I purchased the foam from Frank's Nursery ($8). I had a choice between the standard white and a green foam, I chose the green (12W x 36L x 2 thick). Originally I purchased a floral foam, thinking it would be easier to construct, but it just kept flaking apart and would NOT be right for the tank; even if above the water level. After cutting out the pieces I wanted, I used a knife to bevel (or 45 degree) the edges to make it look more natural. I also used my fingers to "smush" sharp edges I did not like. Next I used a product made for sealing foam, in order to make it smooth and paintable ($3.50 @ Hobby Lobby). I mixed a regular acrylic paint, found in the craft sections of most stores(.40c each bottle) with the special foam sealer to start a base coat. I was leary of using some of the "all-in-one" paints because I could not figure out if they would be toxic, and like you, NOBODY knew. I also kept a cup of water to dip the paint brush in to dilute the mixture; I didn't want to see any brush strokes on the foam after it dried. That's where I stopped yeterday. Originally, I was going to slather on silicone (non- toxic) over the entire surface of the foam in order to seal it and make it safe for the tank. However, when I read that someone was using epoxy, I started re-thinking my game plan. I think I will check out the epoxy; I saw some at Menards. Any particular brand? EVERYTHING I have done so far has been improvisation. I have found other websites that make mention of using foam, but NO ONE has actually explained in detail how to go about painting and preparing the foam for a tank. I LOVE the way the foam is turning out. I have been able to custom design the waterfall and shape everything to my liking. I also love that it does not add any weight. I already have quite a bit of a sand substrate from when I had discus and I have also added lots of large rocks to shore up a "bank" to creat an entry/exit point to the water. I am anxious to finish, as this tank has been sitting for almost a year! I have been very cautious and nervous as to what products I use because I know that amphibians' skin will "absorb" toxins in their environment. As far as mixing inhabitants, well I'm excited to hear yours has been successful! I feel that since my tank is on the larger size, it should be able to handle a few more inhabitants than just a couple fire bellied toads. On a final note, I've posted pictures on other message boards I'm involved in and was wondering if anyone here uses snapfish? Can I post pictures from snapfish? I'd like to share my progress so far...

Frances: You would actually be putting less stress on your floor joists by spreading the weight of a 55, which is 4ft. long, across 4 of what are presumably, standard 16" joist centers, than a 30" wide 29, all of which would supported by just 2 joists. As for your mix of fish. Forget the white clouds unless you want to establish a cold water tank. They are not tropical, but in fact minnows, native to cool mountain streams in China and were originally called: White Cloud Mountain Minnows. I would also not mix any gouramis, especially dwarfs, with angels. As lovely as they are to look at, angels get quite large and if a true MF pair, are highly territorial What would get along with them would be other Amazon fish that can move so much faster than the angels. Neons or Cardinal tetras for instance. In a 55, you can easily support about 3 dozen small, fast moving tetras with 2 angels, but if the angels prove a MF pair, they will eventually want to set up housekeepinig and will become aggressive toward any other fish. About the only tankmates they won't attack would be the Corys. If you want to have some real fun, and can bring yourself to forget the angels for the present, try this...... About 3 dozen neon or cardinal tetras, or the pretty dwarf gourami if you like them so much, and no less than 6 cory cats of a single species. Cory cats need at least of that many of the same species to be happy, as that is about the minimum number for them to school. Don't fear live plants. All you need to do is check the light level each needs and even a standard light setup on a 55 will give you plenty, especially if you mix bright whites with grow bulbs. The most common mistake beginners make, is trying to mix too many incompatible species in a tank, so focus on just a few that will school and live happily in the same water. In the wild, most small fish live in schools, so keeping just a few fish of any species makes for very insecure and unhappy fish. No less than 6 each of any schooling species, and a dozen is even better. Recommended numbers of fish are also dependant upon good filtration. Always use a filter rated for at least twice the capacity of the tank, and plan 50% water changes no less than weekly.

I just went through the same thing a few days ago. First I cleaned the flapper seat and replaced the flapper, took a couple of minutes to do. Didn't solve the problem, so I bought an entire refill assembly from the box store, about $19 if I recall. New fill valve, overflow tube assembly, flapper and flapper seat. Turned off the toilet supply, flushed, sponged the excess water out of the tank. Removed the three threaded bolts that held the tank to the bowl, then removed the tank from the toilet bowl. Removed and replaced the fill assembly. Removed and replaced the flapper seat and flapper and overfill tube assembly. Reinstalled the tank on the bowl. Attached the flush chain to the flush arm, I had to tweak and bend the flush arm a little as the geometry was different from the old one. Turn the water on, check for leaks, enjoy! Took about a half-hour, I started during intermission of a Bruins hockey game and missed the first five minutes or so of the next period. Not complicated, just take your time and don't overtighten any bolts. You want snug, but you don't want to crack the china.

2 questions about my current job with a pool remodel that came with a pool contractor selected by the Owner. (only 2 were available in a 100 mile radius and this one seems a little too seat of the pants for my liking)We're installing a new Pavestone paver deck over a concrete slab after demolishing the bond beam and the concrete deck 2 feet away from the pool. New bond beam was installed and waterproofed properly. Slab was installed by my crew using 1/2 thick bond breaker against the new bond beam. I had my crew put 6mil poly over the entire slab, adhered to the edge of sandstone flagstone coping and the 1st 6" of new slab with a 12" strip of Vycor. The new 90 degree expansion joint between the bond beam and the slab received backer rod and bitumen mastic before the Vycor strip was installed. This will completely prevent any water getting into the bond beam, slab subgrade, or the setting material of the coping stones, however, there seems to be some disagreement on what kind of gap is required between the coping and the pavers, if any. Any recommendations? Also the pool contractor used natural coping stone of varying thicknesses. What would be the maximum tolerable joint between the bottom of the stones and the top of the waterline tile? If it were me, I would pick the high spot and cut all the remaining tiles within 1/4 " and strive for a maximum 3/8" caulk joint. What is acceptable industry maximum?