320 gallon acrylic octogon

Gary Majchrzak

Gary Majchrzak

Team RC
IMG_1729320FO.jpg

Here's an 8 ft. long acrylic octogon aquarium that I helped to set up.
I got sick and tired of seeing bogus looking "fish only" marine aquariums; you know the kind ... full of "killer fishes" like Groupers and Lionfishes in an aquascape straight out of "Finding Nemo". Since this aquarium contains inverts like shrimps, crabs, worms, snails and seastars, (some are spawning regularly), it's not really just a "fish only" tank.
The Yellow Tang in the picture is a very big one, so you can just imagine how large the Naso is. It was grown from a very small size (a few inches long) and is now around 17" and developing streamers. It's quite obvious from this picture that an adult Naso vlamingii needs a very large aquarium.

IMG_1741vlamingii.jpg

All Naso species are very strong swimmers and a lot of food passes through these fishes. (A polite way of putting it!)

IMG_1745niger.jpg

Some more resident fishes. In addition to the Solorensis Wrasse there are several other flashers and fairy Wrasses. The Niger Triggerfish is groomed regularly by a pair of Scarlet Cleaner shrimps.

IMG_1744threadfin.jpg

How about a Butterfly? This is an Auriga. Also called a "Threadfin". It's still not mature.

IMG_1716pholodicthys.jpg

A trio of Engineers rounds out todays picture releases. I wonder what these guys plan on building next? :D
 
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IMG_1739vlamingii.jpg

Another shot of the vlamingii for you fish lovers. Most species of Naso are imported at a very small size. If you don't have an aquarium that is several hundreds of gallons large- please resist the urge to purchase a Naso Tang.
 
man I have one so I'm biased but I do love the look of the adult engineeer gobies!

gary -very nice set up- is there a sump room?
 
No sump room. Literally.
Everything is tightly stuffed into the aquarium stand. I ripped out the wet/dry bioball media and installed a DSB in the sump. It wasn't easy to do because of the lack of working space.
The "DSB in a bucket" (sump in this case) knocks out the high nitrates, which was a problem when the wet/dry was up and running.
There's also a UV unit on this aquarium and the top is covered because many of the Wrasses are jumpers.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7498074#post7498074 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Kent E
Holy! That is one huge fish. How big will it get?
Click to expand...
24" length not counting the streamers that are developing.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7498152#post7498152 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dalbrecht
nice work, How often is the sand changed with the DSB in a bucket?
Click to expand...
On this aquarium probably never. The sand is there to provide an anaerobic zone. It doesn't matter if orthophosphates accumulate because there are no living corals in the system.
 
Boy I hate to play the Tang Police...But there doesn't seem to be enough space for that vlamingii I personally have never seen one that large outside of a public aquarium but surely not in anything less than a 10ft tank. Seeing how that fish reaches 60 cm in length and has a natural craving for plankton I am somewhat suprised to learn that it is in fact forming streamers. Seems to me that without a steady stream of zooplankton and enough space to simulate its constant desire to swim to the midwater region to feed that it would not be "happy" enough to form streamers.

Just my opinion....If the fish were that bad off it wouldn't be alive...Grain of salt thing.

Scott
 
How is oxygenation accomplished in the tank? It looks pretty tall, 36"? I don't see a lot of surface agitation, but the pumps may have been turned off for the pic.
I like the DSB in a bucket concept. It seems to eliminate a lot of the issues associated with having a DSB in a display or sump.
Also, why can't my office get a tank like that? :)
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7498813#post7498813 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by bosborn1
Seeing how that fish reaches 60 cm in length and has a natural craving for plankton I am somewhat suprised to learn that it is in fact forming streamers. Seems to me that without a steady stream of zooplankton and enough space to simulate its constant desire to swim to the midwater region to feed that it would not be "happy" enough to form streamers.
Click to expand...
Let alone grow from a few inches to a few feet in length, eh?
I know where you're coming from, Scott.
This is one of the very few vlamingii that have had good enough care throughout it's captive life to reach adulthood. The food and swimming room issues have been met in this case and I certainly wouldn't attempt to keep one of these fish in any aquarium smaller than this one.

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7499244#post7499244 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by moriartiholmes
How is oxygenation accomplished in the tank? It looks pretty tall, 36"? I don't see a lot of surface agitation, but the pumps may have been turned off for the pic.
I like the DSB in a bucket concept. It seems to eliminate a lot of the issues associated with having a DSB in a display or sump.
Also, why can't my office get a tank like that? :)
Click to expand...
Oxygenation in the aquarium was initially a big issue so I placed a large pump in the aquarium to provide massive surface agitation. Water drops 42" (the depth of the aquarium) to the bottom of the overflow (which increases aeration). From there it drops another couple of feet and discharges into the sump. There's also a protein skimmer on this system to provide more oxygenation (as well as a clean environment.)
This aquarium is very popular with all that see it.
No wonder your office wouldn't want a distraction like this!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7500308#post7500308 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dalbrecht
Thanks for the info on the Anoxic zone. How big is it to accomodate a tank this size?
Click to expand...
I haven't measured the exact dimensions of the sump. It's an old Neptune systems wet/dry. Probably around 16" x 36".
It would have been easier and cheaper to use an aquarium for the sump, but I inherited the existing filter system.
The aragonite sand in the sump is a little larger than sugar sized and around 2"-3" deep. The sand bed and rock in the main display also provide nitrate reducing zones.
The most significant improvement in nitrate reduction was obtained by simply removing the bioballs in the wet/dry.
 
where did you find those engineer gobies i have been looking for some in the adult stage and have yet to find them anywhere?
 
Neat aquarium. I'm more about coral than fish, but that is impressive.

ha, I had an engineer goby in my 30 gallon for a short time... Do you have a fish that would eat it or something? They're supposed to mimic catfish, when they are young... but I don't know if that protects them as much as nature would hope.

Mine grew soo quickly!
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=7514857#post7514857 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by weaver5
where did you find those engineer gobies i have been looking for some in the adult stage and have yet to find them anywhere?
Click to expand...
Like Stephany mentioned, they grow quickly.
The adults are rarely offered for sale.
I got all three of these from MO when they still looked like coral cats.
 
engineer goby

engineer goby

Stephany,
Speaking of which, your engineer is almost an adult, it now hangs out with my other, which is even bigger. Yours is more of an obsessive digger than my other, as you know already, oh and the hydno still looks great ;)
 
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