roktsintst
New member
Looking Fantastic!
Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)
- Thread starter nineball
- Start date
- Status
Tyrenlds
Premium Member
your build quality and equipment selection is amazing!... but your livestock choices, rock formations, and coral placement seems haphazard.
Am I the only one that felt :bounce1: when they were filling the tank with water and went :worried: when the liverock and livestock photos came out?
Am I the only one that felt :bounce1: when they were filling the tank with water and went :worried: when the liverock and livestock photos came out?
swissgaurd
New member
tanks getting full
looks good guys
vic
looks good guys
vic
BennyFrank
New member
I agree Peter, you really should have consulted the ocean's architect during the planning stages :twitch:
It's ironic because after looking at the most recent and pictures, and before reading the above post, I was thinking how the variety of corals selected and their "haphazard" placement contributed to the realness of your reef. The shot down the the valley is especially amazing, you just don't get to see something like that outside of the ocean very often. This thing is going to fill in beautifully!
Spirofucci
New member
Hey Mr. Wilson! ....and Mr. Nineball! I have read every word so far and each time the tank looks more amazing than before!!!
I was wondering, I don't think there has ever been a mention of adding an algae turf scrubber to the system. From seeing your philosophy here, I would have thought you would have considered putting one on Peters tank. On second thought I'm sure you considered it but chose not to. It seems to me they make so much sense. I've read alot about them and even read Dr. Walter Addey's book (twenty years ago). Does the "cheeto" do exactly the same thing?
In all your spare time, could you share your thoughts on this? Even if you don't like the idea, you'll have to include turf scrubbers in your book anyway!
Thanks!!!!!
mark
I was wondering, I don't think there has ever been a mention of adding an algae turf scrubber to the system. From seeing your philosophy here, I would have thought you would have considered putting one on Peters tank. On second thought I'm sure you considered it but chose not to. It seems to me they make so much sense. I've read alot about them and even read Dr. Walter Addey's book (twenty years ago). Does the "cheeto" do exactly the same thing?
In all your spare time, could you share your thoughts on this? Even if you don't like the idea, you'll have to include turf scrubbers in your book anyway!
Thanks!!!!!
mark
:thumbsup::thumbsup::thumbsup: Well said Mr. Frank - I'm betting it will grow in much like a Masanobu Fukuoka garden... there is something comforting about randomness... aka chaos.. it's mostly just we humans that have a need to organize everything according to some kind of predictable layout... I say throw in all the ingredients... giver ur a shake.... let the madness rise!
I'm sure team nineball will respond, but I was thinking that the mangrove wall is there to do the work that a turf scrubber would do, only prettier & neater... i.e. less yellowing from organics, etc. But I could be mistaken, so I'd wait for the official response...
Regards,
Sheldon
Last edited:
SaraB
Coral Killer
Russter
Northern Reefer
Here are some more recent photos.
The tank is looking great. I really like the coral selection but did you place the corals in the tank based on the original "grand master" plan or were they placed based on other criteria (ie.where they fit, aesthetics, flow, light, ect.)?
Also what is the coral in the first picture?
Is the coral in the second picture some kind of alveopora?
Thanks,
-Russ
syedjilani
Active member
Beautful.....:thumbsup:
I caught up....... NOW WHAT !!!!!!
I caught up....... NOW WHAT !!!!!!
A month ago I took over neglected 80 gallon tank, and thought I should look around for some ideas on how to improve a very poor setup. Thought it might be a good idea to search around a few forums , ask a few questions about sumps, plumping, etc, as it was my first sump system. I stumbled upon this thread and an incredible, educational journey began.
As my knowledge in all things aquarium related was increased with ever page, my desire to rush into my own build was put to rest. And the fact that my remote location (1000 KMs to nearest SW LFS) made it hard to rush into anything as soon as I needed plumbing parts or anything really. LOL
What a waste of an invaluable resource it would have been to not read until I caught up and use that knowledge for my own build. I truly believe that this build will be a huge influence on the hobby (obsession for some, myself included) for a long time to come.
I feel that I am only saying what has been said here so many times before, but what an incredible project this is. I have read everything from the first page to this post. Many things went over my head , but I read them anyway.
Peter, Mr Wilson, The Brothers, Chago, I haven't met any of you, but my respect for your practices, knowledge, and willingness to sure all of it with us is immeasurable. Thank You
This is my first post on this forum and I am happy that it is here, but I am starting to ramble on now. Just wanted to express my appreciation for all the hard work this group has put in for all of us.
