Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
I feel bad playing devil's advocate here but I'd definitely feel worse later on had I never spoken up beforehand.
I hope everyone understands.
I hope everyone understands.
New tank at Strong Museum!
- Thread starter museumguy
- Start date
johno4
New member
Gary, I think he is forced to work with the current space in the museum and thats why the dimensions are what they are. At least thats what Im assuming.
I really feel bad for the stingray in there it has no where to go with all the rock and what not. A taller tank will do nothing to help him out.
All in all I think the tank will be nice. Tad I hope where not discouraging you. Gary is right, expressing our concerns are meant to help I hope you take it that way. Good luck and continue to keep us post. My wife just baught a membership to the museum so I should be seeing a lot of the tank in the near future
I really feel bad for the stingray in there it has no where to go with all the rock and what not. A taller tank will do nothing to help him out.
All in all I think the tank will be nice. Tad I hope where not discouraging you. Gary is right, expressing our concerns are meant to help I hope you take it that way. Good luck and continue to keep us post. My wife just baught a membership to the museum so I should be seeing a lot of the tank in the near future
I'll take the other side.
I would not try to keep an eel in a normal sized reef, but I would not dismiss it completely in a reef that large and with daily professional maintenance. I had a smaller eel in a 29 gallon tank with softies for almost 4 years and only lost him and the corals because of the ice storm. It was a challenge keeping nitrates under control, but with todays technology and knowlege and 1700 gallons to work with I wouldn't rule it out, especially since it is a kid favorite. The bioload could be handled, so the only concern would be it eating the other inhabitants but it has been in the current tank for quite some time so I would think he knows if there is an issue or not.
The stingray needs more space, hopefully the new aquascaping leaves more open sand bed. If not I would put him up for trade.
A big long tank with lots of open water seems like it would be perfect for the tangs. There are in there now, and the last time I was at the museum, they looked healthy enough.
The 1000 watt halides are exactly what I would use for light. Paired with a relatively narrow spot reflector, you could raise them higher above the tank than the 400's. using a stronger light further above the surface will give you more uniform light between the upper and lower parts of the tank. It will be far from uniform, but potentially much better than with 400's close to the surface. I don't see any issue with heat and the acrylic as long as there is sufficient distance and ventilation, and with only 4 bulbs over a tank that size there has to be 1.5 feet or more between the bulbs and the acrylic pane.
Despite the challenge of lighting it, I like the tall tank for this purpose. The visual impact for the kids and their parents will be tremendous, and it will allow for some things we can not do in our shorter tanks. As long as great care is taken with setting up the lighting and with making sure corals are placed in the correct light zones within the tank, I think there is potential to put together a rather stunning looking mixed reef. I would definitely prefer to see more front to back depth, like twice as much if not more, but I can see that they have space limitations.
The one thing I don't like is the choice of the Dialyseas. It tosses the baby out with the bath water, and I think if you are successful getting good SPS growth, you will find keeping the calcium alk levels up and in balance will be tough enough without a machine exporting them for you. Big skimmers, RDSB tanks and a refugium would be a better way to export the organics without fighting yourself on the desirables so much. In addition, when mixing salt water, you ALWAYS start with the water (at temp) and add the salt. If you want the end result to match what the mix was designed for you must avoid the supersaturated state where some but not all of the contents will precipitate out of solution in forms that will not redissolve later. Adding salt to cold water or water to the salt is asking for trouble, and doing both is just begging for trouble. Pumping water through a salt bucket the way this machine does takes up little space and effort, but I would argue this is a severe case of being lazy, not being efficient.
I would not try to keep an eel in a normal sized reef, but I would not dismiss it completely in a reef that large and with daily professional maintenance. I had a smaller eel in a 29 gallon tank with softies for almost 4 years and only lost him and the corals because of the ice storm. It was a challenge keeping nitrates under control, but with todays technology and knowlege and 1700 gallons to work with I wouldn't rule it out, especially since it is a kid favorite. The bioload could be handled, so the only concern would be it eating the other inhabitants but it has been in the current tank for quite some time so I would think he knows if there is an issue or not.
The stingray needs more space, hopefully the new aquascaping leaves more open sand bed. If not I would put him up for trade.
A big long tank with lots of open water seems like it would be perfect for the tangs. There are in there now, and the last time I was at the museum, they looked healthy enough.
The 1000 watt halides are exactly what I would use for light. Paired with a relatively narrow spot reflector, you could raise them higher above the tank than the 400's. using a stronger light further above the surface will give you more uniform light between the upper and lower parts of the tank. It will be far from uniform, but potentially much better than with 400's close to the surface. I don't see any issue with heat and the acrylic as long as there is sufficient distance and ventilation, and with only 4 bulbs over a tank that size there has to be 1.5 feet or more between the bulbs and the acrylic pane.
