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LadAShark

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Posts posted by LadAShark

  1. I am by no means a plumbing expert, but I've recently been researching flow rates. What I am reading is that flow through the sump (open loop) "should" be about 3 to 5 times the tank volume in order for the filtration to do its thing, and flow in the tank (closed loop) "should" be 10 to 20 times the tank volume. If my calculations are correct, you've got a 50 gallon tank so at 1000 gph through the sump, you are turning over the open loop 20 times per hour, which is many times more than the "recommended" flow rate. Here are a couple of links that I was referring to.

     

    http://gmacreef.com/turnover-flow-rate-through-sump-reef-tank/

     

    http://www.3reef.com/threads/sump-display-turnover-rate.131332/

     

    I know flow rates aren't the specific question you were asking and I don't want to hijack your thread, but I'm trying to learn. Is there a benefit to making the flow rate in the open loop 20 times per hour rather than something significantly slower, say 5 times per hour?

    So the 1000 gallon tank I'm building requires 20,000 gallons per hour through the main tank? Good to know x.x

  2. Hmm, plywood huh? I mean, I've considered it, but I'm somewhat worried about longevity and just how thick the plywood needs to be. I don't want a goliath hunk of plywood just for a 1000 gallon tank. And I also hear you can't have a plywood tank with glass over 3 feet tall :/
    • Like 1
  3. I just read your post about how you want sharks. Make your tank round. Also plywood seems MEH. if going to spend a lot call someone who makes custom tanks for a quote, you never now. considering the amount of lumber would be required it will add up quick.

    A round tank would indeed be best for sharks. What I am planning to get, however, are catsharks, that aren't free swimming, so I have heard it's actually OK to not have rounded corners as long as you place something at the corners so that they don't bump into them.

     

    A custom tankmaker is indeed a possibility, but I still wish to be rather frugal, so I might just watch around for glass panels and make the tank myself. I'm particularly looking around for starphire, though that's rather unlikely to just show up. I do want a big tank, but I am still quite frugal ;P

    • Like 1
  4. A 1000?!?!?! I feel like that won't even be fun. Unless you're super wealthy?

    I'm going DIY on a lot of the things that I can, so it'll be extra fun and cheaper when possible ;P

     

    And I wouldn't say I'm super wealthy, buuut, it would take a good down 5k dollars or so. I might, just might consider dropping it to an 800 gallon, but that wouldn't be all that much cheaper.

     

    I intend to keep 3 sharks, 1-2 eels, a harlequin tusk, dragon wrasse, and a sharksucker (echeneis naucrates/neucratoides) in the 1k gallon. I'm planning on some abalone, a queen conch (which can in fact be found for sale), and milky conch, and a huge bunch of nerite snails for my initial cleanup crew.

     

    But I am a little offended. Does one have to be super rich to start their dream tank? I mean I'd understand if it was above, say, 2,000 gallons, but a 1k gallon wouldn't be all that expensive if you have 5-10k dollars set aside that you're willing to spend on your ONLY hobby. I guess it's bad money management on my part, but I'm frugal everywhere else, so sue me haha.

     

    Anyway, I am willing to solicit help in the form of chaeto, snails, and other things people are willing to give away!

  5. Hey everyone! Being new here, I've come to put out some ideas, and I had one that I thought could be great.

     

    What if we found a place at the ocean: newport, astoria, seaside, etc. where we could farm mussels? "LadAShark, you're crazy! No one would let you run a farm, that would take too much space!"

     

    And here's where it gets good. Mussel farms are actually set up on ropes. So you get a long rope, seed it/let it get seeded by mussels, and throw it out into the water to let the mussels grow. So if we could find someplace we could rent, or if we knew someone who could let us set up these things, we'd actually be able to vary our fishes's diets by adding wild mussels.

     

    As for bacteria in mussels? Simply pasteurize them to feed your tanks. Heat to 63 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes, and then take them out and rapidly cool them. That will kill 99% of the bacteria in them, making for healthier food than, say, silversides.

     

    Your angels, puffers, wrasses, and basically every carnivoruous/omnivorous/detritivorous creature will love you!

     

    It would be great if we could get such a cooperative effort going, otherwise I'd just go once a month to collect 72-144 mussels and be done with it.

    • Like 1
  6. You could try adding some sort of divider to block off the damsel from that area for a period of time long enough for it to get attached,

     

    Though the damsel might still pick on it afterwards...

  7. It's awesome to see more companies making controllers. Should lower the price for the consumer. We also have Fishbit in the works through kickstart. Can't wait to see some hands on reviews!

    I could probably design one myself through one of those teeny computers or perhaps an old computer, and a combination of what I know from basic organic chemistry.

     

    It really shouldn't be that expensive, but it is for some reason :/

    • Like 1
  8. Funny you should mention it, i've lived in Seaside for 20+ years and worked up and down the coast from Tillamook to Long beach but yeah i was definitely thinking sustainable food not filtration but i know next to nothing on their feeding habits. Although i don't think clatsop county and surrounding counties will be too keen on letting you setup shop for feeding your "pet sharks" :tongue: but hey who knows unless you ask but you'll have much better luck if you knew someone up there.

