Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[fishdoctordotus]

I have to say Oh My My that is an amazing tank every time i look at this thread The fun has just begun as you say,... I too am following this thread and happy to spend some quality time learning what other hobbyists are doing to develop their technique and create an amazing display beyond belief.
We are always learning in the aquarium hobby and even though i am lucky enough to also be in the aquarium business i am never content with what i have learned being enough to "get by" and instead apply similar principles as you have in using only the best practices and methods to achieve an aquarium beyond expectations. Thank you for your time and dedication to share the project and the ongoing dialog and interaction with the community it is very much appreciated. Michael

 

[nineball]

I have to say Oh My My that is an amazing tank every time i look at this thread The fun has just begun as you say,... I too am following this thread and happy to spend some quality time learning what other hobbyists are doing to develop their technique and create an amazing display beyond belief.
We are always learning in the aquarium hobby and even though i am lucky enough to also be in the aquarium business i am never content with what i have learned being enough to "get by" and instead apply similar principles as you have in using only the best practices and methods to achieve an aquarium beyond expectations. Thank you for your time and dedication to share the project and the ongoing dialog and interaction with the community it is very much appreciated. Michael

Thank you very much Michael. There is some method to my madness in being so supportive of this thread community. If a quality environment keeps attracting a sincere and educated hobbyist then we can all expect to benefit from the positive impact of the coaching available to our tank. In fact, for me, one of the more rewarding unexpected benefits of jumping into this hobby has been meeting a huge community of decent folks who are passionate about what we do. Sort of makes the goal of keeping this build alive all worth while.........

Peter

 

[Cougarman]

I suspect that the advice I am getting from Kinlayan is sound. I am not above taking risks but I would prefer a managed risk on this issue. Best practices doesn't necessarily mean successfully taking on all risks. Sometimes, best practices even means not doing something when the conventional wisdom in this community argues against it. Generally risks taken with best practices only works well when you know what numbers are going to come up before the dice hit the table.

Having said that I for one really appreciate your enthusiasm and support. Lets see if we can find any support for a responsible attempt........

Peter

I've had my moorish idol for about 5 years. Started in a 600 gallon, then moved to a 300 gallon, and now he/she is in a 400 gallon tank.

Peter you shouldn't have a problem keeping one in a tank that size. If you want more than one you'll have to introduce them all at the same time, before any one idol sets up a territory. If you keep them heavily fed you can even keep clams and most corals with them. You can train them to eat frozen, flake, pellets and even nori.

Jared

Jared

 

[bboudreaux]

Finally

Finally

i finally got there all caught up and looking forward to any new developments. now on to read chingchai's thread.

peter can you have mr. wilson try to elaborate on what deficiencies he found with the display tanks seems. maybe like what it should have looked like, and whether it affects the over all integrity of the tank. i would guess no otherwise i guess you would not have continued with the build. i'm asking this because going acrylic for my next tank is a consideration.

thanks in advance

brent

 

[kinlayan]

I've had my moorish idol for about 5 years. Started in a 600 gallon, then moved to a 300 gallon, and now he/she is in a 400 gallon tank.

Peter you shouldn't have a problem keeping one in a tank that size. If you want more than one you'll have to introduce them all at the same time, before any one idol sets up a territory. If you keep them heavily fed you can even keep clams and most corals with them. You can train them to eat frozen, flake, pellets and even nori.

Jared

Jared

You are one of the few rare individuals that has been successful with one but i dare say i still stand by swimming pool size aquarium for groups! In order to keep them for more than 1 year alive

 

[msr224]

Peter,

Have you given any more thought or planning towards a live video feed? We sure would love the opportunity to see the tank in person so to speak....

Thanks.

Scott

 

[nineball]

You are one of the few rare individuals that has been successful with one but i dare say i still stand by swimming pool size aquarium for groups! In order to keep them for more than 1 year alive

OK Shawn, so I'm sitting down for dinner and I throw out the notion that life would be better if I had an olympic size aquarium in a custom built annex on the edge of the ravine. When asked why my choice of olympic sized aquarium I volunteer that I want to watch two or more moorish idols frolic around a reef. My wife responds "then I want a shark!!!!!!!"

Peter

 

[nineball]

Peter,

Have you given any more thought or planning towards a live video feed? We sure would love the opportunity to see the tank in person so to speak....

Thanks.

Scott

Actually Scott I have everything all set up and working but I am still not happy with the quality of the feed. I've held off until i can focus on it again. It's something I hope to raise with our professional photographer this week to get his opinion and coaching advice.......I will turn it on but when its ready for prime time.

Peter

 

[d3hree]

My wife responds "then I want a shark!!!!!!!