Now off to Ching Chai's thread ,
I caught up....... NOW WHAT !!!!!!
A month ago I took over neglected 80 gallon tank, and thought I should look around for some ideas on how to improve a very poor setup. Thought it might be a good idea to search around a few forums , ask a few questions about sumps, plumping, etc, as it was my first sump system. I stumbled upon this thread and an incredible, educational journey began.
As my knowledge in all things aquarium related was increased with ever page, my desire to rush into my own build was put to rest. And the fact that my remote location (1000 KMs to nearest SW LFS) made it hard to rush into anything as soon as I needed plumbing parts or anything really. LOL
What a waste of an invaluable resource it would have been to not read until I caught up and use that knowledge for my own build. I truly believe that this build will be a huge influence on the hobby (obsession for some, myself included) for a long time to come.
I feel that I am only saying what has been said here so many times before, but what an incredible project this is. I have read everything from the first page to this post. Many things went over my head , but I read them anyway.
Peter, Mr Wilson, The Brothers, Chago, I haven't met any of you, but my respect for your practices, knowledge, and willingness to sure all of it with us is immeasurable. Thank You
This is my first post on this forum and I am happy that it is here, but I am starting to ramble on now. Just wanted to express my appreciation for all the hard work this group has put in for all of us.
Now off to Ching Chai's thread ,
Last edited:
nineball
Active member
Your post is making the whole group look down at their feet and in unison say "awe shucks". Thank you very much. In some ways your determination and praise makes me feel guilty. The past six weeks has been extremely busy here. We have made a number of decisions affecting the quality and configuration of both the display tank as well as the fish room. It has been difficult to get into the rhythm of writing about those activities to share the learning as well as the excitement of participating in the continuing evolution of this marine ecosystem. I have truthfully felt that I have let the group down, sort of, in not taking the time to write more as it happens. So in honour of your joining this group with your first post I will try and update the thread with the recent goings on with the 'Coral Tank From Canada'. Welcome to the group by the way, the feelings you expressed about this journey are shared equally by all the members of this thread, including me......especially me. This is a community tank and many members of this thread can take pride in this accomplishment. Often I feel like I am just along for the ride as more experienced members have clearly been there, done that and a great deal more. Things that are newly fascinating to me are old hat to the majority of members but you can all take some pleasure relating to the fact that as you get more 'mature' the number of first time experiences starts to dwindle and this hobby is a great source of continuing first time experiences.
I am a slow typer so narrative takes a long time to make it to the printed word. I think I have to increase the skills test for Peter's fish room girl to include typing skills and we might see more frequent updates...........
I think the best way to get something out in this lifetime would be to cover a number of points that are being discussed and debated as we speak. This may seem a little haphazard but it will have to do. I have tried a number of times in the recent past to get something out and the system has timed out before I got the post saved. So I think I will try a number of shorter posts to avoid loosing any more material.
Finally these posts to come will be covering a number of subjects so I apologize up front if it seems too haphazard.
Peter
nineball
Active member
Maintenance
Maintenance
One thing I have learned that is a best practice for maintenance is to review your procedures as the environment evolves. What made perfect sense in the beginning may no longer be necessary or in fact healthy for the environment.
We have as many of you know a team of four bright capable young men who are responsible for much of the maintenance of this whole system. We had been relying on 2 days per week (Tues and Fri) almost from the time the water hit the tank last August, I believe. Mr. Wilson and I decided that the maintenance should be reviewed and upgraded and we are now using three days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri). The display tank has to be in pristine shape all the time, especially this tank or 'our' tank I should say. There is absolutely no reason that this viewing experience should be compromised, in fact we are always looking for ways to improve the spectator experience..........more on this later. We are also always looking for ways to maintain a high standard of care for the inhabitants and this is a part of my discussions every day with Mr. Wilson. On this note we have made a number of improvements to the routines which I will get Jamie to elaborate on over the next couple of weeks. One observation I can make at this point is that it is increasingly obvious to me that there be some knowledge and experience embedded in the folks doing the maintenance. This is a very complicated environment and it is becoming increasingly dangerous to the inhabitants when a mistake is made or in the failure to communicate updates to all members of the team. This is a discipline we have to revisit almost weekly to make sure no one has dropped the ball.
