Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank) - split

[Bill 6069]

Peter,

Thank you for welcoming us into your home today.

Your tank is a magnificent creation that most can only dream of.

Yours and Shawn's willingness to openly share not oniy your succeses but also the dificulties encounterd along the way are certainly an inspiration to all reef enthusiasts.

As you have learned from and paid tribute to the four masters, many others have and will continue to be motivated to continuously create the best reef enviroment possible with their given resources.

Bill

 

[nineball]

Thank you so much for hosting all of us today, not only was it a great day to ride the Bike all the way to Oakville, but by the time i could pick my jaw up off the ground think i ate every bug between your place and home! simple amazing, i can't belive how little justice that pictures do to this amazing tank and setup. I thank you again so much for this glimpse into your ocean side resort.


Scott

Thanks very much Scott. Personally I can never understand giving up 4 wheels for two but it could be that I have led too much of a sheltered life. It was great to meet you and I look forward to the next meeting which Mr. Wilson has assured me will take place next summer.....Time to take the wheels back out....

Peter

 

[Padrino]

Peter and team,
Thanks for hosting the tank tour this afternoon, I was very happy to finally see the tank in person after following this thread since the days it traveled through the window with the Amhurst crane crew.

The pictures on this thread don't do justice even though you have a SWEET camera. There really is nothing like seeing this in person. Thank you again for opening up your home to us and sharing this tank with all of us.
Cheers
Rob

 

[chingchai]

You guys are so lucky to see Peter's tank.
I wish I can have one chance to be there too.
BTW, any pictures of you guys get together?

 

[brockboi]

I don't believe there was a picture of everyone together. Something that definitely should have been done! I was surprised to hear yesterday that you and Peter have never met before and that Florida will be the first time. The tank alone is well worth the trip to the Great White North! Much respect was paid to your influence on the project yesterday chingchai. You paved the way for practice and communication!

You guys are so lucky to see Peter's tank.
I wish I can have one chance to be there too.
BTW, any pictures of you guys get together?

 

[nineball]

You guys are so lucky to see Peter's tank.
I wish I can have one chance to be there too.
BTW, any pictures of you guys get together?

Although you were not there in person Chingchai, everyone in the room knows that you were the primary inspiration for this tank.I did have Rob Baxter there who you may remember did the videos of the tank a few months ago. He took some video of everyone at the tour and we agreed that we would post the episode after Rob has a chance to edit it. We think it will take him a couple of weeks.

I was very lucky to meet so many polite nice people through the forum and Mr. Wilson's store. The people involved in this hobby seem to be very kind and generous. It was a great afternoon and I learned a lot from everyone I talked to.

I am planning quite an extensive renovation of the fish room so the next couple of months should be interesting on the thread. Its probably a good thing that we can't play golf in the Canadian winter. There are a few that try but they are crazy!!!!! Or is it the other way around, I forget!

Peter

 

[nineball]

Peter and team,
Thanks for hosting the tank tour this afternoon, I was very happy to finally see the tank in person after following this thread since the days it traveled through the window with the Amhurst crane crew.

The pictures on this thread don't do justice even though you have a SWEET camera. There really is nothing like seeing this in person. Thank you again for opening up your home to us and sharing this tank with all of us.
Cheers
Rob

Thanks Rob, I'm glad you were able to make it. I think you were definitely one of the founding members of this thread community so it was fitting that you finally got to see it in person. Now that you have seen this one all you need to do is visit Chingchai and Andy's tank to have checked off your bucket list.

Thanks again Rob for your continuing support.

Peter

 

[nineball]

Peter,

Thank you for welcoming us into your home today.

Your tank is a magnificent creation that most can only dream of.

Yours and Shawn's willingness to openly share not oniy your succeses but also the dificulties encounterd along the way are certainly an inspiration to all reef enthusiasts.

As you have learned from and paid tribute to the four masters, many others have and will continue to be motivated to continuously create the best reef enviroment possible with their given resources.

Bill

Thank you very much for the generous praise. Its the positive culture that this forum has had on this project that I believe everyone on this thread can take credit for. I for one am very proud of everyones contribution to the success of this tank.

Peter

 

[nineball]

Hello All,

I too had the opportunity today to view Peter's tank and meet him and some of his team; Dave, Shawn and Shawn's lovely assistant.

Simply a living work of art and science that words and pictures can not do justice to.

This tank and thread have been amazing for Reef Central and the hobby as it is one of the prime examples of how the internet can be used to join a group of individuals with the common goal of sharing and learning.

Thank you Peter for your hospitality today and your time and commitment to the hobby.

Very few people have the resources to create a tank exactly like your's, however, everyone that reads your Thread and wants to learn has no reason not to have the same kind of success whether their system is a 30, 65 or 600 gallons.

Thank you for not being selfish and just keeping your hobby to yourself. Sharing to the level you have is beyond the normal call of duty and we are all better off because of you.