She is a keeper Peter!!, my wife would have responded totally differently if faced with a similar hypothetical scenario

 

[nineball]

i finally got there all caught up and looking forward to any new developments. now on to read chingchai's thread.

peter can you have mr. wilson try to elaborate on what deficiencies he found with the display tanks seems. maybe like what it should have looked like, and whether it affects the over all integrity of the tank. i would guess no otherwise i guess you would not have continued with the build. i'm asking this because going acrylic for my next tank is a consideration.

thanks in advance

brent

Brent, perhaps I can answer and take Mr. Wilson off the hot seat.

When I got the tank I had absolutely no idea how to critically examine the tank for flaws. At the time I had to rely on the reputation of the manufacturer for assurance that it was a good and worthy. My original aquarium consultant also lacked the skills to make a reasonable assessment or there were demands he would have placed on the manufacturer that were obvious to an experienced and competent eye. I was introduced to the elements that should have been addressed before the tank left the shop in Las Vegas by Mr. Wilson. The top edges were not polished nor were the bottom exterior edges. That deals with aesthetic details more than integrity but it wasn't until Charles Delbeek visited and confirmed that the workmanship appeared to be lacking that I have to admit that the result would not pass muster as an example of best practice. I have been able to avoid being irritated due in no small part by the cabinetry design over the top which in effect hides the cosmetic defects.

I share all of this with you to suggest that the best thing you can do whether you go glass or acrylic is to find a competent independent resource to be responsible for sign off BEFORE the tank leaves the shop. My first aquarium consultant was not competent but Mr Wilson would have been worth every penny of additional cost to have examined the tank before it left the plant. Everything could have been addressed in Las Vegas at ATI before the tank left the shop that in my mind would have without reservation resulted in a best practice result.

As far as Acrylic versus glass goes I have no question about how clear the acrylic is and I do understand the concerns about scratches. It does take some discipline to minimize the possible damage to the surface but it is far from a complete detriment to enjoy the clarity.

Peter

 

[brockboi]

Actually Scott I have everything all set up and working but I am still not happy with the quality of the feed. I've held off until i can focus on it again. It's something I hope to raise with our professional photographer this week to get his opinion and coaching advice.......I will turn it on but when its ready for prime time.

Peter

this would be impressive. looking forward to seeing your feed replace the dreadful cichlid tank they currently have on Rogers cable for their aquarium channel!

 

[msr224]

Actually Scott I have everything all set up and working but I am still not happy with the quality of the feed. I've held off until i can focus on it again. It's something I hope to raise with our professional photographer this week to get his opinion and coaching advice.......I will turn it on but when its ready for prime time.

Peter

That is most welcome news. I cannot wait and am calling my satellite provider in the morning...what channel is it again?

Seriously though....I am sure that like the rest of this build we will all be very happy with the results.

I've said it a couple of times Peter. You have really done something here that we can all be proud of, especially you since you are the one who truly brought the opportunity to the table.

Cheers!!! :beer:

Scott

 

[kinlayan]

OK Shawn, so I'm sitting down for dinner and I throw out the notion that life would be better if I had an olympic size aquarium in a custom built annex on the edge of the ravine. When asked why my choice of olympic sized aquarium I volunteer that I want to watch two or more moorish idols frolic around a reef. My wife responds "then I want a shark!!!!!!!"

Peter

Hey now that would be a display!! Of course you could try one of the Moorish idols and i do think given your incredible system chances of success are better than average for one!

 

[Cougarman]

You are one of the few rare individuals that has been successful with one but i dare say i still stand by swimming pool size aquarium for groups! In order to keep them for more than 1 year alive

I've never tried to keep more than one, so I can't really speak from experience. Whenever I see them in the wild though, they are always traveling in pairs. I would guess it should be possible to at least keep a pair together in a tank that size provided you introduce them properly.

I've never understood the difficulty people report in keeping idols. For me he/she has been much easier to keep than some other fish eg.achilles tang. I think the secret is heavy feedings of an array of foods. With the amount of filtration in Peters system he should have no problem with heavy feedings. Maybe the mangroves will grow more quickly!

Jared

 

[Tanu]

I remember Pieter van Suijlekom (owner of the 6 meter tank featured on another website) tried to keep MI's. If I remember things right, he had 3 of them, but after a few months there were too many fights over the territory in the large tank. He sold two and kept one. This fish survived long, but gave too much trouble (nipping and agressivity) at the end. As far as I know he doesn't plan to give them a try again.

They are beautiful fish and I can imagine the temptation. If I couldn't resist and were in the possession of a tank like yours, I would try to get a pair, definitely no more.

Edit: replace the *** in the link by www . reefb uilders (without the spaces)

 

[dave.m]

Here you go, Peter, the tank that Welles is taking care of in China with four (count'em - 4!!!) Moorish Idols. The tank is only a few months old, but at least you can see what size you should have built your tank the first time.

