Coral Tank from Canada (1350gal Display Tank)

[createyourown]

its gotta be close, how many more days till the new fish are released into their new home?

 

[nineball]

Automatic fish and coral feeding solutions.........

Automatic fish and coral feeding solutions.........

Mr. Wilson and I have been discussing various approaches to feeding the tank. We believe that the best practice is feeding prudently but frequently every day. We are looking for any viable products that are reliable and can service dry and frozen foods. We are asking our thread community for suggestions for commercial products before we open up any discussion on DIY projects.

This I hope is the beginning of a serious discussion on the subject so lets try and do this with a bit of discipline.

First request for is for any information or experience with commercially available systems. We are interested in products that can be sourced anywhere in the world. Hopefully we can get a list of products to check out.

If there is no response because there are no products then that is an important item to clear off our approach to the subject.


Thanks,
Peter & Mr. Wilson

 

[ziyaadb]

I would think that you could try the profilux dosing unit to dose food but then again you really cannot put pellets through it. I would think a couple of good quality auto feeders mounted at different positions through the tank may work well with a once a week top up?

 

[JonnyD91]

I have never seen a auto-feeder for frozen food

 

[D5HP]

I think your best bet with the frozen would be to setup a small mini fridge with a few small lines cut in it. Thaw a jug of the different foods you want to feed and toss it in the fridge with some airline tubing. Use some high quality peristaltic pumps to move the food into the tank. You could easily seal the fridge holes and have a really simple way of handling your food throughout the day. I've heard good things about those little eheim auto-feeders but I don't have one...as I work from the house.

I'm sure you're looking for something a little larger anyways for this tank!

 

[JonnyD91]

You prob. cant use a peristaltic pump due to the size of the food particles most likely they will clog it very easily. Building on that same idea (because i really do not think there is a commercial product for this out there), you would have to use a transfusion type system.

1. You could either have a air vented container with the thawed food in liquid, then pass it with a small water pump to the tank. You can even pass it to a manifold first that would transfer the food to different parts of the tank.

2. Or you could draw salt water from the system, into the food container, than back into the tank the same way as above.

Either way a custom DIY setup would be best for this situation.

 

[dainiusiva]

you should check out Aquabacs thread in the nps section. he has got a working mini fridge feeding setup for his nps tank.

 

[D5HP]

You prob. cant use a peristaltic pump due to the size of the food particles most likely they will clog it very easily. Building on that same idea (because i really do not think there is a commercial product for this out there), you would have to use a transfusion type system.

1. You could either have a air vented container with the thawed food in liquid, then pass it with a small water pump to the tank. You can even pass it to a manifold first that would transfer the food to different parts of the tank.

2. Or you could draw salt water from the system, into the food container, than back into the tank the same way as above.

Either way a custom DIY setup would be best for this situation.

You're right about your average airline clogging for sure. You could probably find one that would work well with larger ID vinyl tubing.

I would be worried about keeping the food suspended in the container and it being completely ground up with a regular propeller driven water pump....but I do like the idea. I think something extremely slow would function reasonably well though.

Is a DIY solution a possibility for you?

 

[JonnyD91]

You're right about your average airline clogging for sure. You could probably find one that would work well with larger ID vinyl tubing.

I would be worried about keeping the food suspended in the container and it being completely ground up with a regular propeller driven water pump....but I do like the idea. I think something extremely slow would function reasonably well though.

Is a DIY solution a possibility for you?

or you can make it like a kalk doser and have a separate pump to mix the container before it delivers the food. Something like an eheim pump with a square prop may not be that bad on the food. Just throwing ideas out there

 

[nineball]

I would think that you could try the profilux dosing unit to dose food but then again you really cannot put pellets through it. I would think a couple of good quality auto feeders mounted at different positions through the tank may work well with a once a week top up?

I have never seen a auto-feeder for frozen food

I think your best bet with the frozen would be to setup a small mini fridge with a few small lines cut in it. Thaw a jug of the different foods you want to feed and toss it in the fridge with some airline tubing. Use some high quality peristaltic pumps to move the food into the tank. You could easily seal the fridge holes and have a really simple way of handling your food throughout the day. I've heard good things about those little eheim auto-feeders but I don't have one...as I work from the house.

I'm sure you're looking for something a little larger anyways for this tank!

You prob. cant use a peristaltic pump due to the size of the food particles most likely they will clog it very easily. Building on that same idea (because i really do not think there is a commercial product for this out there), you would have to use a transfusion type system.

1. You could either have a air vented container with the thawed food in liquid, then pass it with a small water pump to the tank. You can even pass it to a manifold first that would transfer the food to different parts of the tank.