I have learned that the greatest threat to my performance on this score is interruptions. I cannot tell you how many times I have been saved by one of Mr. Wilson's failsafe devices or procedures. We will be covering a separate post on insurance practices in the near future but suffice it to say as far as maintenance is concerned human beings are the strongest and the weakest links in the chain. It is not prejudicial to say that people should never be relied on 100% of the time as they are not trustworthy. In some areas of our maintenance we have a triple backup system to help prevent disasters. Most if not all failsafes have been tested or used in this build more often than any member of this team would like to publicly admit. There should always be a system or practice to audit our performance. This is the way to increase the probability for success in this hobby.
Hi, my name is Peter and I am never to be trusted or relied upon 100% when it comes to care and feeding of aquaria.
Peter
Maintenance
One thing I have learned that is a best practice for maintenance is to review your procedures as the environment evolves. What made perfect sense in the beginning may no longer be necessary or in fact healthy for the environment.
We have as many of you know a team of four bright capable young men who are responsible for much of the maintenance of this whole system. We had been relying on 2 days per week (Tues and Fri) almost from the time the water hit the tank last August, I believe. Mr. Wilson and I decided that the maintenance should be reviewed and upgraded and we are now using three days per week (Mon, Wed, Fri). The display tank has to be in pristine shape all the time, especially this tank or 'our' tank I should say. There is absolutely no reason that this viewing experience should be compromised, in fact we are always looking for ways to improve the spectator experience..........more on this later. We are also always looking for ways to maintain a high standard of care for the inhabitants and this is a part of my discussions every day with Mr. Wilson. On this note we have made a number of improvements to the routines which I will get Jamie to elaborate on over the next couple of weeks. One observation I can make at this point is that it is increasingly obvious to me that there be some knowledge and experience embedded in the folks doing the maintenance. This is a very complicated environment and it is becoming increasingly dangerous to the inhabitants when a mistake is made or in the failure to communicate updates to all members of the team. This is a discipline we have to revisit almost weekly to make sure no one has dropped the ball.
I have learned that the greatest threat to my performance on this score is interruptions. I cannot tell you how many times I have been saved by one of Mr. Wilson's failsafe devices or procedures. We will be covering a separate post on insurance practices in the near future but suffice it to say as far as maintenance is concerned human beings are the strongest and the weakest links in the chain. It is not prejudicial to say that people should never be relied on 100% of the time as they are not trustworthy. In some areas of our maintenance we have a triple backup system to help prevent disasters. Most if not all failsafes have been tested or used in this build more often than any member of this team would like to publicly admit. There should always be a system or practice to audit our performance. This is the way to increase the probability for success in this hobby.
Hi, my name is Peter and I am never to be trusted or relied upon 100% when it comes to care and feeding of aquaria.
Peter
nineball
Active member
Food
Food
This note is more a setup for the lengthy discussion I plan on hosting when it comes to food and nutrition for a marine reef environment. I can not lead a discussion yet because I still don't have an adequate foundation to even ask the right question but I can tell you that an increasing budget of my time is being devoted to feeding the display tank and the 32 tanks in the fish room. This does NOT have to be and sooner rather than later some steps Mr. Wilson and I have been discussing will be undertaken to make this process considerably more efficient than it is now.
I have discovered that there is no consensus or agreement in the hobby community that will stand uncontested. There are some obvious faux pas but strangely there isn't even a suggested basic set of principles to operate with. I have also learned from my undisciplined research that there is far, far too much religious passion in forming recommendations for novices in this community. Its like you are signing up to join with Apple or Microsoft when conversations turning to best practices for marine diets. I have had offers of cases of food from suppliers accompanied with huge marketing hype, scientific claims that wouldn't pass muster in a Batman Comic Book and outrage when the answer is thanks but no thanks.
Best practices in this area of our hobby should NEVER simply be defined by a company name or brand. This thread is about best practices and sometimes as in this case the method of defining the best practice is almost a best practice in itself.
There is a huge amount of benefit I believe to this community to engage in a discussion about food and nutrition for marine reef environments. I will be raising this issue in the near future with Mr. Wilson's help and experience perhaps we might dig up a few benefits to share among those on this thread who are concerned about the health and welfare of our critters.
I believe, from the discussions with Mr Wilson that I have a couple of universal principles that are beginning to make sense but I'll wait until we get there before stimulating any further dialog.
Peter
Food
This note is more a setup for the lengthy discussion I plan on hosting when it comes to food and nutrition for a marine reef environment. I can not lead a discussion yet because I still don't have an adequate foundation to even ask the right question but I can tell you that an increasing budget of my time is being devoted to feeding the display tank and the 32 tanks in the fish room. This does NOT have to be and sooner rather than later some steps Mr. Wilson and I have been discussing will be undertaken to make this process considerably more efficient than it is now.
