ISSUE # 19 page 3 JULY 1998
This aquarium is going to be finished in 1/4 inch thick oak plywood that is finished with satin varnish. The inside cuts for the front and back glass will be finished in oak laminate so they will be water proof. Any spills on the glass will be easy to wipe up. The laminate will be put on first and the oak plywood will be routered to make it easy for us to make a custom shape for the front glass. This aquarium will be made of 3/4 inch exterior plywood. Two special things will be done because this is a very large aquarium. We will use a double bottom and we will use two removable braces on the top of the reef. These braces will be made from 3/4 plywood. They will be painted on all sides and then they will attached with wood screws. The most important thing we will do on this reef is the use of 3/8 inch tempered glass. We want this reef to be child safe. You can use these plans to make any size aquarium you want as long as you make the frame strong enough. We use a powder glue that is mixed with water when you are ready to use it. Any waterproof wood glue will work fine. The important thing to remember is that the wood screws are used to hold the frame together until the glue dries. The glue is very important so you do not want to use too little. Wipe off all the glue that sqeezes out as soon as you can. The first person who sends me a set of pictures and a detailed cost for a large aquarium will win a $100.00 prize. All other entries will be entered in our Aquarium contest and each semester we will give the most detailed entry a $100.00 prize. |
1. Build an aquarium and take detailed photos of the project 2. Keep a log of the costs. 3. Send in the pictures and the log . 4. If you enter you WILL win a prize:) 5. The first entry WILL WIN a $100.00 GARF gift certificate good for any products we sell. 6. Any photos used will be credited to the builder. 7. have fun - and create a masterpiece.
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FAQQ. Where do I get the type of paint you use? A. You can get the two part paint at a swimming pool company - get the epoxy paint that comes as one gallon of paint and one gallon of hardener.
Q. Can I make the aquarium taller than 18 inches with 1/4 inch plate glass? A. NO ! Do not try to do this. It may work for a while, But it may break from the pressure. Q. Is this type of aquarium going to last for years if I USE THE RIGHT TYPE OF GLASS? A.YES. We have one in our lab that was used outdoors for 16 years to hold feeder fish. We have not had any glass break if the water was 18 inches deep or less.
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Q. Can I save money making my own aquariums?
A. Often making larger size aquariums can save you money. If you have the tools already and you are good at shopping for bargains you can make almost any aquarium over 100 gallons and save money. If you need a custom size, if you are going to build the aquarium into a wall, or if you enjoy making it yourself then this is a great project.
Q. How do I fuigure out how many gallons a tank will hold?
A. Multiply the Lenght by the width by the depth in inches and divide by 231. Save a reef - Grow your own
ORDER Zoanthiniaria [Zoantharia] [Zoanthidea]
(Encrusting anemones)
This month we will show some of the collection we have here in the Genetic Bank. We have been working on a feeding scale for the types of Zoanthids and other colonnial anemonies we are propagating. We now have a scale that rates the species from 1 to 5 depending on how well they are able to catch and ingest food. We are certain that when we are finished this scale will be able to be used to determine how much each type of colonnial anemonie needs to be fed for the best growth rate.
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The scale rates the most active feeders as #5 and the species that do not feed much as #1
A good # 5 is the group of long tentalcle Protopalythoa. And a #2 is the small body Zoanthids that are connected at the base by a strong creeping foot.
Most Active Feeders Active Feeders Medium Feeders Inactive Feeders Nonfeeders
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#5 - Long tentacle polyps close around any food the touches them #4 - Food causes some polyps to retract , polyp often catches particle #3 - Polyps slow to react to food , most food does not remain on polyp #2 - Polyps do not close around food in many cases but some food is taken #1 - No feeding noticed , may absorb nutrients
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This colony was grown with VHO lighting. Intense light and strong current are two of most important things needed to produce fast grownig Zoanthid colonies. The best colors we have been able to produce in these cuttings are seen in the tanks with several Triton and Blue Moon 40 watt lights. Many of the larger Zoanthids can eat baby brine shrimp and other foods. These feedings will increase the growth rate of these animals.
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Red Protopalythoa sp. Most Active Feeders #5 - growing with Zoanthid - Active Feeders #4 |
These anemones do best when they are fed several times each week. The food that has produced the best growth is made up of blended fish and shrimp meat that has been mixed in SeaChem Reef Plus This red mixture has vitamins and iodide. We use four tablespoons of Reef Complete to one tabespoon food.