Despite the challenge of lighting it, I like the tall tank for this purpose. The visual impact for the kids and their parents will be tremendous, and it will allow for some things we can not do in our shorter tanks. As long as great care is taken with setting up the lighting and with making sure corals are placed in the correct light zones within the tank, I think there is potential to put together a rather stunning looking mixed reef. I would definitely prefer to see more front to back depth, like twice as much if not more, but I can see that they have space limitations.
The one thing I don't like is the choice of the Dialyseas. It tosses the baby out with the bath water, and I think if you are successful getting good SPS growth, you will find keeping the calcium alk levels up and in balance will be tough enough without a machine exporting them for you. Big skimmers, RDSB tanks and a refugium would be a better way to export the organics without fighting yourself on the desirables so much. In addition, when mixing salt water, you ALWAYS start with the water (at temp) and add the salt. If you want the end result to match what the mix was designed for you must avoid the supersaturated state where some but not all of the contents will precipitate out of solution in forms that will not redissolve later. Adding salt to cold water or water to the salt is asking for trouble, and doing both is just begging for trouble. Pumping water through a salt bucket the way this machine does takes up little space and effort, but I would argue this is a severe case of being lazy, not being efficient.
bosborn1
In Memoriam
Research around on RC, you will find plenty of unhappy Dialyseas owners. They are a really neat idea however the implementation still needs refinement.
As for the skimming. I see no reason to use two skimmers. Your best bet is to save a little dough from the Dialyseas and purhase either a big BubbleKing with the autocleaning neck or have Spazz build you a custom Volcano also with an autocleaning neck and a wetneck. Either one of those is going to give you superior skimming which will provide you with better nutrient export then either the CAD filter or the Dialyseas.....Not to mention both of those product have some cool "wizz-bang" features to make them just as cool as a Dialyseas.
When using two skimmers the cleanest and best "tuned" skimmer will do all the work. The second will only act as a back up. You'll see one will need regular cleaning while the other will rarely need it.
As for the skimming. I see no reason to use two skimmers. Your best bet is to save a little dough from the Dialyseas and purhase either a big BubbleKing with the autocleaning neck or have Spazz build you a custom Volcano also with an autocleaning neck and a wetneck. Either one of those is going to give you superior skimming which will provide you with better nutrient export then either the CAD filter or the Dialyseas.....Not to mention both of those product have some cool "wizz-bang" features to make them just as cool as a Dialyseas.
When using two skimmers the cleanest and best "tuned" skimmer will do all the work. The second will only act as a back up. You'll see one will need regular cleaning while the other will rarely need it.
Ellery
Member
Tad,
I can't wait to see the new setup. Even though I haven't seen the original one yet other than Gary's picture I look forward to this one. The operation of this huge system will definitely be a challenge I hope you have some good contacts with some of the large marine aquariums. I used to have a contact with a person at the NY Aquarium in Coney Island where I wanted to work during HS.
The concepts are all the same with the home aquariums but the scale changes the maintenance frequency and level of care needed.
So I assume someone will be jumping in to keep the glass clean on a regular basis too.
Good luck - I love reading about these projects!
Ellery
I can't wait to see the new setup. Even though I haven't seen the original one yet other than Gary's picture I look forward to this one. The operation of this huge system will definitely be a challenge I hope you have some good contacts with some of the large marine aquariums. I used to have a contact with a person at the NY Aquarium in Coney Island where I wanted to work during HS.
The concepts are all the same with the home aquariums but the scale changes the maintenance frequency and level of care needed.
So I assume someone will be jumping in to keep the glass clean on a regular basis too.
Good luck - I love reading about these projects!
Ellery
Ellery,
I highly recommend a visit before the old tank gets torn down. It looks VERY different now than it did when Garry took the pictures. I was there two weeks ago, but I had 5 kids to keep track of and if I lost a few while tanking reef pictures, I am sure their mothers would have not been happy with me.
I highly recommend a visit before the old tank gets torn down. It looks VERY different now than it did when Garry took the pictures. I was there two weeks ago, but I had 5 kids to keep track of and if I lost a few while tanking reef pictures, I am sure their mothers would have not been happy with me.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
I wasn't concerned about heat damage to acrylic so much as runaway algae growth on the viewing pane 
I believe the current aquarium has a very large Deltec skimmer on it. To get rid of this skimmer (a more recent addition) would be a big mistake IMO.
I believe the current aquarium has a very large Deltec skimmer on it. To get rid of this skimmer (a more recent addition) would be a big mistake IMO.
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
good idea except this might be the best format.