I have discovered that there is no consensus or agreement in the hobby community that will stand uncontested. There are some obvious faux pas but strangely there isn't even a suggested basic set of principles to operate with. I have also learned from my undisciplined research that there is far, far too much religious passion in forming recommendations for novices in this community. Its like you are signing up to join with Apple or Microsoft when conversations turning to best practices for marine diets. I have had offers of cases of food from suppliers accompanied with huge marketing hype, scientific claims that wouldn't pass muster in a Batman Comic Book and outrage when the answer is thanks but no thanks.
Best practices in this area of our hobby should NEVER simply be defined by a company name or brand. This thread is about best practices and sometimes as in this case the method of defining the best practice is almost a best practice in itself.
There is a huge amount of benefit I believe to this community to engage in a discussion about food and nutrition for marine reef environments. I will be raising this issue in the near future with Mr. Wilson's help and experience perhaps we might dig up a few benefits to share among those on this thread who are concerned about the health and welfare of our critters.
I believe, from the discussions with Mr Wilson that I have a couple of universal principles that are beginning to make sense but I'll wait until we get there before stimulating any further dialog.
Peter
nineball
Active member
Lights!!!
Lights!!!
I am very excited with the latest decisions regarding lights for both the display tank as well as lighting in the fish room.
As most of the long time members of this thread know I have been a proponent of LED lighting systems for our hobby. My initial aspirations for our display tank was to cover all 24 feet by 3 ft with a solid bank of LED's similar to the external lighting system I use to light up the viewing area. That system is a Philips commercial system used to light up the CN Tower in Toronto and a number of facilities in Las Vegas. It is very expensive and probably out of financial reach for the majority of hobbyists with marine tanks. Even so I tried to reach out to the folks in Philips and they were hugely unhelpful. Truthfully, it probably wasn't so much unhelpful as much as no help at all. I couldn't find anyone in the bureaucracy to even respond. I guess Casinos are more sexy and lucrative than a fish tank.
BUT, because of the Philips commercial system I got a glimpse of what could be if the right minds were put against the challenge of lighting up a reef. These lights were strong, fully programmable, designed for a wet environment, fully RGB and capable of replicating an almost infinite number of colours to specific frequencies ideal for the reef inhabitants. The physical architecture of the lighting system was extremely well thought out, very, very compact and suitable for our marine environments.
However when you look at those companies currently serving our hobby its like stepping off into an abyss (pun intended). The majority (not all) are for smaller tanks. The ballasts are mostly noisy, heavy, awkward to mount, unbelievably hot, considering the sales rhetoric about how cool LED's are and far far from programmable. The actual LED housings for the greater part look like a hobbyists do it yourself wet dream. Its typical of technology designed by a bunch of engineers who insist on giving the end user a transparent view of their hard work with absolutely no value to the end result.
Here's a note to the engineers............all we want is a white ipod. No circuits, wires, connectors, light bulbs or for sure goofy fans that are absolutely going to die the first night we risk going out to dinner.
In fairness, all of these elements were taken into consideration in the Philips system but not at a price point that would be acceptable to the average hobbyist. So the long term solution is somewhere in the middle. It will be flexible, reliable and absolutely the best practice but at a price that is outside the commodity range.
I also had the privilege of talking with Sanjay at the recent Macna in orlando. He is our best friend when it comes to lighting that this hobby has. I asked him if it was possible to produce an ideal profile of the lighting characteristics that would most benefit our hobby and the answer was yes but the business footprint of our hobby is so small economically speaking that no one will invest in the time and materials to produce a viable product to spec. I found that encounter very positive in the sense that from Sanjay's perspective we know what we need. All we have to do is figure out how to motivate the manufacturers to go produce it.
I have decided that the best practice for lighting then would be a combination of metal halide with T5 and LED's. The challenge, apart from the expense will be to find the right balance. I do know that I will require less lighting time for the metal halides and I will get the best colour spectrum with a blend of all three technologies in the right proportion. We have found I believe a manufacturer who will work with us to improve the basic architecture of the product to the point where it will be a useful device that is reliable and functionally best of class for the consumer level technology that we need.
I am counting on Mr. Wilson to coach us through the benefits as we put these lights into place within the next month so stay tuned. We have our par/pur/lux meters in hand for the lighting party and everyone here is invited.
