Yet another ZooDiver build thread (Shark display)
- Thread starter Zoodiver
- Start date
Here are a couple of pictures showing the fish/eels/sharks in the holding pool. Everyone is doing great (even eating) in the temp set up.
And of course just for you guys... a sneak peak behind the curtain.
The first layer of sand is epoxied down, so when the sharks move around, I don't end up with bare spots. I'm 5'7" - so that gives you an idea of how big the display is without all the rockwork inside.
As of today, the new reef/rockwork is in place. The new design is a lot more open for the animals to make use of all the space possible in the display. Right now we're ahead of schedule (knock on wood), which will give me extra time to make sure the water column is clear for the big open day. I'm pretty impressed on how close the reef matches the original sketches done with my idea. But those pics will have to come later.
And of course just for you guys... a sneak peak behind the curtain.
The first layer of sand is epoxied down, so when the sharks move around, I don't end up with bare spots. I'm 5'7" - so that gives you an idea of how big the display is without all the rockwork inside.
As of today, the new reef/rockwork is in place. The new design is a lot more open for the animals to make use of all the space possible in the display. Right now we're ahead of schedule (knock on wood), which will give me extra time to make sure the water column is clear for the big open day. I'm pretty impressed on how close the reef matches the original sketches done with my idea. But those pics will have to come later.
Looking good Matt! Nice trick with epoxy and sand for the base. I'm going to have to steal that one when I'm not doing an undergravel filter.
Are you using beads or bags in the canisters? Looks like you have a variety there.
What elasmos do you have in qt so far? I see blacktips, whitetips and nurse so far.
Btw, Mazuri has a new product for tube feeding. It works threw a catheter easily, is inexpensive and saves many hours of prep.
Are you using beads or bags in the canisters? Looks like you have a variety there.
What elasmos do you have in qt so far? I see blacktips, whitetips and nurse so far.
Btw, Mazuri has a new product for tube feeding. It works threw a catheter easily, is inexpensive and saves many hours of prep.
Thanks for the heads up. I'm sick of making my own slurries!
Sharks at this point are black tip reef, white tip reef, nurse and a brown banded bamoboo (biggest male I've ever seen!). Have cownose and bonnets in the works and maybe a male Southern ray, too. I might be adding a few more small benthics (white spotted, epps etc...). We'll see what the future holds. Smoothounds would be a nice match to this display as well.
Canisters are pleated cartridges (20 micron, 200 square ft) inside Jaccuzi Sher-Lok units. They do a good job keeping the column clear and a pretty easy to clean. Normally something this size I'd just use sand/bead filters (clear water, cleaning means water change and extra biological), but I'm only fixing it insted of re-doing the whole design.
Sharks at this point are black tip reef, white tip reef, nurse and a brown banded bamoboo (biggest male I've ever seen!). Have cownose and bonnets in the works and maybe a male Southern ray, too. I might be adding a few more small benthics (white spotted, epps etc...). We'll see what the future holds. Smoothounds would be a nice match to this display as well.
Canisters are pleated cartridges (20 micron, 200 square ft) inside Jaccuzi Sher-Lok units. They do a good job keeping the column clear and a pretty easy to clean. Normally something this size I'd just use sand/bead filters (clear water, cleaning means water change and extra biological), but I'm only fixing it insted of re-doing the whole design.
I'm gonna give a little too much today. This is a crappy cell pic of the original sketch I did to base the new reef off of....and a sneak peak at the lobster trap. It was originally going to be a South FL native set up, so the trap worked into that. However, being that some of the sharks are Pacific, that theme kind of went out the window. Lobsters are one of the guest favorites, so they will be coming back to the display for sure!
The new reef insert is in place and ready to go as of this afternoon. (Can't show pics until Oct 13th - the big public opening date.)
The plan is for the first test fill tomorrow (with city water so I don't waste salt). Will bea fill and dump to flush out debris from putting the new reef structure in. Going to run the pumps24 hrs and see what flow in the tank looks like, adjust the decor as needed and start exploring new lighting. Current lighting is made up of 8 250 watt halides (half 10K, half 20K) and a pair of power compacts in each housing. We're going to look at LED or just new halides that use smaller (ie: cooler) balasts.
Buffing the acrylic on the inside (the outside will get done next week, the same time I paint the stand and canopy).
The plan is for the first test fill tomorrow (with city water so I don't waste salt). Will bea fill and dump to flush out debris from putting the new reef structure in. Going to run the pumps24 hrs and see what flow in the tank looks like, adjust the decor as needed and start exploring new lighting. Current lighting is made up of 8 250 watt halides (half 10K, half 20K) and a pair of power compacts in each housing. We're going to look at LED or just new halides that use smaller (ie: cooler) balasts.
Buffing the acrylic on the inside (the outside will get done next week, the same time I paint the stand and canopy).
Today we'll just say that it's been a busy couple of days discovering things.
Like, discovering a crack in the pipe leading out of one of the filters. One of those fluke things. The downside is that it's the pump/piping we use to draing the display, and circulate the city water around to rinse off the new coral/rock structures. So as a quick fix, a Home Depot run... we have a new trick called filter delete! Normally I wouldn't do this, but we still get what we need out of the system - and I'm not worried about loss of one filter when the system as three others that will do the trick.
The crack was small, but enough to spray water all over the filter room when the pump was one. Not in a place to patch, and with all the glued 'quick fixes' over the past decade, it was impossible to just replace the broken part. The crack split the pipe off when I pulled the filter out of the system.
Just for fun... for anyone who followed the TV show, that is the same 2" drain valve that was seen being turned on National Geographic last season.
And everyone loves pics of hand feeding sharks...so here's the smallest white tip reef eating squid.
Like, discovering a crack in the pipe leading out of one of the filters. One of those fluke things. The downside is that it's the pump/piping we use to draing the display, and circulate the city water around to rinse off the new coral/rock structures. So as a quick fix, a Home Depot run... we have a new trick called filter delete! Normally I wouldn't do this, but we still get what we need out of the system - and I'm not worried about loss of one filter when the system as three others that will do the trick.
The crack was small, but enough to spray water all over the filter room when the pump was one. Not in a place to patch, and with all the glued 'quick fixes' over the past decade, it was impossible to just replace the broken part. The crack split the pipe off when I pulled the filter out of the system.
Just for fun... for anyone who followed the TV show, that is the same 2" drain valve that was seen being turned on National Geographic last season.
And everyone loves pics of hand feeding sharks...so here's the smallest white tip reef eating squid.
Anyone up late tonight?
I'm doing the last (I hope) fill right now. The downside is I can move water from the sump to the display with a 2" line.....but I can only make RO (mixed to saltwater) at 4pgm right now to due a lack of city water pressure on my source line. About half way full right now. Deep enough to run my main 5 hp circulation pump to get some movement in the display while I wait for water production to catch up.
Yawn....
I'm doing the last (I hope) fill right now. The downside is I can move water from the sump to the display with a 2" line.....but I can only make RO (mixed to saltwater) at 4pgm right now to due a lack of city water pressure on my source line. About half way full right now. Deep enough to run my main 5 hp circulation pump to get some movement in the display while I wait for water production to catch up.
Yawn....
