[jeffboyarrdee]

hey everyone
im planning on scaping a 150 gallon that is 72" L and only 18" depth so its pretty long and skinny
i was hoping to do wood or rock or maybe both, does anyone know any cheaper alternatives to the ADA wood and rock? like any rock yards or places to get larger pieces? I also live in the westwood area of LA, so particularly any places near me?

thanks!

 

[MacFan]

I don't know your area, but there are almost certainly stone yards nearby. Just google stone yard westwood and you'll find something. Or consult one of those paper phonebook thingies if you still have one.

Avoid limestones, marble and anything with large metal deposits (I have some slate with beautiful rust colored orange in it, but no indication of the metal it might have come from.)

As for driftwood, I bought all mine at my LFS, but I've heard of people (Tom Barr included) collecting pieces from mouths of rivers, etc. But I know Tom Barr spends a lot of time scraping bark and branches off, then sandblasting/flame treating the pieces. It's good for giant pieces you can't easily find elsewhere, but it's probably just as easy to find something at your LFS. It helps if it's a good LFS though... not all carry good pieces and some charge much more than others. I bought several interesting pieces from my usual LFS but then found my centerpiece at another LFS for half the price I'd paid for some of the other pieces. It's luck as much as anything. No two pieces will be alike and your needs will differ from someone elses.

Michael