A ~19,000 Gallon Aquarium

[fadi_abu_tahoun]

I wasn't much closer I went snorkeling in the Red Sea last year at the blue hole in Dahab. It was March and the water was freezing cold. The reef was absolutely amazing. It was the most breathtaking experience in my life, so the adrenalin cancelled out the cold. A rich garden of SPS and every Red Sea fish you would expect to see all in one location. I was really surprised by the diversity and lack of soft corals, at least where I was. I didn't see dendronephthya though.

Nahham: Does dendronephthya occur in the Arabian Gulf? You would have a distinct advantage in live food availability to keep this beautiful coral that is so challenging for captive systems. http://www.oceanwideimages.com/search.asp?s=dendronephthya&p=1

The red sea is amazing, i went SCUBA diving recently. it is June and the water was very cold. it is like you said "A rich garden of SPS and every Red Sea fish you would expect to see all in one location". you can see some nice pic's on my thread

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1862931

 

[mr.wilson]

The red sea is amazing, i went SCUBA diving recently. it is June and the water was very cold. it is like you said "A rich garden of SPS and every Red Sea fish you would expect to see all in one location". you can see some nice pic's on my thread

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1862931

Great photos. Everyone was buying underwater disposable cameras and waterproof cases when I went, but I thought "why would I want a bunch of pictures of corals when I see them all the time and can look them up in books and on the internet". I was foolish... again

I underestimated the value of seeing coral in its natural habitat and putting the whole reef into context. The reef meets the shore at the location I was at. There are hot colours (yellow, orange and red) on land with desert mountains surrounding you, and the bluest sea on the other side. You would never guess so much life could be found on the wet side and so little on the dry side. The contrast was part of the thrill.

Simple stuff like what kind of sand is on the reef, how close the corals grow to each other, and how the whole puzzle fits together was a great lesson for me. I took 50 flights over 18 months, but sadly that was my only opportunity to visit a reef Next time.

 

[nahham]

I wasn't much closer I went snorkeling in the Red Sea last year at the blue hole in Dahab. It was March and the water was freezing cold. The reef was absolutely amazing. It was the most breathtaking experience in my life, so the adrenalin cancelled out the cold. A rich garden of SPS and every Red Sea fish you would expect to see all in one location. I was really surprised by the diversity and lack of soft corals, at least where I was. I didn't see dendronephthya though.

Nahham: Does dendronephthya occur in the Arabian Gulf? You would have a distinct advantage in live food availability to keep this beautiful coral that is so challenging for captive systems. http://www.oceanwideimages.com/search.asp?s=dendronephthya&p=1

I might of seen something similar in the Gulf of Oman but I'll have to keep an eye open for it in the Arabian Gulf (aka Persian Gulf).

Nahham, Ive been following along pretty closely watching this its looking great. As a tank builder myself I think this is a very impressive project. cheers
-clay

Thank you for stopping by. I am glad you liked my tank.

Ok, sorry wrong sea, but think of it the red sea is bigger, the Arabian Gulf is half the size. So is twice the ranges?

I will be lying if I said I know the answer to that .

 

[nahham]

Here is one of the videos I shot while diving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsgJ3rXByQw

More videos coming soon.

I went diving in "Khor Fakkan" which is on the east coast on the Gulf of Oman and it was amazing. We could see a 100% from the boat down around 10 meters and I saw so many fishes and corals that I didn't see closer to home. I saw an eel with amazing colors and a box fish that was bluish on the sides and yellow on top. I always saw several types of clown fish (Amphiprion clarkii and Amphiprion ocellaris V. are a couple). I also saw many types of corals that I don't know how to ID. I was sad I didn't have my camera with me. It was so clear..

 

[mr.wilson]

Here is one of the videos I shot while diving:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsgJ3rXByQw

More videos coming soon.

I went diving in "Khor Fakkan" which is on the east coast on the Gulf of Oman and it was amazing. We could see a 100% from the boat down around 10 meters and I saw so many fishes and corals that I didn't see closer to home. I saw an eel with amazing colors and a box fish that was bluish on the sides and yellow on top. I always saw several types of clown fish (Amphiprion clarkii and Amphiprion ocellaris V. are a couple). I also saw many types of corals that I don't know how to ID. I was sad I didn't have my camera with me. It was so clear..

If the eel was electric blue with bright yellow on the top and bottom, it eats small fish, but that may not be a problem in your case

It sounds like a male blue spot boxfish. http://www.marinecenter.com/media/photos/1A5FCC06A67F43B68090B9895FDE4D51O.jpg They pick at corals, but once again, it might not be a problem in such a big tank. You have an endemic species (exclusive to your area) of clown in the Sea of Oman. It is orange with two stripes that have a blue hue. It's called a blue stripe clown or Sea of Oman clown, if you hadn't guessed already. It looks like clarkii. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/clowns/OmanAnemonefish.php

 

[nahham]

If the eel was electric blue with bright yellow on the top and bottom, it eats small fish, but that may not be a problem in your case

It sounds like a male blue spot boxfish. http://www.marinecenter.com/media/photos/1A5FCC06A67F43B68090B9895FDE4D51O.jpg They pick at corals, but once again, it might not be a problem in such a big tank. You have an endemic species (exclusive to your area) of clown in the Sea of Oman. It is orange with two stripes that have a blue hue. It's called a blue stripe clown or Sea of Oman clown, if you hadn't guessed already. It looks like clarkii. http://animal-world.com/encyclo/marine/clowns/OmanAnemonefish.php

The clown fish is exactly what I saw. It was quite big as well; around 6 inches or so. I didn't get a close look at the box fish because it was shy and swam away, but it is close. If I remember correctly though, it didn't have the spots.

 

[palmer373]

im curious if that fishing cage in the video is legal. keep us updated on new events with the tank. im liking it!

 

[Cannon7]

WOW! :eek1:

 

[nahham]

im curious if that fishing cage in the video is legal. keep us updated on new events with the tank. im liking it!

It is legal

 

[Poriferan]

This is an awesome project! If the tank were a bit deeper you could have a dolphin show:lol2:

 

[elijaher]

Where the video?

 

[ADA33]

Where the video?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsgJ3rXByQw

 

[palmer373]

why do people cage the fish like that? whats the purpose?

 

[dave.m]

Dinner.

Dave.M

 

[palmer373]

i wonder if they relize they could make/buy 3 dinners for 1 of those fish...

 

[nahham]

It is usually for a commercial purpose. They sell it at the fish market close-by.

 

[mr.wilson]

i wonder if they relize they could make/buy 3 dinners for 1 of those fish...

The maculosus angels are worth $200, that's a pretty good dinner.

 

[jsantoli]

This is some project! I would kill to have the time and space to make something like that

 

[mrvicz]

ok, i just wet a six-pack tissue paper ... your build is definitely something to watch nahham ... seriously, you could start charging ppl to visit your backyard

 

[KingNeptunesBou]

Tagging along.