Dave.M

 

[mkbtank]

Actually Scott I have everything all set up and working but I am still not happy with the quality of the feed. I've held off until i can focus on it again. It's something I hope to raise with our professional photographer this week to get his opinion and coaching advice.......I will turn it on but when its ready for prime time.

Peter

Cant wait! :bounce3:

 

[kinlayan]

Here you go, Peter, the tank that Welles is taking care of in China with four (count'em - 4!!!) Moorish Idols. The tank is only a few months old, but at least you can see what size you should have built your tank the first time.

Dave.M

I watched that video and they look stunning but i still feel even 2000 gallons may not be adequate for 4 of them - time will tell though - long term success is what matters!

 

[dave.m]

Yes, exactly, Kinlayan. But Peter is talking about an Olympic swimming pool-sized tank for his next project, so I thought he should get a gander of Welles' project for inspiration. A year from now will tell the tale.

Dave.M

 

[nineball]

Sidebar on Pumps

Sidebar on Pumps

I've been asked a number of times about our experience with pumps so for what its worth.................


I am NOT an engineer. My evaluation comes only from practical experience and exposure for this type of technology. I believe salt water pumps are critical components that are all too often not appreciated for the contribution to the overall mechanical health and performance of the marine ecosystems we try to maintain.

When I started this journey my knowledge in this area was limited to returning to a local pond equipment store each year to buy a new pond pump to replace the old one. So my experience was woefully inadequate to the task for this build. The original aquarium consultant I had before Mr. Wilson, knew even less I have since discovered.

MANAGED CHAOS

When Mr. Wilson joined the team our focus was in fact how to ensure we could get managed chaos in the tank. Also making his challenge difficult was the agreement that we were not going to drill any more holes in the display tank and that the closed loop configuration was going to be part of the final solution. We could not see any relief in the pool pumps I had already acquired so we started to do some research on various pressure rated chemical pumps that were potentially usable with a variable pump controller. There were not alot of mature products to choose from and the one major known pump, the Red Dragon, had well documented problems. There were a number of Chinese knock offs but we were uncomfortable with unknown quality issues that could have been difficult to resolve.

Then we discovered the Abyzz pumps from Venotec in Germany. Mr. Wilson assured me the company would stand behind them and they would meet my strict requirements with respect to performance. Here for the record was my list.........

1. They had to be reliable with a minimum ten year mean time before failure.

2. They had to be very very quiet.......I believe they should be less than 30 DB at full power.

3. They should make efficient use of power through the whole power curve.

4. They should be compact (small) and easy to surface clean and maintain as well as being submersible.

5 They should be under variable control with either its own controller or manageable with a Profilux EX3

6. they need to be 'power smart' in the sense that a power failure would not cause them to seize or operate in an unpredictable manner on restart.

7. They need to run cool. There is enough of a challenge maintaining stable heat signatures throughout the marine ecosystem without having the pumping stations adding more heat.

8. They need to have the ability to be water starved without catastrophic failure as a consequence.

9. They need a variety of alarms to ensure that operating parameters are monitored 24hrs a day.

10. Ideally they should be pressure rated to allow enough head pressure for a large tank configuration without having to compromise flow.

Another factor that is a personal bias is that the manufacturing company should have a demonstrated path to improvement and to give the Venotec boys credit they are already making improvements to an excellent product.

In fact we are proposing to try a pilot version of a new pump to use with the RK2 Skimmer so stay tuned for that one.

COST

Forgive me for this one soap box routine but here it just makes sense.

This is NOT an expensive pump for what you get. Mr Wilson took one apart after six months continuous use. He also took a chinese 'clone' apart that we had for three months performing a similar function. The Abyzz 420 had virtually no signs of wear and tear and the 'clone' had definite signs of internal corrosion. In the six months of practical use with a fair number of starts and stops for testing purposes we have not experienced a single case of failure. This is NOT true for other pumps in our environment, some of which we had to replace completely.

I cannot understand why anyone would buy a device that is so critical to the performance and overall enjoyment of the tank on the basis of a cheaper pump.

I am ordering another Abyzz 420 to have as a HOT spare (just in case.....that's a best practice in itself) and I expect to be trying to replace my smaller pumps with the smaller Abyzz pumps when they are available.

In my opinion I would call these pumps a best practice for our hobby with respect to functionality and practical utility for an aquarium environment. In my 'hands on' experience they are reliable,quiet, energy efficient, programmable and undergoing continuous improvement qualifying this technology as a best practice.

To the folks at Venotec.................Well done !!!

There is however one area for improvement that needs to be addressed for the Abyzz technology and that is the documentation. Be forewarned that the documentation is in german............


Peter