my experiences in building a small scale coral farm

[blane perun]

my experiences in building a small scale coral farm

I have just added a three pages section to my site about the trials and tribulations of a two year project in the making. I set out to build a small scale coral farm to raise and propagate species for research and trading. The coverage it fairly in depth and if any of you out there are interested in building a small grow out system, or small scale farm in or attached to your home, this may be a good place to start. I will be continuing the series with two more pages highlighting both the detailed construction and the hardware.
For now here is the link to the main page. Im very interested in feedback, on the content or some other details you feel I should include.

thesea.org farm story




blaneperun@thesea.org

blane

[scubadude]

So is that big room in the basement gonna be one large tank? or multiple tanks....im kinda stumped on how this is gonna work out.

[blane perun]

Hi Scubadude:

Good question, I guess as the months go one the full story will be told, but let me give you a bit of insight as to my plans, and maybe you may have some good ideas for me. With my first undertaking I was limited to one system which over time seemed to eb a detriment. I plan to have 7 systems, 6 grow tanks and one display. The display will be a more captivating expansion of my original reef zone system. The grow tanks (for now are planned to Rubbermaid stock tanks) approximately 150 gallons with 50 gallon sumps. I plan to use one system as a holding facility for new acquired stock, one system dedicated to sps, one to Gorgonia, one to Discosoma, one to Palythoa & Zooanthid, and the last for Sponge.

Blane

[thezookeeper]

Hi blane and rocky! Wow, two coral farmers on the move! LOL Blane, I think I created a monster when I suggested Calfo's book to scubadude. You only need to look at the DIY section of this BB and see his five page progress. I do have to say that it will be interesting seeing the different results that each of you obtain from your prospective setups. I can attest to the fact that Blane has had some amazing results with many amazing corals. I can definately see the reasoning behind having the stand alone systems though, especially with SPS. Some people seem to have a thumb made of coral and have success raising softies, LPS, and SPS in the same system. I, am not one of those people. I've had bouts of chemical warfare raging. And I would say that the stand alone systems would contain any disease or contaminent to that one tank. The mass SPS RTN event you experienced, Blane, then would not have occurred. I think it's a great idea at any rate and will enable you to experiment with various growth rates, lighting combos, supplements, etc. if you wish to do so. I'm just sitting back and living vicariously through your experiences. LOL Best of luck to you both and much success!

Joanne

[scubadude]

double post sorry

[scubadude]

Blane,

Your system will be very nice, very similiar to what I am shooting for except mine being in a greenhouse. I like the idea of multiple systems, but from my investigation is more systems = more pumps which means less effecient than just a couple of systems with big pumps, skimmers etc etc My approach is spending more money on bigger systems to make them more foolproof. How big are your skylights? Are you planning to supplement w/ MH's? Have you done any LUX readings with those skylights? I just got a submersible lux meter (nice deal too, let me know if you want the link) and will be testing the outside greenhouse readings, inside greenhouse readings and under 2 different shade clothes 33% and 60% to see what type of readings I will get. I have recently come across 3 - 29 gal tanks 24x24x18 that Im thinking of trying a trickle down gravity feed by one pump which will be for all 3 tanks but will be 3 different systems. Cant wait to see yours come along, let me know if I can help in any way... seriously!

[blane perun]

Scubadude:

Thanks for the offer let’s keep in touch via email over the years to come. I’ll need people to bounce ideas off especially someone undertaking the same project. I originally was going for a lean to (half greenhouse) however the space would be limited and it may be a bit uncomfortable to work throughout the winter (for me in PA). With regard to multiple systems, I have been involved in the hobby now for some 8 plus years and I certainly to this point have always grown everything in one system without a problem. My sole interest is actually research (well documented) aiming at a firm understanding of the likes and dislikes of species and families alike. So my intent is to run separate systems with entirely different water chemistry, track the mixture, monitor results and document. Luckily I don’t intend to set this up as a retail venture although I do fill the occasional order. 6 systems with a display is certainly more costly, not to mention smaller bodies of water are more prone to deviation of temperature and salinity much quicker. It’s a concern but I’m luckily enough now to be working from home and I have a bit more
Hands on time to offer. I have a lux meter (both submersible and non) I will most likely invest in a par meter in the upcoming months, and begin documenting readings during the coarse of a year a few times daily. I’d really love a way to hook any meter to a pc for fixed interval sampling. Part of the logic behind 3 skylights vrs 5 was to actually have a more controlled environment with respect to lighting. Most of the outdoor facilities I have seen as far north as mine had removed shade cloths all together. I do plan to supplement the lighting with directional light tubes, and artificial light. I will be liquidating all of my MH fixtures, I’m about 90% sure about that. Dick Perrin has an interesting setup with regards to water circulation, he uses airpumps and airstones and these are about 2000 gallon vessels. No pumps or powerheads, seems very energy efficient. With regards to skimmers, in the beginning I will attempt to not run them at all. My aim is to be as close to nature as possible, I believe I may run DIY surge devices on the grow tank, or airstones. For two months I researched running the entire setup with solar power, however the entry price seemed cost prohibitive, maybe for Florida that is something to look into?

blane