55gal (possibly?)

[FisheriesOmen]

O.k. well we have a 55gallon reef tank (if you can even call it that) and my parents have been slow on the realization that we NEED a protein skimmer and a sump NOW. After spending months on this thread I am starting to loose interest in our "reef tank" altogether(not to mention what would happen when I leave to college in a couple years). There's nothing new or different with the reef tanks it's literally "SPS reef" , "Softy reef" , "LPS and SPS" and a overall "mixed reef" and "FOWLR" (fish only with live-rock(which I hate btw)). If I can convince my parents into a low-tech planted what would be cool "biotopes" or ideas I could try(please provide pics, links etc.) Any help would be great, we'll see what my parents think though...

(It's actually dirtier than in the picture and 1 of the chromis have already died)

[xxUnRaTeDxxRkOxx]

You can show them this tank here

http://www.google.com/imgres?q=low+t...:429,r:8,s:114



Black water Amazon biotope
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=low+t...:429,r:13,s:90



or this
http://www.google.com/imgres?q=amazo...429,r:18,s:163

[FisheriesOmen]

I think it would be better to show them something simple because I know they'd see that and how much work would have to go into it. And would a canister filter we are currently using for the reef tank work as filtration? If so it would cost almost nothing to transition to FW(not including the money we'd make from selling off all the corals and fish). Also are there any more "defined" biotopes because the first and the last didn't really seem like anything, but thanks for the help!