Cheers,
Bruce and Claire

Bruce and Claire, thank you very much for coming by, it was a great day. I very much agree with your sentiments expressed that size and cost are NOT a guarantee for success but attitude can go along way to ensuring success regardless of scale. If I didn't know when I started I certainly do now that selfishness is a fast path to disaster for a hobby like this one that is so dependent on the body of knowledge and experience that is fostered in this community. We depend on sharing which in a sense should be a requisite for any successful family in pursuit of a healthy outcome. So its a two way street that I hope we can continue to maintain in the months and years to come.

I look forward to seeing you folks again at next years update.

Peter

 

[deadmeat]

Wow! What more can I say?

Tom

 

[TYSDADI]

Hello Nineball, Mr.Wilson,
May I say that you entire thread is quite the inspiration!
I have tried to recreate your mangrove wall on a somewhat smaller scale. I have 3 tanks that are 4' long by 6" wide by 6" deep.
Do you keep any livestock in yours? (Besides the mangroves of course.)
How many mangroves per gallon of total water volume do you suggest?
Thanks,
James

 

[mr.wilson]

Hello Nineball, Mr.Wilson,
May I say that you entire thread is quite the inspiration!
I have tried to recreate your mangrove wall on a somewhat smaller scale. I have 3 tanks that are 4' long by 6" wide by 6" deep.
Do you keep any livestock in yours? (Besides the mangroves of course.)
How many mangroves per gallon of total water volume do you suggest?
Thanks,
James

We started off with pods that were only a couple inches apart, knowing that not all of the pods would properly root. We still lose a few of them even after a year of growth.

The tanks are too small for fish, but we keep some snails, starfish and crabs with them. Mysis shrimp spontaneously showed up in the mangrove tanks, but I have never seen them anywhere else in the system.

After a year of weekly plucking, it appears that the pink cotton candy hair algae has finally died off. I'm not sure if it's the slow flow or plasma lights that caused it to grow in the mangrove system, maybe both.

 

[Briney Dave]

Sean, do you think that the pink algae may have been stealing a bit of the nutrients in the mud but can no longer reach any from the surface area? just thinking out loud

as for the last reader post: a 6 x 6 " limits what sorts of fish would be happy. I can not think of one I would trust not to jump out yet still thrive in the narrow slip

if that person is set on a fish for those runs then I would suggest looking outside the normal range of reef fish: maybe check with someone like John at reef cleaners who does some of his own collecting or Gulf Marine Supply

 

[mr.wilson]

Yes, there could be nutrients leaching from the miracle mud. It is the only part of the system that has this substrate.

 

[Made2Rock]

Yes, there could be nutrients leaching from the miracle mud. It is the only part of the system that has this substrate.

This is somewhat off topic but relates to the "mud".

Many many moons ago I had freshwater and always had trouble growing Amazon Swords. About 15 years ago I built a tank for my daughter in which I use clay cat litter with some plant soil. The plants grew like weeds. In fact I frequently cut them back. The tank also had trouble with nitrates, which is why I asked about the miracle mud feeding the mangroves.


Joe

 

[ClustaAZ]

Great tank build.

 

[nanonubey]

It's been a long time since i checked out your thread, it looks awesome!

 

[sfsuphysics]

After a year of weekly plucking, it appears that the pink cotton candy hair algae has finally died off. I'm not sure if it's the slow flow or plasma lights that caused it to grow in the mangrove system, maybe both.

Lucky for you, I had that garbage in my display tank, and it sure did love acroporas, just clinging between the branches, eventually killing all but the tips... lost a great many corals to that scourge. Then one day there was no more... of course I didn't have many branching corals it could cling to either.

 

[mr.wilson]

This is somewhat off topic but relates to the "mud".

Many many moons ago I had freshwater and always had trouble growing Amazon Swords. About 15 years ago I built a tank for my daughter in which I use clay cat litter with some plant soil. The plants grew like weeds. In fact I frequently cut them back. The tank also had trouble with nitrates, which is why I asked about the miracle mud feeding the mangroves.


Joe

Potting soil adds nitrogen, something we have no shortage of in marine tanks

A better medium for plants is latterite which is an iron rich clay. Sponges and some corals utilize iron, but that doesn't mean you should throw a handful of nails in your sump

 

[Made2Rock]

Potting soil adds nitrogen, something we have no shortage of in marine tanks

A better medium for plants is latterite which is an iron rich clay. Sponges and some corals utilize iron, but that doesn't mean you should throw a handful of nails in your sump

You could always run with this idea and us a nail gun to place your corals on a rock. This way they have iron right ready to go. :bounce2::bounce2::lolspin::lolspin:

I probably shouldn't joke about it but it just stuck me as funny (but someone may start to wonder) :fun2::fun2:

Joe