I don't know how big Tad is
I don't know how big Tad is
Gary Majchrzak
Team RC
:lol:
Brent Thomann
New member
Re: nobody ever asked so I'll volunteer
Re: nobody ever asked so I'll volunteer
ever hear that saying if you don't have something nice to say don't say it!
by the way lots of people like taller aquariums including David Saxby and more importantly most the visitors that will be viewing it so his choice is not a poor one at all, will only need longer tongs and brighter light. he's not setting this aquarium up for your interests only.
Re: nobody ever asked so I'll volunteer
ever hear that saying if you don't have something nice to say don't say it!
by the way lots of people like taller aquariums including David Saxby and more importantly most the visitors that will be viewing it so his choice is not a poor one at all, will only need longer tongs and brighter light. he's not setting this aquarium up for your interests only.
Cnidariaus
Premium Member
New Museum Tank
New Museum Tank
I read this thread with great interest and excitement. Bringing the natural world of "the reef" to the public and educating them about the inhabitants of the world's reefs is an important responsibility. I am glad that Tad is tackling this public responsibility with such enthusiasm. I am also pleased to see that Tad is using the years of experience that is available to all though this forum. Tom is a fabulous aquascaper and I have learned so much over the years from Gary M's always inciteful and thoughtful ideas. I am sure that we all learn from each others mistakes on a daily basis. I always learn more from my mistakes than from just getting it right by luck although it is cheaper to learn from the mistakes of others.
I am excited to see what we can learn from the new museum system and appreciate the enthusiasm and the careful research that Tad is doing. There will be great success I am sure and a few mistakes along the way. We are only human. Best wishes and our contiued support to Tad.
New Museum Tank
I read this thread with great interest and excitement. Bringing the natural world of "the reef" to the public and educating them about the inhabitants of the world's reefs is an important responsibility. I am glad that Tad is tackling this public responsibility with such enthusiasm. I am also pleased to see that Tad is using the years of experience that is available to all though this forum. Tom is a fabulous aquascaper and I have learned so much over the years from Gary M's always inciteful and thoughtful ideas. I am sure that we all learn from each others mistakes on a daily basis. I always learn more from my mistakes than from just getting it right by luck although it is cheaper to learn from the mistakes of others.
I am excited to see what we can learn from the new museum system and appreciate the enthusiasm and the careful research that Tad is doing. There will be great success I am sure and a few mistakes along the way. We are only human. Best wishes and our contiued support to Tad.
I think Tad should host a meet and tour of the old tank and again with the new. I am amazed how many URS people in Rochester have not seen our biggest local tank. Even without kids it is worth a visit. If you go on your lunch hour there is a Bill Grays where you can grap a burger, and there are some other less savory choices in a food court as well.
chrisqueenz
New member
I like the host and meet idea, maybe even a tour of the system?lol
museumguy
Active member
I cannot make any promises at this point, but I am going to try to have at least a small scale behind the scenes tour of the tank once we are setup for those interested. I am pushing around the idea of doing a full scale fish keeping themed weekend sometime later in the year that could in theory cover all parts of the hobby and be open to the public.
Have not been able to give this too much time and effort yet, since there are only about a million things that still have to happen in the next month to get ready for this new tanks arrival.
museumguy
Active member
Re: New Museum Tank
Re: New Museum Tank
Thanks for the kind words. As I said before I knew this would be a bit of a controversial thing amonst some of those 'in the know', but I still feel that with careful planning we will have an amazing reef display for years to come. There were many factors influencing our purchase, and yes I would have loved to have different dimensions but space is a very limited resource and we are trying to do our best with what we have to work with.
The Dialyseas purchase was paid for long ago so though I can appreciate some people's concerns over using it, we will be going forward with this equipment. I will do my best to keep everyone up to date on its performance.
To everyone on these boards whom I've learned from, I thank you. I knew basically nothing about fish tanks in March when I started, and this website and all the great users helped me learn so much about these complex systems, I can't imagine where I'd be without you guys.
Cheers,
Tad
Re: New Museum Tank
Thanks for the kind words. As I said before I knew this would be a bit of a controversial thing amonst some of those 'in the know', but I still feel that with careful planning we will have an amazing reef display for years to come. There were many factors influencing our purchase, and yes I would have loved to have different dimensions but space is a very limited resource and we are trying to do our best with what we have to work with.
The Dialyseas purchase was paid for long ago so though I can appreciate some people's concerns over using it, we will be going forward with this equipment. I will do my best to keep everyone up to date on its performance.
To everyone on these boards whom I've learned from, I thank you. I knew basically nothing about fish tanks in March when I started, and this website and all the great users helped me learn so much about these complex systems, I can't imagine where I'd be without you guys.
Cheers,
Tad
museumguy
Active member
I welcome anyone who wants to come in and discuss the tank to stop by. If you let me know ahead of time and come around lunch I'll buy you a cup of coffee and be happy to pick your brain about reef keeping and answer any questions you may have about our systems. I might even surprise you with what I've been able to learn so far
Cheers,
Tad
