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 Series - State-of-the-Art aquariums
What's state of the art?
With aquariums, that definition is constantly changing!
The Aquarium Professionals Group specializes in the design and installation of large custom aquariums, using various techniques and the latest in high-quality aquarium filtration, lighting systems and other life-support equipment.
Each month on this page, we feature one of our aquarium projects several months after we've completed the work. We provide photographs, details of the installation and descriptions of the equipment used, livestock, water quality and other parameters. Get some new ideas here!
Our definition of state-of-the-art when it comes to aquaria is "any system that can be successfully duplicated, that maintains aquatic life in peak condition, and allows the animals kept to grow and live out their natural life-spans in captivity." Any aquarium system that accomplishes this is a success, regardless of the equipment used. We've seen aquariums
that fit this definition with no filters at all. In some cases, we may consider a proven technique or method to be the latest, newest or coolest thing in the aquarium world, or it might also be a new piece of equipment.
5000 Gallon Live-Reef Shark Aquarium
PART ONE - INTRODUCTION:
The scope of this featured project was highly-involved, requiring much research and engineering. The project took two years to complete. We would like to point out that we strongly discourage saltwater aquarium hobbyists from attempting to keep marine sharks in home aquaria. By describing this aquarium in detail, we hope to show aquarium hobbyists what is
involved in properly housing these beautiful and misunderstood animals in an effort to discourage anyone but professional and public aquarists using very large museum-quality aquaria from attempting to maintain marine sharks in captivity. We welcome comments and questions from readers regarding this series. The
description of this aquarium project will be written in four to five monthly installments with links to prior installments included for reference.
The photos above (click on them to see a larger view) show an asymmetrical 4500 gallon live-reef aquarium equipped with suitable life support designed specifically for a large live coral reef and the two Pacific Black-tipped Reef Sharks that have been cruising around their new home for the last few months. Note the over-sized reservoir (bringing total volume
to 5000 gallons) and extra-large components used for this system that occupy a 17' x 25' room below the aquarium. The tank has been up and running for more than a year, has never had nitrates or phosphates, and has a steady ORP of 450mv, calcium at 420ppm, pH of 8.4 and a dKH of +/- 10.0.
This aquarium was built for the main purpose of housing two sharks that, based on our prior experience in public aquaria, we knew would grow to a length of about four feet in captivity. The main occupants of this tank were to be two Black-tipped Reef Sharks, Carcharhinus melanopterus, which although reported to attain a record maximum size of 200 cm (about 6.5 feet), typically grow to
about 96 cm in tropical waters in the wild and large tropical public aquaria
(Ref. Fishbase.org). We had prior success with one Black-tipped Reef Shark in an aquarium of 2000 gallons for the last five years and that aquarium is still doing well. That aquarium and the one described here are the only aquariums we have ever installed for marine sharks. Although we receive a lot of requests from our saltwater clients for sharks,
we always say no and are happy to explain why.
Main Equipment Component List and Manufacturer Credits:
4500 Gallon FRP/Acrylic Asymmetrical Tank (Reynolds Polymer®)
500 Gallon Acrylic Reservoir (Clarity Plus®)
8" x 8' Commercial Fluidized Bed Filter (Emperor Aquatics®)
8" x 8', Dual Venturi Commercial Protein Skimmer (Emperor Aquatics®)
Baker Hydro
Mechanical Bag Filter (Emperor Aquatics®)
Two - 6 x 29" Commercial Chemical Module Filters (Rainbow/LifeGard®)
4 HP Commercial Aquarium Chiller (Aquanetics®)
520 Watt Commercial Ultraviolet Sterilizer (Emperor Aquatics®)
600 GPD Pump-assisted Reverse Osmosis Filter (Water Factory®)
1200 Gallon Polyethylene Reservoir (U.S. Plastics®)
Octopus 3000 Meter/Controller (Aquadyne®)
Three - 1 HP
Pumps with Priming Pots (Jacuzzi®)
One - 1/2 HP Pump (Rainbow/LifeGard®)
This aquarium was built of 2" fiberglass resin composite (FRP) on all sides except the front panel. The front panel is a 2" x 18 foot sheet of cell-cast Acrylite acrylic, bent on a jig to form a continuous, seamless radius panel. All internal FRP surfaces were sanded smooth and dyed black. The FRP material forms a 3" retention lip in front of
the front viewing panel and the acrylic panel was sealed in place with a special gel epoxy that remains flexible when dry and was then reinforced internally with silicone sealant. No equipment or plumbing lines were to be seen in the aquarium, so the back FRP panel of the aquarium was slotted near the top with two sets of twenty 1/4" x 4" slots for water to overflow into two separate 16" W x 18" H x 10" D open FRP basins. The FRP basins were each equipped with 2"
bulkhead drain fittings in the bottom and were bonded to either end of the outside of the 136" main back panel using epoxy resin and reinforced with silicone sealant.
Empty, the aquarium weighed approximately 5000 pounds. The platform to support the aquarium (built and installed by others) was fabricated of 1/2" smooth rolled steel plating, planed and even with no more than 1/4" of deflection across the surface. The platform was braced underneath by and welded to standard 10" steel I-beams with steel
pilings forming the legs of the structure, anchored three feet into the cement foundation in the basement. The support structure was finished with several coats of marine-grade epoxy paint on all surfaces to resist corrosion. The support structure is visible in the photographs of the equipment.
The aquarium was installed in a new building prior to completion of the roof framing and was lowered into position through the roof using a crane (leased). Slabs of ice were placed on top of the steel platform prior to lowering the aquarium so the crane straps could be removed and the aquarium could easily be shifted into position to meet the wall framing.
The blocks of ice were then melted with torches applied to the underside of the steel platform to settle the aquarium into position. The aquarium was then wrapped in layers of Styrofoam and plastic to protect it until the building could be completed.
NEXT - THE INSTALLATION BEGINS - COMING IN SEPTEMBER
PLEASE NOTE:
We always respect our client's privacy. That is why we will not list the owner of an aquarium we've installed or even the location of the aquarium (unless it is in a public place). Occasionally, a client will not allow us to photograph their aquarium for our portfolio and we respect their wishes. When we do not have photographs of our work, it is because the client has not given us permission to do so.
To further protect the privacy of our clients, we also do not list other contractors involved in one of our projects. We cannot speak for their policies regarding client privacy, and unlike us, they do not usually have a long-term business relationship with the client. Inquiries as to the ownership of any aquarium shown on our pages will simply be ignored.
See Our Privacy Policy
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