Hey folks, I'm new, and I've seen a lot of great stuff here, but I've got some pretty cool stuff going on here as well.
I've owned monster fish for only 10 days now, but I'm doing it to tie into my business that is getting started. I quit my job 6 months ago, with no savings, and I don't plan on getting another job until I fail over and over and over and over....I say that now, but if that time ever comes, I'll be tempted to try again!
I started Clearwater Systems as kindof a "blanket" for the many things I intend to do with water based life-forms anywhere from Koi pond installations on up to anything anyone wants me to do....But my real aspirration has always been large scale fish farming...Which costs a lot of money to start.
Well, on with the stuff...After chatting with a friend who owns a very reputable petstore (not a chainstore), I decided that spending $1000 on Koi to grow out and re-sell might not be the best investment...But $1000 for 5 Motoros of which at least one is pregnant, seemed like a risk I could afford to take. At 37 years old, I actually had to talk to my MOM before I did this...See, since I'm doing this as a business, it was hard for me to be sure of the reason I was getting the Rays. I've wanted Rays for years now...I've studied them, and drooled over them....and I knew how much of a mess they make and what they do.
Ding, ding!!! the light went on in my head, and I went into action. I had $3000 to start my business resulting from talking my brother into giving me a 1 yr "pass" on money I owed him. I was going to start my Tilapia growing system in a very small scale, which would also provide me with some supplemental food for the Rays...since I will be able to breed way more than I can grow out.
Well, about 3 hours after I came home with 2 leaky 150's that I was going to fix up over a few weeks for ordering 2 Tilapia species, I had already found and decided on these 5 Rays. 3 of them are adult breeders (2F 1M), and at least one of the females is pregnant... The other 2 are a separate 8"F and 9"M. the male is from one of my females, and the female was purchased from a different bloodline. Just as a note- I am a naturalist, so inbreeding and un-natural hybridizations are something that I will not allow.
I started by taking apart the tank that for sure leaked. what was the front panel was the only panel that had a failed bond, so I took it off, and took the whole thing to a local glass shop. They cut the glass so it would fit what 'was' the top, and now the tank sits on its side for a 72" x 24" footprint. I also had them drill it, and the grand total into the tank now including glass shop labor, fittings, and silicone comes to $185.00
I plumbed the drain underneath the 48" high 48" x 96" shelf so that it comes out the end, then it goes through 4 layers of biological filtration which is backwards from most setups. The drain pours right out onto the fine filtration wich sits right in the open so that I can remove it, clean it, replace it, or whatever I need to do. In fact, the whole biological filtration system can be taken apart and put back together without turning it off. Auto top off, and automatic timer controlled water changing make it complete, and bring the total for the filtration system to $225 (including all mentioned items, return pump, and timer controlled drain pump with switching system, and filter media)
Grand total for my first semi-automated Stingray system is under $500 once I got a heater and a few things. Fortunately, a lot of the things I already had. I realize that this is not anywhere near a proper Ray system, and this will be the tank for babies. These adults actually came from a 150g tall, so they have more space now.
I built the shelf like I did for 2 reasons. One, it needed to fit the space, and I didn't want to add another supprt when there was one already there. and secondly, I will be building Budget ray system #2, and #3 very soon. #2 will be 48" x 96" x 22" tall.
I will detail the next systems later. I may even make it a "ride along" if enough people are interestind in following the progress. But there is some really awesome stuff in the planning. Steel framed tanks with 96" glass fronts...which can be quickly dissasembled and moved out of my basement when I relocate....And how about oxygen pumping through a DIY ozonator? Don't think I'm silly about the unnecessary expense, but I am going to be experimenting with Tilapia densities approaching 7 lbs per cubic foot. You guys know how dangerous that is, and there's no way to even get half that without an Oxygen concentrator pumping through an ozonator.... Well, I happen to know how to make an Ozone generator for $15- $100 depending on the size of the transformer needed. Unfortunately, the Oxygen concentrator is an expense I can't get around...but at least I will never need to buy bottled o2 or any regulators to use for shipping. The concentrator puts out 3 lpm of 95% pure oxygen at 4psi. So as soon as I get the ORP system, I can test my ozonator and see how much ozone 3000v puts into water.
