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Puget Sound Biotope

Well, after conversations with experienced aquarists keeping temperate biotopes in the PNW and Sweden, I now have the size I want to go for. The tank will be 4'x15"x15" made of 1" acrylic. I have ordered the cast acrylic so I can start cutting the pieces. Now I need to wait for my knight in shinning armor to finish his project so I can get in the cue. :rolleyes:

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eatyourpeas said:
The tank will be 4'x15"x15" made of 1" acrylic.
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I'm even more tickled now knowing you will have to abandon your "nano for life" rule for your tanks. ? That'll be like, what, 33 - 34 gallons? In all seriousness, that seems like a really good size and I think it's going to be incredible!
 
OnlyGenusCaps said:
I'm even more tickled now knowing you will have to abandon your "nano for life" rule for your tanks. ? That'll be like, what, 33 - 34 gallons? In all seriousness, that seems like a really good size and I think it's going to be incredible!
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Haha, and you should be. I am! I will keep nano for freshwater, for sure.

I am more about making the right choices for the critters, and the almost 47 gallons can provide that. Now comes figuring out the rest of the equipment. You would laugh even harder when I tell you the rest of the plan. Let me just say I am putting my remodeling skills to the test as I will be drilling holes in walls and running Sch. 80 lines through. I am absolutely insane, but if this works happiness will grant me a permanent grin ;)

How is your tank coming along?
 
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eatyourpeas said:
almost 47 gallons
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Oh, sorry I was thinking the dimensions were outside dimensions. My volume guess was less the 1" acrylic in the most restrictive design. Agreed. 47 gallons is not a nano.
eatyourpeas said:
Let me just say I am putting my remodeling skills to the test as I will be drilling holes in walls and Sch. 80 lines through. I am absolutely insane, but if this works happiness will grant me a permanent grin
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You are talking to someone who built a water cooled grow room for plants from the mountains of South America, and then set it up so the waste heat from the system would warm the garage in the winter to keep that from freezing. Big projects are fun!
eatyourpeas said:
How is your tank coming along?
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Which one? I have a rack build that I am going to use to put fish in from a 42 gal that I want to redo in the next month or so (plus it will act as quarantine for incoming fish), while I wait for my big tank to be built. Projects! :D
 
OnlyGenusCaps said:
Oh, sorry I was thinking the dimensions were outside dimensions. My volume guess was less the 1" acrylic in the most restrictive design. Agreed. 47 gallons is not a nano.
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Ah, I see. The dimensions are for the interior capacity. It is what I am basing my calculations on.

OnlyGenusCaps said:
You are talking to someone who built a water cooled grow room for plants from the mountains of South America, and then set it up so the waste heat from the system would warm the garage in the winter to keep that from freezing. Big projects are fun!
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You are close. The garage is involved. I love projects of any size! I grew up in the Andes. Which mountains/plants did you have? Espeletia schultzii was one of my favorite plants as a kid. I used to pretend they were warm cozy beds and would read cuddled by the leaves. Loved their lemony scent!

OnlyGenusCaps said:
Which one? I have a rack build that I am going to use to put fish in from a 42 gal that I want to redo in the next month or so (plus it will act as quarantine for incoming fish), while I wait for my big tank to be built. Projects! :D
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Ahh, the man of many projects! I wasn't aware of the rack one, so I'm still on the big tank. It is what happens when one misses memos! ;)
 
eatyourpeas said:
I grew up in the Andes. Which mountains/plants did you have? Espeletia schultzii was one of my favorite plants as a kid. I used to pretend they were warm cozy beds and would read cuddled by the leaves. Loved their lemony scent!
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Though I am growing Espeletia occidentalis, that is for work. I used "The Andes" in a very crude way here. I do have some orchids from the actual Andes in that space like Masdevallia veitchiana and some Miltoniopsis species. In truth most of the plants in there are from the Tepuis of Venezuela. They are Heliamphora species. Not from the Andes at all, of course. Just, most times, it is easier to say Andes than explaining highland tropical conditions. This time, clearly, that failed. I should have known better. :)

I suspected you might have a South American connection of some sort from one of the recipes you mentioned you were making a while back that used bacalao, or as I would call it klipfisk. Although not high in the Andes by any means, I have a grad student here right now from Cali. The high elevations are really amazing though! I've had the chance to wander through the Ecuadoran Andes before. Beautiful! A colleague of mine even got a research trip funded to climb much of the way up Cotopaxi, à la Alexander von Humboldt. I was very jealous!
eatyourpeas said:
Ahh, the man of many projects! I wasn't aware of the rack one, so I'm still on the big tank. It is what happens when one misses memos! ;)
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Big tank is on order. So, I am busying myself with the other tank, and preparations for the big tank project. I'll make a journal thread for the big tank and the reworking of my other tank (I have what I hope will be an interesting idea for that one).
 
You are better off going bigger, 4ft long x 18inches wide x 18 inches high.

You lose water to rocks and sand so bigger is better and a sump would give you more water too.
 
Now it is my turn to smile... I was born in the Venezuelan Andes. I am very familiar with the Tepuys and used to go to Canaima a lot. Even though I was born there I am an Italian citizen and grew up mostly Italian.
OnlyGenusCaps said:
I suspected you might have a South American connection of some sort from one of the recipes you mentioned you were making a while back that used bacalao
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That was a French dish called Brandade, and indeed it calls for salt cod. I modified a recipe from a place in the Bay Area called Chez Panisse where Jeremiah Tower (chef) got started.

OnlyGenusCaps said:
Big tank is on order. So, I am busying myself with the other tank, and preparations for the big tank project. I'll make a journal thread for the big tank and the reworking of my other tank (I have what I hope will be an interesting idea for that one).
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Oh, you may be having too much fun! Is that legal?
 
Colin_T said:
You are better off going bigger, 4ft long x 18inches wide x 18 inches high.

You lose water to rocks and sand so bigger is better and a sump would give you more water too.
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Yes, indeed. I am looking into the rockery for the marine life and it is amusing how quickly it consumes available space. The sump will definitely provide more water. :)
 
Just make a double tier stand, have 2 tanks the same size and have one up top for the life forms, and another tank under it with water only.

When it comes to water changes, just turn the pump off, drain the bottom tank and refill it, then turn pump back on.

If you are using Perspex for the tank, be very careful because it scratches easily.
 
eatyourpeas said:
Now it is my turn to smile... I was born in the Venezuelan Andes. I am very familiar with the Tepuys and used to go to Canaima a lot.
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That's an incredible part of the world! Or so I am told. I've not been and it doesn't look like I'll be able to get there for sometime under the current circumstances. Canaima National Park would be incredible to see!
eatyourpeas said:
I was fortunate enough to attend a few lectures and meet Charles Brewer-Carías, who was very inspiring and got me very interested in the region, especially Roraima.
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You are very lucky! I have no doubt meeting him would be inspiring. Roraima would be interesting, but I really want to get to Cerro Duida some day.
eatyourpeas said:
That was a French dish called Brandade, and indeed it calls for salt cod. I modified a recipe from a place in the Bay Area called Chez Panisse where Jeremiah Tower (chef) got started.
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I know it as brandada de bacalao from a Spanish friend. But I think my first thoughts go to South America because of my many Brazilian friends. I think Brazilians might like klipfisk even more than the Scandinavians!
eatyourpeas said:
Oh, you may be having too much fun! Is that legal?
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When time permits and I can work on it - yes, very fun!
 
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