     

    Wait... do Sea lions eat mussels? If so Astoria is out for harvesting mussels :blink:

    I remember when I went crabbing on the docks in seaside, I believe, the sea lions (or were they seals, I don't remember) didn't seem to stop anything. I caught like 10 crabs in an hour and a half. Though I'm not sure if I can pull that off again.

     

    Hmm. All it would take is a single rope. I really don't know anyone there, so I'm not sure if anyone would let me do anything there. Wonder if like 10-50 dollars a month would let me do that? Hmm.

     

    It would be interesting to see how many people would be interested in setting up something like that over here. If so, we could perhaps rent a spot or soemthing and raise enough mussels for everyone's fish ;P

     

    Sharks aren't the only animals that enjoy mussles, so do pretty much every other carnivorous fish.

    • Like 1
  9. You might be able to raise some mussels for your Bamboo cat sharks ( and other sharks). I wonder how hard it would be and how long it would take in a home setting. There's plenty of it being done in the wild.

    You got my hopes up. I looked into it, mussels can even filter up to 80 gph. There's no way it can be maintained in a tank :/

     

    What I CAN do is find someplace in Astoria/seaside/etc. And find someone who'll let me toss a huge rope over and leave it there forever. Then I can go there around once a month or so, collect some of the larger mussels and keep them at home (they can stay alive without food for MONTHS) to feed to the sharks. Wonder if I could get that set up? That would be pretty awesome, though I would somewhat worry about parasites and diseases.

    • Like 1
  10. Woah!

     

    I just found out that you can keep large conches in your aquariums! Most stores don't seel it, but I did find some for sale at: http://www.thatpetplace.com/aquarium-livestock/snails#!snails

     

    Which would probablu be my go to solution for detritus. I was thinking my only solution to clean a 1k gallon would be a bunch of abalone, but I think I might toss in a milky conch and a queen conch and see how they fare when I actually get the tank.

  11. What type of fish were you thinking of?

     

    I have never raised saltwater feeder-fish, but I do know that many freshwater fish can be acclimated to saltwater. I bet they are easier to breed too. Maybe start there?

    Unforuntately any fish you have to acclimate to salt water isn't a fish that you want to be feeding to your fish, as it will lead to fatty liver disease and will kill your fish, as fresh water/brackish fishes just don't have the proper nutritious value.

     

    I'm thinking either some naturally saltwater fish, shrimp, or other that would be possible to reproduce in a tank (like a refugium) and then feed back to the fish in the main tank.

  12. Sometimes I wish I had the same luck with birds as I do with aquariums.

    Backstory: several years back I found a fledgeling parakeet outside. Caught it, kept it, and then proceed to have 1-2 other people pass on their own parakeets to me. After several years I hd to give them away, now I haven't had birds for 4 years, and suddenly bam! During the construction work, one of the constuction workers find 3 baby birds for me to take care of.

     

    Is anyone willing to find 3 baby corals for me to take care of? God [language filter]. Looks like I'm not getting much sleep for the next few weeks...

  13. Parrotfish! Parrotfish! Ok, I may or may not be slightly obsessed with them and hoping to eventually convince someone to get one, since I can't. I see a number like 1,000 gallons and can't see anything but rainbows! A quoyi parrot would very nicely complement the harlequin tusk. ;)

     

    Welcome, and wow, good luck to you on a huge build! Most of us can only dream, so I hope you'll keep us all updated.

    Huh. Never really considered parrotfish thoroughly. Wonder if they'd get along with some sharks like coral catshark, marbled catshark, whitespotted bamboo shark, collared carpetshark, and bali catshark?

     

    Actually, I'm not sure about the last two I listed, because it's really hard to find information on them. They were (and I don't know if they still are) sold by a vendor in Canada. I need to find out if they can even live in tropical conditions before getting them...

     

    Anyway, back to topic. I'll definitely consider a parrotfish if you could find some information about keeping them with catsharks, cause I can't find squat when I look for that info. I'm more worried about the parrot killing the shark than anything else.

  14. http://www.lionfishlair.com/hitchhiker.shtml

    Guide to a bunch of hitchikers to your aquarium

     

    http://www.tankterrors.com/how-to-setup-a-shark-aquarium/

    Good to read if you are also trying to set up a shark tank.

     

    http://www.reefkeeping.com/issues/2006-09/jf/index.php

    The two primary "diseases" that affect Tridacnid clams.

     

    http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/good-reasons-use-refugium-reef-system-3184/

    Why to use a refugium/benefits.

    • Like 2
  15. Ya...Most of the time I never see it, however has been really great at cleaning my sand bed.

    I would bet. I'm gonna see if I can get abalone to work in my tank. That and some tiger cowries and some urchins should do the job. That's also why I've decided against getting a horn shark. If I got one there would be nothing left that could clean my tank :/

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