Hey, thanks for the tip Billie, that's really good to know. It does seem to have more perlite than it should. Maybe I messed up when I was mixing,I don't know. I usually do 3 perlite;3 peat;2 Portland cement....but who knows, I could've inadvertently added too much perlite that time! I've also heard that Portland cement can go bad. How would you know if it was bad?????(maybe when your pots fall apart?)

Kay,I am with Rita.Don't feel guilty, Feel Blessed and grateful that you still have your life and your family.Its terrible whats happened to all of these people.It will take them a long time to rebuild if they decide thats what they want to do, but, some may just decide to move some where else,and start over.My town has a van and a big tractor trailer parked almost in the middle of town, taking anything that people can give,preferably all new things to be brought there to help all them folks,thats lost everything they own.My prayers go out to them,that they will make it ok. Jean

Yes, there are 20 gal. 'uprights' (they're called 'talls'), and I do think that that would be a good size for a first terrarium. If you can afford it though, go a little bigger, like a 30 gal tall. A false bottom is basically a fake bottom. That is, it appears to be the bottom, but there is really an air (water) space under it. You build them by cutting some sections of 2" (or so) PVC pipe, apparently the white PVC is better than the black for terrariums. (Something about the different plastics they're made of, I can't remember). Anyways, you cut the PVC sections tall enough so that you would have about an inch of water over your pump for your waterfall. Then you get some eggcrate (white or black plastic grid thing, often used as a diffuser in light fixtures) and cut it to the shape and size of the bottom of your tank, and you set that on top of the PVC pipes (which are siliconed to the bottom tank glass in an upright position), and you cut the neccessary holes for your pump tubing and cord. Voila! A false bottom. You can do a search on this forum for false bottoms if you don't think I explained it well enough for you. Someone else describing it differently might do the trick. So you don't end up needing a pond liner of any kind. Just have some rocks sitting on the false bottom under your waterfall. They will give the illusion of a pool, but all of the water will find it's way back to the false bottom and be re-circulated. As for woodsy plants, nothing better than ferns and moss! I also like to add interesting rocks from my collection and/or bits of driftwood or sea shells. Anything goes, really, as long as it's non-toxic, because it's your tank! You could put a little fairy figurine in there if you wanted to. Don't use potting soil for the substrate, unless you're using a really high quality one with lots of large chunks for better aeration. Orchid bark or bark mulch is a better choice, or even just pure vermiculite or perlite. I like to use bark because it looks more natural. Oh yeah, another good plant would be a miniature vine, such as Ficus pumila (standard and variegated forms) or Ficus quercifolia (less invasive and looks like mini english ivy). Make sure you post pics when you're done! =)

Thanks ronbre, for all your thoughts, there are some good ones in there! I love my house, but there are some things that were not well thought out by us, but that was because we were living in a FEMA trailer and wanted out of it in a hurry, so we found this houseplan and built it pretty much as is from the plan. The back door and the breakfast nook and the fireplace could have used some tweaking in where they were placed, but we were in such a hurry we didn't catch that. Weren't even in the house 2 years, when we got hit by another hurricane, and flooded with 3 ft of water, so again, we were in a hurry to get it fixed and get back "home" rather than living somewhere temporarily. I have always wanted a fireplace with a mantel to decorate, and so I think it needs to be a focal point, but obviously the big tv is also a focal point. My recliners are both actually a chestnut colored leather, one is just darker than the other, as we didn't decide we wanted two when we purchased the first one, therefore they are obviously from different dye lots. =( Again, my mistake, that's what I get for being in a hurry! But I definitely want to add more seating in this room, not just move around the chairs that I have now. I need a conversation area and so that is why I am thinking two club style chairs for either side of the entertainment center or adding a loveseat. Then I could make the reading nook like you are talking about by the window!!! The ceilings are great to look at and to have "mood lighting"(DH calls it nude lighting in the bedroom...ha) but it also makes me think things have to be centered off of the ceiling, like the entertainment center or our bed for example. You answered one question about the art with the red in it. I figured it was too big for that wall, but just wanted to see what others thought. It would only have about an inch clearance around it. I am also looking for some kind of chest or demilune table for that little wall. Trying to make that DH landing spot for keys, wallet etc, instead of the bar in the kitchen. The nightstands in the bedroom are the same height, the lamp on the left is a little shorter than the one on the right, I just thought they probably shouldn't be taller than the headboard of the bed. It's not real easy to reach the lamp to turn it off from bed. I need a console/buffet, more seating, coffee table, end table, lamps, rug, artwork, drapes. Accessories, I'll worry about later. I just want to get my big pieces set first. I have "hurricane fatigue" and just want this done and pray that we will have a quiet season this year, so we can actually relax and actually enjoy our home.