2. Or you could draw salt water from the system, into the food container, than back into the tank the same way as above.

Either way a custom DIY setup would be best for this situation.

you should check out Aquabacs thread in the nps section. he has got a working mini fridge feeding setup for his nps tank.

You're right about your average airline clogging for sure. You could probably find one that would work well with larger ID vinyl tubing.

I would be worried about keeping the food suspended in the container and it being completely ground up with a regular propeller driven water pump....but I do like the idea. I think something extremely slow would function reasonably well though.

Is a DIY solution a possibility for you?

or you can make it like a kalk doser and have a separate pump to mix the container before it delivers the food. Something like an eheim pump with a square prop may not be that bad on the food. Just throwing ideas out there

Thank you for the quick responses. I appreciate the ideas but I am really trying to rule out any commercial products first before looking at DIY projects. I don't want to mix the discussion between commercial prospects and DIY. Most of you, if not all, have considerably more experience in this hobby than I do so I really have to start out learning the basics. Part of that learning curve. for me, is trying to discover if some company somewhere in the world has found it worthwhile trying to design a system to feed the proper nutrients into a coral reef. I know its like chasing a needle in a haystack but I really want to determine whether or not a commercial product exists or not. Soooooooo does anyone know of any commercial feeding systems that they can link to or have experience with. While you guys and gals are pondering that I have just finished taking 4.5 billion pictures of the new fish in the display tank and I have some work to do getting them ready for this thread.............soon........really, really soon.

Peter

 

[JonnyD91]

Thank you for the quick responses. I appreciate the ideas but I am really trying to rule out any commercial products first before looking at DIY projects. I don't want to mix the discussion between commercial prospects and DIY. Most of you, if not all, have considerably more experience in this hobby than I do so I really have to start out learning the basics. Part of that learning curve. for me, is trying to discover if some company somewhere in the world has found it worthwhile trying to design a system to feed the proper nutrients into a coral reef. I know its like chasing a needle in a haystack but I really want to determine whether or not a commercial product exists or not. Soooooooo does anyone know of any commercial feeding systems that they can link to or have experience with. While you guys and gals are pondering that I have just finished taking 4.5 billion pictures of the new fish in the display tank and I have some work to do getting them ready for this thread.............soon........really, really soon.

Peter

In searching many different keywords this is the only thing i could find:

http://www.alibaba.com/product-free/107574067/Automatic_Feeder_for_Frozen_Fish_Food.html

There really isnt much info on it.

 

[dave.m]

Google is your friend.

Search string = automatic feeder aquarium

Lots of hits, starting with this one.

Search string = automated feeder aquarium

Lots of hits, starting with this one.

With so many possibilities I can understand why Peter and Shawn are looking for experienced opinions on which ones have been tried, which ones found most suitable, which ones recommended.

Dave.M

 

[JonnyD91]

Google is your friend.

Search string = automatic feeder aquarium

Lots of hits, starting with this one.

Search string = automated feeder aquarium

Lots of hits, starting with this one.

With so many possibilities I can understand why Peter and Shawn are looking for experienced opinions on which ones have been tried, which ones found most suitable, which ones recommended.

Dave.M

lol we aren't talking about any auto feeder. We are talking about an auto feeder that dispenses FROZEN/LIVE food. There are none of those to my knowledge.

 

[dave.m]

We are talking about an auto feeder that dispenses FROZEN/LIVE food.

Not all the foods Peter listed are live or frozen. Live foods are easily dripped in on a continual basis. Frozen foods have to be thawed out and kept refrigerated, no matter what else you plan to do with them. There are few automated systems for frozen foods, but I do recall seeing an overly complicated one in Advanced Aquarist or Coral Magazine IIRC. It didn't look very practical. A pumped solution from a small bar fridge is probably more realistic.

Dave.M

 

[JonnyD91]

Not all the foods Peter listed are live or frozen. Live foods are easily dripped in on a continual basis. Frozen foods have to be thawed out and kept refrigerated, no matter what else you plan to do with them. There are few automated systems for frozen foods, but I do recall seeing an overly complicated one in Advanced Aquarist or Coral Magazine IIRC. It didn't look very practical. A pumped solution from a small bar fridge is probably more realistic.

Dave.M

We are looking for any viable products that are reliable and can service dry and frozen foods

The original question was looking for a commercial product for dry and or frozen foods Google aside, there are a million solutions out there for dry foods. The problem is frozen and further more a combination of dry/frozen foods. As of now I do not know of any commercial products that are made to automate feeding frozen or a combination of frozen and dry food. Peter wanted to rule out commercial products first before we talk about DIY.

 

[the_rider]

Hi Peter and Mr. Wilson

Refrigerated system seems to be commercially available for lab purposes but I'm not sure about how it could be convert to the uses you need.