Peter
Lights!!!
I am very excited with the latest decisions regarding lights for both the display tank as well as lighting in the fish room.
As most of the long time members of this thread know I have been a proponent of LED lighting systems for our hobby. My initial aspirations for our display tank was to cover all 24 feet by 3 ft with a solid bank of LED's similar to the external lighting system I use to light up the viewing area. That system is a Philips commercial system used to light up the CN Tower in Toronto and a number of facilities in Las Vegas. It is very expensive and probably out of financial reach for the majority of hobbyists with marine tanks. Even so I tried to reach out to the folks in Philips and they were hugely unhelpful. Truthfully, it probably wasn't so much unhelpful as much as no help at all. I couldn't find anyone in the bureaucracy to even respond. I guess Casinos are more sexy and lucrative than a fish tank.
BUT, because of the Philips commercial system I got a glimpse of what could be if the right minds were put against the challenge of lighting up a reef. These lights were strong, fully programmable, designed for a wet environment, fully RGB and capable of replicating an almost infinite number of colours to specific frequencies ideal for the reef inhabitants. The physical architecture of the lighting system was extremely well thought out, very, very compact and suitable for our marine environments.
However when you look at those companies currently serving our hobby its like stepping off into an abyss (pun intended). The majority (not all) are for smaller tanks. The ballasts are mostly noisy, heavy, awkward to mount, unbelievably hot, considering the sales rhetoric about how cool LED's are and far far from programmable. The actual LED housings for the greater part look like a hobbyists do it yourself wet dream. Its typical of technology designed by a bunch of engineers who insist on giving the end user a transparent view of their hard work with absolutely no value to the end result.
Here's a note to the engineers............all we want is a white ipod. No circuits, wires, connectors, light bulbs or for sure goofy fans that are absolutely going to die the first night we risk going out to dinner.
In fairness, all of these elements were taken into consideration in the Philips system but not at a price point that would be acceptable to the average hobbyist. So the long term solution is somewhere in the middle. It will be flexible, reliable and absolutely the best practice but at a price that is outside the commodity range.
I also had the privilege of talking with Sanjay at the recent Macna in orlando. He is our best friend when it comes to lighting that this hobby has. I asked him if it was possible to produce an ideal profile of the lighting characteristics that would most benefit our hobby and the answer was yes but the business footprint of our hobby is so small economically speaking that no one will invest in the time and materials to produce a viable product to spec. I found that encounter very positive in the sense that from Sanjay's perspective we know what we need. All we have to do is figure out how to motivate the manufacturers to go produce it.
I have decided that the best practice for lighting then would be a combination of metal halide with T5 and LED's. The challenge, apart from the expense will be to find the right balance. I do know that I will require less lighting time for the metal halides and I will get the best colour spectrum with a blend of all three technologies in the right proportion. We have found I believe a manufacturer who will work with us to improve the basic architecture of the product to the point where it will be a useful device that is reliable and functionally best of class for the consumer level technology that we need.
I am counting on Mr. Wilson to coach us through the benefits as we put these lights into place within the next month so stay tuned. We have our par/pur/lux meters in hand for the lighting party and everyone here is invited.
Peter
msr224
New member
Peter,
You might try composing some of your updates on an outside program and then using the cut/paste method. This would allow you to compose, rearrange, mull over your prose before posting and avoid those time outs.
I have 2 questions.
1. A while back there was some convo about webcams, websites, servers and such that would allow us to see our tank. Any updates?
2. There was also talk about someone posting the pics from the beginning somewhere that could easily be referenced. Has this been done?
Oops make that 3 questions.....sorry.
3. Cap'n Hylinur was tracking and storing the vital info from this great thread, is that "scribe" process still going on and what are the plans if you wouldn't mind sharing the vision.
Thanks again for everything TEAM NINEBALL!!!!
Scott
You might try composing some of your updates on an outside program and then using the cut/paste method. This would allow you to compose, rearrange, mull over your prose before posting and avoid those time outs.
I have 2 questions.
1. A while back there was some convo about webcams, websites, servers and such that would allow us to see our tank. Any updates?
2. There was also talk about someone posting the pics from the beginning somewhere that could easily be referenced. Has this been done?
Oops make that 3 questions.....sorry.
3. Cap'n Hylinur was tracking and storing the vital info from this great thread, is that "scribe" process still going on and what are the plans if you wouldn't mind sharing the vision.
Thanks again for everything TEAM NINEBALL!!!!
Scott
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