Right-o. Visualize this: Cut two pieces of egg crate, 16"x12", dremel the corners smooth, and lay them in the bottom of a bare 55 at opposite ends. Take about 150 lbs of granite scraps of assorted sizes and build the rockpiles in a honeycomb on one side and sort of vertically, like fins, with smaller scraps breaking them into chambers on the other, and sticking it all togerher with reef epoxy. The idea is to give the rockpiles a 1'x1' footprint, sticking out another 4" along the back wall of the tank. Let that cure for a couple of days. Then, gently lift the piles and lay down some coral sand under them and reseat them, and then about an inch thick layer of coral sand acoss the whole tank. Build a fence of smaller granite scraps about 4" out from the back of the tank from one pile to the the other and add some extra sand to that. Fill with water. Plant Vallisnera americana in the center of the back strip, V. Nana on the ends by the rockpiles. Take some small scraps and tie Anubias nana (or Windolev Java Fern) to them and place them on and around the back fence. (Maybe, just maybe, affix a rock with some Bolbitis to the top of each pile. Take three scraps with Java moss on them and lean them at the corners of the fence and the rock pilesand and the center of the fence. So there should be a foot of rockpile on each side, one hole-y one crevice-y, and 2' of bare sand across the middle, about 8" front to back. Lay a couple dozen shells in that bare sand. stick a 150 watt heater (or a pair of 75s) low on the back wall set to 78ºF. Take a pair of Emperor 100s or Aquaclear 110s and install them either side of the center brace. Lay on a galss top. Stick a 4', 2x40 watt fluorescent fixture on that. Cycle the tank with 3 dozen feeder guppies. Treat for Ich. (It will happen). Feed the guppies to the bushfish and bichirs and add 6 each young Julidochromis transcriptus, Neolamprolologus leleupi, and Lamprologus stappersi. (Before this all gets going, set up a 15 or 20 with Stapps and PVC elbows loosely capped on one end in place of shells, use this tank to breed a population for the 55. Keep the breeders in there and sell off the excess fry.)
I'll think about the 33 some more, but it would be the same sort of thing with less granite and more sand.
About the sand and the cycling, if one got marine live sand from someone taking down a saltwater tank (as shows up on craigslist from time to time free or cheap), could this be put in the tank and used for a fishless cycle as the microfauna dies off in the fresh water?