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Medium Feeders #3 | Combination tank grown live rock is a piece of reef safe rock that has two or more invertebrates growing on it. The best combination tank grown live rocks have a heavy growth of coraline algae. Color is the most inportant single thing that sells reef rocks. The animals that you put on the rocks should be able to live close together. It is best if at least one of these cuttings has bright colors.
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ZOANTHIDS - PALYTHOA
ZOANTHIDS - ZOANTHIDS
MUSHROOMS - MUSHROOMS
FINGER CORAL - LEATHER CORAL
GREEN STARS - BROWN STARS
The only rule we have on size is related to what we have learned about maketing tank grown live rocks. Easy to grow species will be bought most often by people who are just starting a reef aquarium. These people tend to want to fill the new tank with rock so they will pick out cuttings on larger rocks. After a reef aquarium is full of live rock and it is ready to stock with small polyp stony corals people will often choose cuttings on smaller rocks. Shape and texture are the two most important things to look for when you purchase base rock. Remember if you start with a lump of rock you will end up with a lump of rock covered with coraline. If you start with a fine looking base rock you will end up with a fine looking live rock. |
The "Maxi-jet" power heads are used to create a flow across the front of the tank. Attach one of the powerheads in the upper front corner of the reef aquarium so you can move it. Moving it around creates different currents in the tank. | Most Active Feeders #5 |
I have observed polyps feeding on the debris that is blown around. It does not require much movement from the power head to create a large change in current in the reef tank. This change in current will allow the food to settle in a different way each time you feed.
These anemones require bright light and strong current. We use plastic plug racks so we can place these cuttings at the top of the reef aquarium. We have had the best growth in tanks with at least 5 watts per gallon of VHO lighting. Most of our production tanks still have 3- 4 foot 40 watt bulbs - Two Tritons and one blue Moon. Every type of this group will grow very well under 3 - 40 watt bulbs. We grow most of our sps corals under the VHO lights.
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This Green Protopalythoa is growing on a piece of Idaho Aragonite. The polyps on this type of Protopalythoa can be cut off above the base and the heads can be glued or sewed onto a base. The stalks will grow another head in a few weeks. The colony will spread onto rocks that are placed next to this group of Protopalythoa. This is an easy way to get more brood stock. We now have 6 colors of this palythoa that keep there colors under many conditions. |
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These anemones do best when they are fed several times each week. The food that has produced the best growth is made up of blended fish and shrimp meat that has been mixed in SeaChem Reef Plus This red mixture has vitamins and iodide. We use four tablespoons of Reef Complete to one tabespoon food.
Protopalythoa sp. - Most Active Feeders #5
THESE ARE THE BEST THINGS TO ADD TO YOUR TANK EACH WEEK
THIS IS THE BEST WAY TO TREAT YOUR MAKE UP WATER
Use SeaChem Reef Builder the third time you add fresh water.
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ARAGONITE
COLOR - White to tan REEF SAFE - Very HARDNESS - From very soft to medium hard CORALINE GROWTH - Grows very fast SHAPE - Some pieces have great shapes depending on sourceThis calcium based rock is great for making tank raised combination rocks. Aragonite was formed in the ocean so it is a good choice for reef aquariums
COLOR - Cream to tan and brown REEF SAFE - Most tufa is reef safe HARDNESS - From very soft to very hard CORALINE GROWTH - Grows the fastest on some pieces we have tested SHAPE - Some pieces have good shapes depending on sourceThis light brown rock grows coraline algae very fast. Most tufa was formed by geothermal waters rich in minerals. This can be good or bad so use reef safe tufa.
COLOR - Black to red and brown REEF SAFE - Some lava is reef safe - only use tested types HARDNESS - From very hard to almost glass like CORALINE GROWTH - Grows well on some pieces we have tested SHAPE - Some pieces have wonderful shapesReef safe Idaho Lava comes in many textures and colors. Lava can have many minerals in it so be sure the lava has been tested.
Please try to propagate your Zoanthids - they are very easy to clone and you will be happy with the way they sell. We now offer 2 to 3 species on every $20.00 reef plug and they grow very fast.
More later - LeRoy
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Learn how you can grow a wonderful reef aquarium like the one we visit in this JULY 1997 special feature
Learn to set up your own fantastic reef aquarium like
Sally Jo's
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Sally Jo's 55 gallon reef is starting to mature into a small polyp stony coral aquarium
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