update:
the pole in the tank was the owners feeble attempt at doing something for the starving pipefish. i told him they like to hold on to things like seahorses do, so he tossed the pole in..
.
we've come to an agreement-
a hundred bucks a month plus expenses, and i'll keep his tank up.
he's agreed to purchase a new, reef ready tank, a sump, and a new skimmer.
i think i heard a quiet "yes" to a R.O. unit as well.
we've decided the route we will take is a reef(softies and some easy lps).
there are some problems i have to overcome. the largest problem is the built in stand- it's constructed of what appears to be 3 solid beams which are approximately 6"x 24" thick( it looks like something you would use as a lentil, or a load bearing beam that holds up a freaken skyscraper!
)
hes got 2 areas, like the one i took a picture of with the wet dry in it, with a few inch area joining them. so basically, if i want any sort of decent sump with refugium, i'll have to get 2 smaller tanks and drill them and join them with bulkheads and pvc, through that small area.
i have to look at the stand further. maybe i can remove that center beam and just toss a baffled 75 gallon under there.
another small issue is the 48" fixture over the 6' tank. i don't think he will buck up for the new fixture, but he might buck up for a used pendant as a supplement.
he also mentioned that he used to have some tube lights over the tank until the stoner tank maintenance guy got water on the ballast and blew it out. he said he liked them, so maybe i'll talk him into a 4 x 54 watt retro to supplement the 4' fixture.
so it's shrooms, xenia, maybe a wellsophyllia or favia, a frogspawn, and lots of crabs and shrimp and snails.
