


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

aquaboy71 said:


> I'm not a saltwater guy (maybe one day) but it looks like a good start, Claudia!


Thank you


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## Earth Eater (Apr 22, 2010)

I like your tank too But WPG is even less usefull in salt than planted. In my opinion the best option for your tank is t5ho. Halide would have a lot of heat that would need to be dissipated. Oddysea ballast and reflectors are horrible and often are not ran at there "proper" wattage nor are they "smart" ballasts. Fishneedit has some cheap lights that have good reviews, ballasts, and reflectors. Like I said halide would just be too hot and unless you plan on SPS is not needed. Here is the link to their website I may too get one T5-HO Light


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Never new there was pink lights? what r this good for?


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Is this one ok? 30in 4Bulbs fixtures


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## Earth Eater (Apr 22, 2010)

Yes, that fixture would be fantistic and is a lot better quality than the Odyssea I would reccomend the 2 actinic (blue) and 2 white (10 000k). With that fixture you have many other bulb choices from other manufacturers too It also has dual cords and switches so you can have actinic and white come on at different times I turn my actinic on first. It is only 96watts, but with T5 there is alot more available light for your corals than t6 so they will grow better and flouress differently. T5>T6, t5 has more available light With that fixture zoas, lps, and other softies would do great


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

Honestly, I don't like either the FishNeedIt of Odyssea. Both are poorly manufactured. Check to see what Charles has.

IMHO, you will be fine with the 2x55W for a while until you are more familiar with the SW system. I am still not convinced that 96W T5HO is better than 110W of compact fluorescent with good reflector. The Coralife compact fl. units are well built and went down hill after that. 4xT5HO bulbs are more expensive than 2x55W bulbs.

As suggested, definitely not MH especially for your small tank with heat and evaporation.


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## Earth Eater (Apr 22, 2010)

gklaw said:


> Honestly, I don't like either the FishNeedIt of Odyssea. Both are poorly manufactured. Check to see what Charles has.
> 
> IMHO, you will be fine with the 2x55W for a while until you are more familiar with the SW system. I am still not convinced that 96W T5HO is better than 110W of compact fluorescent with good reflector. The Coralife compact fl. units are well built and went down hill after that. 4xT5HO bulbs are more expensive than 2x55W bulbs.
> 
> As suggested, definitely not MH especially for your small tank with heat and evaporation.


 I agree, neither are top of the line or even close but 96 watts of t5 is still better than t6. I never said it was better than a higher wattage of PC with good reflectors. New coralife lights are degrading in quality as you mentioned, but what Charles carries is the Odyssea line which as you said is poorly manufactured. The fishneedit is still cheap but of better quality than the Odyssea. I never did say she had to upgrade "right away" as what Claudia has currently will do the job fine. I am sorry if I caused any confusion, just trying to help.

Bodhin


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## gklaw (May 31, 2010)

No worry Bodhin. Not trying to start a debate here  Thanks.

As you mentioned, patience is key to SW. Just don't want Claudia to spend too much $ YET  Especially with more LED fixtures coming on stream.

Al so not meant to put down on Charle's line, great value - have not used one YET. As least you have a local rep to jump on


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## Earth Eater (Apr 22, 2010)

gklaw said:


> No worry Bodhin. Not trying to start a debate here  Thanks.
> 
> As you mentioned, patience is key to SW. Just don't want Claudia to spend too much $ YET  Especially with more LED fixtures coming on stream.
> 
> Al so not meant to put down on Charle's line, great value - have not used one YET. As least you have a local rep to jump on


Thanks for the words, I agree with you. Have a great day.


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Thanks guys, i do appreciated your thoughts even if u guys dont agreed lol Gives me an idea so i can make up my ind on what i want to get


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

I just saw that my Xenia split in 3 and one of the 3 is splitting in 2


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## arash53 (Aug 13, 2011)

Good job , I never had luck with Xinas , tried two time both times they melt away 


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh that sucks Arash  i think for me is just beginners luck


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

The new skimmer was add it, i like it so much better then the one i was using before  I am already thinking on upgrading the tank from 29g to 37g, is same foot print just taller (37g 30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 223/4)


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## Earth Eater (Apr 22, 2010)

Sounds nice, but a higher tank means less usable light reaching the bottom for the coral. I would stick with what you have and let it flourish and mature Have you found any more lights for your tank?


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

if i change the tank will b later on when i know i am getting a new light, i havent search again for lights...been busy and no much money to spend.
I will start the search again tho so i can make up my mind on what i want cause there are so many choices


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## JTang (Apr 21, 2010)

Claudia said:


> The new skimmer was add it, i like it so much better then the one i was using before  I am already thinking on upgrading the tank from 29g to 37g, is same foot print just taller (37g 30 1/4 x 12 1/2 x 223/4)


Great start! Tank looks nice!

Haaha i did the same when i started last summer. I started with a 46gal then picked up a 120gal a month later! Lol


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## Claudia (Apr 21, 2010)

Oh my lol good thing i havent upgrade it yet hahahah Tank looks better now that i took the big rock on front, i have to take new pics


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