So- Who fell asleep, and who's interested in following all these things I'm going to make happen.
And who wants to buy my Tilapia culls for feeders??? These Tilapia will be grown in conditions for my own consumption, and will be gauranteed to be clean for live feeding, or frozen, or cut up as adults. Anything I can do with Tilapia that doesn't involve the health department would be awesome. I'd stay out of the food market for good that way.
So that's that.
Oh yeah! Pictures!
Here's an overview of the mess I made. I wish I had used the other tank I have cuz it isn't so green. I use a piece of foamboard with some weight on it as a temporary cover right now.
Using a 55 gallon drum was facilitated by the height of the shelf. The top bucket contains Filter fiber and course lava rock. The 2nd bucket contains 2 gallons of bio balls that I stole from my Koi pond and boiled clean in our spaghetti pot. Don't let your wife catch you or smell you doing that btw. The bottom bucket is the only one that the media stays submerged, and it contains 1/2" to 1" chunks of lava rock. I also have 3 large net bags to hold another 9 gallons of media that I will put in the bottom of the barrel over the pump. I'll wait till summer so I can get another yard of lava rock... Why pay more for man made porous stones when the real ones cost $18 for a truckload? Rinse it well, the fine particles will build up at the bottom of the sump and aren't real friendly to pumps.
I intend to add more media to the top bucket, and I also want to use a cloth strainer above the filter fiber. That way it is much easier to get the meat particles out of there with something that is "rinse and re-use"
Heres one of the ladies. In 10 days, they have gone from hating me and not eating, to nibbling on crawlers and then spitting them out, to eating like pigs. They will investigate my hand, but they still don't quite trust me enough to take food from my hand. They spent 27 months being fed by only one person who imported them.
Well, I'm hopiong that I can learn to take better pictures, but that glass is a challenge. Better light and a background will help a lot I am sure. Also am still waiting on the pump I ordered for this sytem. It will circulate around 600gph instead of the 125 or so that it is doing now. Right now I have it supplemented with an XP3, but it still isn't enough.
That's all for now!
Mike
I've owned monster fish for only 10 days now, but I'm doing it to tie into my business that is getting started. I quit my job 6 months ago, with no savings, and I don't plan on getting another job until I fail over and over and over and over....I say that now, but if that time ever comes, I'll be tempted to try again!
I started Clearwater Systems as kindof a "blanket" for the many things I intend to do with water based life-forms anywhere from Koi pond installations on up to anything anyone wants me to do....But my real aspirration has always been large scale fish farming...Which costs a lot of money to start.
Well, on with the stuff...After chatting with a friend who owns a very reputable petstore (not a chainstore), I decided that spending $1000 on Koi to grow out and re-sell might not be the best investment...But $1000 for 5 Motoros of which at least one is pregnant, seemed like a risk I could afford to take. At 37 years old, I actually had to talk to my MOM before I did this...See, since I'm doing this as a business, it was hard for me to be sure of the reason I was getting the Rays. I've wanted Rays for years now...I've studied them, and drooled over them....and I knew how much of a mess they make and what they do.
Ding, ding!!! the light went on in my head, and I went into action. I had $3000 to start my business resulting from talking my brother into giving me a 1 yr "pass" on money I owed him. I was going to start my Tilapia growing system in a very small scale, which would also provide me with some supplemental food for the Rays...since I will be able to breed way more than I can grow out.
Well, about 3 hours after I came home with 2 leaky 150's that I was going to fix up over a few weeks for ordering 2 Tilapia species, I had already found and decided on these 5 Rays. 3 of them are adult breeders (2F 1M), and at least one of the females is pregnant... The other 2 are a separate 8"F and 9"M. the male is from one of my females, and the female was purchased from a different bloodline. Just as a note- I am a naturalist, so inbreeding and un-natural hybridizations are something that I will not allow.
