Path: utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!cognos!halo
From: halo@cognos.uucp (Hal O'Connell)
Newsgroups: alt.aquaria
Subject: Re: Marine Equiptment
Message-ID: <2104@cognos.UUCP>
Date: 20 Jan 88 15:17:01 GMT
Article-I.D.: cognos.2104
Posted: Wed Jan 20 10:17:01 1988
References: <498@acheron.UUCP> <1124@inuxd.UUCP>
Reply-To: halo@cognos.UUCP (Hal)
Organization: Cognos Inc., Ottawa, Canada
Lines: 92

In article <1124@inuxd.UUCP> jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) writes:
>> local pet store.  It has sections on fresh and salt aquariums, as well as 
>> artificial ponds(!) and biofilters for same.  Would you believe that one guy 
>> was asking for advice on building a 10'x4'x4' salt water aquarium?  That's
>> five TONS of water!  Hope he lives in the basement ... 'cause he will once
>> he fills that tank.
>
>I'm thinking of such a tank...but I want to build it as a wall.
>The Florida room on the first floor (the house is on a slab and
>the slab is on coral limestone) would be a great place for a
>whole-wall aqaurium.  Since I am only a few feet from clean sea
>water, I would just keep a fresh supply of ocean pumping in and
>the old stuff pumping out, so I wouldn't have to worry much about
>biofilters and such, I don't think.  I sure would be in trouble
>if the pump went out, though.  
>
>How big do you all think it could be?  At what point is the glass
>going to have to be too thick?  I have such a wonderful choice of
>specimens, although I rarely keep anything for a really long time
>because I like to return them to the reef and get new varieties.
>But a really big tank would allow me to have a baby nurse shark
>and a 12-inch ray and BIG moray eels as well as young specimens
>of the beautiful grouper family.  I saw a Nassau grouper the other
>day (in someone's tank) that was about 5 inches long.  It is
>striped (in a mottled sort of a way) yellow and brownish-black,
>and it looks like velvet.  A really attractive fish. 
>
>Maybe I should just build myself a commercial aquarium as another
>tourist attraction?
>
>-- 
>	Joyce Andrews King                      
>	ihnp4!inuxd!jla
>	AT&T, Indianapolis

----- News saved at 20 Jan 88 15:16:20 GMT
In article <1124@inuxd.UUCP> jla@inuxd.UUCP (Joyce Andrews) writes:

>I'm thinking of such a tank...but I want to build it as a wall.
>The Florida room on the first floor (the house is on a slab and
>the slab is on coral limestone) would be a great place for a
>whole-wall aqaurium.  Since I am only a few feet from clean sea
>water, I would just keep a fresh supply of ocean pumping in and
>the old stuff pumping out, so I wouldn't have to worry much about
>biofilters and such, I don't think.  I sure would be in trouble
>if the pump went out, though.  
>

Uh, uh, it just doesn't work like that. 

I worked at a marine culture station, which is basically aquaria on
a grand scale. We were on the sea shore and pumped enormous volumes
of water (into 4 buildings with tanks as well as outdoor tanks).

The first problem encountered: water lines clogging with silt and
debris. It was obvious that the pipes had to be far enough out (and 
deep enough) to be fairly free of the effects of wave action and tides.
This meant over 1000' feet of pipe.

The second problem was the effect of storms. I don't thibnk I'll even bother 
giving details, except to say that storms aren't just destructive,
they have remarkable effects on water temperature. They break down
thermoclines which form in every aaquatic ecosystem. I've seen ambient water
temperature swings of 10 degress (Celsius) as the result of a storm.

The third problem is filtration. It definitely has to be filtered, 
sea water is a wonderland of life, from algae, to crustacea, to worms, to
what ever else you might find. A lot of these are not healthy
visitors to marine aquaria, where the favourable conditions
and small (relatively) volumes would show the worst effects of
any infestation. Can you imagine the effect of a dynoflagellate bloom in
your aquarium? 

And what about pollutants? A small oil slick, a common occurrence 
along the shore, would foul up a tank something fierce.

I hate to sound so gloom and doomish, but if you go ahead
with your thoughts you'll just become disillusioned with aquaria,
and that would be a loss. 

Of course, if you had $1 million to spend, I bet you could set up
one hell of a system.
-- 
Hal O'Connell		decvax!utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!cognos!halo
Cognos Incorporated	P.O. Box 9707
(613) 738-1440          3755 Riverside Dr. 
			Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA, K1G 3Z4
-- 
Hal O'Connell		decvax!utzoo!dciem!nrcaer!cognos!halo
Cognos Incorporated	P.O. Box 9707
(613) 738-1440          3755 Riverside Dr. 
			Ottawa, Ontario, CANADA, K1G 3Z4