Aquarium people

Get with user wetpet---that is what he does for a living...

 

"wetpet" aha! The name now makes sense

 

Just don't let him in your house unless you want pictures to show up on fchat...

 

Are you kidding? That's screwed up!

 

A quick question, If someone was going to build a massive aquarium are there new requirements for maintenance or upkeep that wouldn't normally be considered?

I plan to turn my current basement into a bit of an eye catcher and the only thing I kept coming back to was a massive aquarium for sharks.

 

Unfortunately, I'm not kidding.

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/showpost.php?p=137823875&postcount=30

 

It depends on what you mean by "massive".

It's a complicated undertaking. Sharks are delicate creatures, life support has to be carefully controlled and they'll likely die anyway.

I ran life support for more than 2 years at a million gallon shark aquarium located in a basement. Another consideration is CORROSION, the humid salt water environment is relentlessly destroying the building.

All that said, I would love to have a private shark tank, if I could afford a full-time staff.

 

Ouch! Poor judgment.

 

I didn't think about corrosion.

"There are a number of sharks sold as pets but the most common species are Nurse Sharks, Black tip reef shark, white tip reef shark, epaulette shark, wobbygong shark , leopard sharks and horn sharks. Some of these species can grow to be 4m / 13 ft long which makes it easy to se why these shark isn’t suitable as pets for most aquarist. Another shark that can be found in aquarium stores from time to time is the bull shark which is especially unsuitable to keep in aquariums since this is one of the most aggressive sharks there is. Bull shark can be found in freshwater but should not be kept as a freshwater fish."

http://www.aquaticcommunity.com/sharkfish/petsharks.php

My only requirement is "it must look like a shark" I've seen a few fish that are said to be sharks but they don't look the part. Other than that I have about 1,000 sq ft that I can use {without making modifications to the house} for the tank.

When you say "full time staff" I assume it's a joke. I've talked to a few people who advised me about the requirements for having a shark and the environmental sensitivity and I don't see a problem so far. I'll eventually rent the shark out for pool parties and rides so I'll make sure I get a happy-go-lucky shark.

 

I've had numerous tanks over the years, probably a direct result of my dad working at Mount Desert Island Biological Laboratories for 15+ years where I used to play with skates and sharks in multi-thousand gallon tanks from a very young age...

I'm hoping the OP is doing a freshwater tank, not salt, or the filter mentioned is wholly insufficient.

In the event that it is a fresh tank, the Mag 350, which I have owned several of in the past, will work remarkably well for the money. Just remember to change/clean the filter sleeve regularly, as the circulation will slow down in direct proportion to the amount of debris collected.

As far as salt, the corrosion factor CANNOT be underestimated. I have an in-wall tank in my basement, and have had to rebuild the wall above it several times due to the humidity and salt damage. In fact, I'm considering walling it off and going back to a free-standing and smaller tank.

Sharks are touchy and definitely require plenty of space and effort... many shops that deal in salt species will also have maintenance folks who will come out and take care of your system, but I prefer the hands-on approach.

In any case, good luck with the system, and post pics when it's done!

Tad

 

When I had fresh and a smaller salt tank I used an Ehiem canister filter. There was something about how the media was placed in bags with the Ehiem which the water had to flow through vs the Magnum had more area for unfiltered water to get through. I am sure that has changed, but once I got to bigger salt water and reef tanks I used lots of live rock and a big protein skimmer.

 

Neil, what kind of budget do you have in mind? I think you're vastly underestimating the cost of a setup like you've described in this thread.

And no, he wasn't kidding about a staff. At least not for what you've described.

 

He has been to my house--no pics, you are safe..

 

Most of those pics were for his website--taken with permission of the owner....

 

I wasn't kidding.

DO, Nitrates, Salinity, Ozone Levels (you will need a commercial ozone system) all need to be monitored, some several times a day. You'll have several sand filters that need regular backwashes and perhaps a big protein skimmer to clean daily. Depending on species and size you may need to feed every day or possibly every other. This will involve cutting and portioning raw fish, clams, shrimp for your "babies". You will spend quite a bit on frozen seafood (the place I worked pays $4000/month, it comes on 2 pallets). You will want to try and "target feed" as much as possible. This is one of the ways you can assess the fish's health by seeing them eat. Making sure they all get some, reduces the chance that one will be missing when you turn on the lights.

 

Even if they consented to the pics for his website, I doubt they consented to have pictures of their house and a discussion of what they did to it (and what they paid) posted on fchat.

 

I had a few small salt tanks for about 3 years. The larger of the two was a 72 gallon bowfront, with maybe 15 coral species and 7-8 fish, plus about 60 pounds of live rock. It was not that big of a deal as far as maintenance goes. About 5 minutes per day, and maybe 45 minutes once a month. The tank always looked great, but I got bored with it and sold it to a friend for $500(complete with the fish and coral) last Christmas.
It is a fun hobby, and VERY relaxing in my experience.
BT

 

That sounds like a time stealer, I didn't think it would be that much effort, I doubt I will want to put in that much time.

Maybe I need a game room, you don't have to feed or watch over pool tables.

 

I owned a SW tank for many years. I had, at the time, a pretty advanced filtration system. I too, was concerned about the time of maintenance. But once I got it going it wasn't all that difficult. My tank was a 60 gal. (if memory serves) Acrylic Plus tank w/ a 20 gal. tank under the table. I had Yellow tags, Hippo Tangs, Clowns, and a Trigger.........

 

I worked at a state aquarium w/ all the high tech stuff for 10 years. Massive reef tanks took the show. The secret of salt is still a mystery for most. My stuff was short lived & I returned to fresh where I raised a few huge Tiger Oscars that were hand fed.

 

I have kept saltwater aquariums for a long time. If you want the best, easiest, and most technologically advanced filter for the home application then look no further than the Dailyseas Dialysis Filter. It can be used for a fish only system, or a reef system. It's expensive but it does a lot of the work for you (i.e. constant automatic water changes.) The only other addition to the Dailyseas filter that would be beneficial for a system with a large bioload (a lot of fish) would be a good protein skimmer. Some forethought has to be put into the addition of a Dailyseas as you have to have both a water source and drain hooked up to the filter, but if you are doing a large custom tank, then that shouldn't be much of an issue.

http://www.seavisions.com/products.htm

 

I have a 350 fresh mounted in a wall - it uses 2 bio wheels and I have a guy come in and drain water 30% down, change out filters and clean interior glass for $75-90 every two weeks includes cost of filters. See if any of the fellas at the pet store want to moon light. It has worked great for me for 3 years now. He also brings in fish when its time for something new. Tank always looks brand new.