I started by taking apart the tank that for sure leaked. what was the front panel was the only panel that had a failed bond, so I took it off, and took the whole thing to a local glass shop. They cut the glass so it would fit what 'was' the top, and now the tank sits on its side for a 72" x 24" footprint. I also had them drill it, and the grand total into the tank now including glass shop labor, fittings, and silicone comes to $185.00
I plumbed the drain underneath the 48" high 48" x 96" shelf so that it comes out the end, then it goes through 4 layers of biological filtration which is backwards from most setups. The drain pours right out onto the fine filtration wich sits right in the open so that I can remove it, clean it, replace it, or whatever I need to do. In fact, the whole biological filtration system can be taken apart and put back together without turning it off. Auto top off, and automatic timer controlled water changing make it complete, and bring the total for the filtration system to $225 (including all mentioned items, return pump, and timer controlled drain pump with switching system, and filter media)
Grand total for my first semi-automated Stingray system is under $500 once I got a heater and a few things. Fortunately, a lot of the things I already had. I realize that this is not anywhere near a proper Ray system, and this will be the tank for babies. These adults actually came from a 150g tall, so they have more space now.
I built the shelf like I did for 2 reasons. One, it needed to fit the space, and I didn't want to add another supprt when there was one already there. and secondly, I will be building Budget ray system #2, and #3 very soon. #2 will be 48" x 96" x 22" tall.
I will detail the next systems later. I may even make it a "ride along" if enough people are interestind in following the progress. But there is some really awesome stuff in the planning. Steel framed tanks with 96" glass fronts...which can be quickly dissasembled and moved out of my basement when I relocate....And how about oxygen pumping through a DIY ozonator? Don't think I'm silly about the unnecessary expense, but I am going to be experimenting with Tilapia densities approaching 7 lbs per cubic foot. You guys know how dangerous that is, and there's no way to even get half that without an Oxygen concentrator pumping through an ozonator.... Well, I happen to know how to make an Ozone generator for $15- $100 depending on the size of the transformer needed. Unfortunately, the Oxygen concentrator is an expense I can't get around...but at least I will never need to buy bottled o2 or any regulators to use for shipping. The concentrator puts out 3 lpm of 95% pure oxygen at 4psi. So as soon as I get the ORP system, I can test my ozonator and see how much ozone 3000v puts into water.
So- Who fell asleep, and who's interested in following all these things I'm going to make happen.
And who wants to buy my Tilapia culls for feeders??? These Tilapia will be grown in conditions for my own consumption, and will be gauranteed to be clean for live feeding, or frozen, or cut up as adults. Anything I can do with Tilapia that doesn't involve the health department would be awesome. I'd stay out of the food market for good that way.
So that's that.
Oh yeah! Pictures!
Here's an overview of the mess I made. I wish I had used the other tank I have cuz it isn't so green. I use a piece of foamboard with some weight on it as a temporary cover right now.
Using a 55 gallon drum was facilitated by the height of the shelf. The top bucket contains Filter fiber and course lava rock. The 2nd bucket contains 2 gallons of bio balls that I stole from my Koi pond and boiled clean in our spaghetti pot. Don't let your wife catch you or smell you doing that btw. The bottom bucket is the only one that the media stays submerged, and it contains 1/2" to 1" chunks of lava rock. I also have 3 large net bags to hold another 9 gallons of media that I will put in the bottom of the barrel over the pump. I'll wait till summer so I can get another yard of lava rock... Why pay more for man made porous stones when the real ones cost $18 for a truckload? Rinse it well, the fine particles will build up at the bottom of the sump and aren't real friendly to pumps.
I intend to add more media to the top bucket, and I also want to use a cloth strainer above the filter fiber. That way it is much easier to get the meat particles out of there with something that is "rinse and re-use"
Heres one of the ladies. In 10 days, they have gone from hating me and not eating, to nibbling on crawlers and then spitting them out, to eating like pigs. They will investigate my hand, but they still don't quite trust me enough to take food from my hand. They spent 27 months being fed by only one person who imported them.
Well, I'm hopiong that I can learn to take better pictures, but that glass is a challenge. Better light and a background will help a lot I am sure. Also am still waiting on the pump I ordered for this sytem. It will circulate around 600gph instead of the 125 or so that it is doing now. Right now I have it supplemented with an XP3, but it still isn't enough.
That's all for now!
Mike