Here is one compagny I found. Pretty sure there are others

http://www.endress.com/eh/home.nsf/#product/csf48

 

[Jessie Gray]

I cant beleave I read the whole thing!!!
Hi Peter great build. The slide show was great.I found this comunity about a mounth ago. read water keepers thread and realized I didnt know neerly as much as I thought I did about this hobby. then I foung your thread and I am amazed at all the information that is on here.you and your team have done a great job with your tank and with educating those of us who dont know that much.Wish I had found this comunity years ago when I was setting up my first tank. you have done a great job of holding this thread together and keeping it positive though out the entire thread. wish I had found it earlier so I could have been a part of it even though there isnt that much I could contribute.
I do have a question for Mr Wilson. wouldnt it be better to have your criptic zone before your skimmer? seams to me that would give it more food and let it grow faster and larger so that it would be even more efective.just a thought.

 

[Scej12]

Thankz Youz Guyz...!!!

Thankz Youz Guyz...!!!

To Peter & Mr. Wilson!

I'd meant to get to this post sooner, but have been literally swamped with miscellaneous everything since my visit of last Wednesday; and of course, I didn't want to rush in a quick response, as that certainly wouldn't do even a modicum of justice to the quality exchange that you both entertained... Soooo a big THANK YOU to you both - the tank and great company definitely exceeded any expectation I had as to how my visit would go.:dance::dance::dance:

I'd also like to take this opportunity [if I may] to convey what I think is as important a message as any that has played a role in directing the positive theme of this thread...

The tank is amazing yes; and btw the pictures don't do it justice - even with great photography, there's always that little something extra that a picture just simply cannot convey: whether it's the calm serene of not being distracted by noisy pumps hidden away in a well insulated fishroom; or the manner in which the architectural compliments of Peter's basement come together in a quietly satisfying and poetic statement; or perhaps still it may be the organized chaos associated with a living, breathing reef environment that brings one's experience beyond the fourth dimension... whatever that intangibly unique experience may be, it is one that is best appreciated first-hand; and can only be topped by the compliment of great company... last Wednesday, there was no shortage of either.... so yes the tank is indeed greater in person, than it has been portrayed in this thread - if that is even possible!

Secondly, and for me most importantly, is what I presume to be the reason behind the success of this project as it rapidly works its way to becoming one of the greatest private aquariums ever built - and it has less to do with the budget than one might assume. Absolutely, the budget does help, however even the budget would not be possible were it not for Peter's proven ability to envision a great result; recruit, inspire, and empower great talent; and remain ardently faithful to the processes required to bring an exceptional vision to fruition.

I admitted to Peter that I'd done just a little research in preparation prior to hanging out with such a humble heavy-hitter (in not just his recent aquarium accomplishments). What struck me most is that this theme of 'best practices' is not frivolously thrown around like a top hat meant impress those reading this thread, but has in fact been carried forward from Peter's very successful business life and was likely embedded in the DNA of each of his very successful ventures. I can recall at least two separate articles about Peter's company that mentioned the phrases 'best in breed' & 'best practice', and none of them had anything to do with his relatively recent aquarium indulgence.

So I can tell you now that what I've learned most from this build is that even more important than budget, or size; is attitude. Whether our pursuit is to build great fish tanks or even great businesses, success is greatly determined by the nature of our attitude. Even after all other successes, Peter still maintains the kind of humility that can't help but inspire great things in others. To me, this thread has been more than just a kool aquarium build; it has truly been a lesson in life... With the right attitude, there is little that cannot be accomplished - that is indeed a revelation to anyone having a serious go at this science project we affectionately refer to as a hobby.:bigeyes:

As for Mr. Wilson... fantastic work so far. You are truly living up to the great name you've come to represent on this forum. I mentioned on another thread that you'd actually inspired my first post, after a couple of years of casually reading the odd thread in the background. I came across a couple of your responses to various queries that literally introduced me to some concepts, techniques, and equipment for the first time. I think the real genius in this facility we call a forum, is its ability to encourage us to share what we know, while listening to what we don't; and Peter's thread has managed to somehow inspire and reinforce the type of culture that allows both to take place without ego or any such negative element. This is in no small part due to the leadership and mentorship of TEAM NINEBALL. So congratulations to you all.

Regards,

'One Inspired Customer'

 

[wtac]

One issue I can foresee is fouling of product in the line once it leaves the refrigerated zone. I have a few sparks and fizzles in the grey matter to address that but which makes more sense and more practical...I'll get back to you all on that.

 

[Spirofucci]

I have no experience with auto feeders. But I would think that best practice would to feed by hand in order to ensure just the right type and amount. I also would think that any malfunction would be disasterous. I know that most of the system is automated but it seems that feeding is one of the most "fun" things that a tank owner does. Just my two cents.

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