Marine Depot Forums / TEAM Marine Depot / Marine Systems and Husbandry – by Anthony Calfo / I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun / Latest Posts

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Anthony Calfo — Mon, 25 Feb 2008 09:49:09 GMT

please do keep us posted on the nitrate reduction from your RDSB (preferably in the RDSB sticky atop this forum). Did you take before readings? a 2 week and 4 week report would be great. By 8 weeks I expect you will be quite impressed.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Thu, 21 Feb 2008 05:27:43 GMT

I added my Remote Deep Sand Bed last night.

I used an Oceanic bucket I had laying around, perfect because it is taller than the normal bucket. Took all of 10 minutes to build, 20 min to clean sand and it was up and running. I used a maxijet 900 for flow through, 3/4" uniseal in the bucket, nice and easy!

I used 50lbs of "play sand" that is about 12" deep and then added about 1/2 to 1" of live sand from a tank (good argonite sutff)

All I have left to add to the system is Carbon and she is done. I will likely use 2 little fishies media holder and a maxijet 600 for that.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

eeorrandy — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 17:18:08 GMT

I use Turbos but no crabs. I keep a fleet of small fish (Damsels, chromis) running around eating any food leftovers.. not much hits the bottom. Once in a while the fish run afoul of the anemones, but not often anymore.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 13:55:50 GMT

what about clean up crews? Snails and or hermit crabs to control uneaten food? what kinds would you suggest?

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 04:05:49 GMT

I have 2 tyeps of turf from them, one has a rubberlike backing the one I used has a harder pvc like backing. I am hoping the pvc style hard backing holds up

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Mon, 18 Feb 2008 03:33:32 GMT

I got the turf from a company that does putting greens and such in the area. The turf I got if rough turf, it may be a little longer than I would like, but it was pretty cheap. I had soaked it for a month in the tub in the sun, during summer, and it is holding up pretty well. Salt water will tell the tale, I am going to run it a month or so before I transfer anything valuable to it.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

eeorrandy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 19:52:15 GMT

Looks good!!

Sorry to hear about your trouble (losses) but hopefully that will turn around now.

Where did you find a carpet that would work? I tried an Astroturf with the rubberized backing, but the backing flaked off so much in the water that it was clogging up the system with pieces of rubber.

Best of luck, and keep posting updates.

Randy

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 18:09:32 GMT

So it has been a long while since I updated.. things have gone poorly at best.

I had 6 RBTA, I am down to a small clone that looks good, and one that looks like it will be gone this week.

I have worked hard and here is the new set up, too late for the one sick clone, but it is in there now, If I am lucky it may pull through.

[img]http://www.photos.thegiffordghttp://forum.marinedepot.com/Post.aspx?SessionID=sdadzfbwikllko55xcdcnw55&Task=17&ForumID=13&TopicID=63025&PageIndex=2
I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begunang.net/d/128-2/Prop1.jpg[/img]

That is the main tank, 110gallons and a 40 gallon sump. It has a single 250 watt 10K halide above it, in a DIY luminarc style reflector. Light is 18" above the water, the astro turf is 12" under the water surface. I have the astroturf lifted 5" off the bottom of the tank. The grow space is about 34"x34". I have each end separated so that I can have my sponge filters and stream style pumps where the RBTA can not be sucked in. I have the sponge filters under clear plexi so that I can control salt creep.

Sump is easy, Deltec MCE600 hong on, because I had it...great skimmer, but I need to mod it to overflow into a container... but I am afraid to cut into a $400+ skimmer
I have live rock in th sump, and will have a remote deep sand bucket there too.

my power center...timers and switches... I can run 3 systems with this. 2 20 amp circuits, lights on one, everything else on the other. I have airpumps on a UPS that will run 6 hours in the even of power failure, or gfci being tripped.

my diy reflector...

So i hope to grow some RBTA in here... I hope

Oh in the first pic you can see some of my water barrels...Blue is fresh water, black is salt, both are 60 gallons.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:33:48 GMT

I have 2 tanks running, 1 20 gallon with a Green Haddoni Carpet and a 55 with a single RBTA that I am nursing back to health.

I did get my garage door insulated, and an AC vent into the garage from the house AC. This keeps the Garage at 80 even when it is 95 outside. That was a BIG WIN for me!

I hope to get a couple more RBTA soon to get my brood stock going.

Nothing exciting going on here, just weekly water changes, daily feedings and stuff like that.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

SuperSteve — Wed, 30 May 2007 11:19:35 GMT

Any updates?

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

CanadianReef — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:52:48 GMT

Anthony Calfo (3/29/2007)

ahhh... I see. So what you are saying is that our Canadian friends need to find meth labs to get recharge chemicals for their aquarium deionizers. Now that's resourceful.

Im going to have to have a talk with my nephew not that he's a meth head.Better not be but he does have a lot of friends and maybe a source for the chems .......on second thought I'll try proper channels first.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

redsonja — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 17:28:16 GMT

Steven Pro (3/29/2007)

[quote]Anthony Calfo (3/29/2007)

Lye is illegal in Canada? Can you not buy common household drain cleaner/caustic soda at the grocery store or hardware store(Red Devil is the brand that most of us use on these units down here).

It is being removed from many shelves just like Sudafed because the meth people use both to create their drugs.[/quote]

Yes, in order to buy any product with pseudoephedrine in NC you have to get a plastic card from the shelves where the medicine boxes used to be, take it to the pharmacist, and then they enter your driver's license number into a database before they will let you buy it. Ridiculous.

Lye/drain cleaners have long been off the shelves here as well, presumably for the same reason.

-Sonja

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Anthony Calfo — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 13:06:25 GMT

ahhh... I see. So what you are saying is that our Canadian friends need to find meth labs to get recharge chemicals for their aquarium deionizers. Now that's resourceful.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Steven Pro — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 10:39:13 GMT

Anthony Calfo (3/29/2007)

Lye is illegal in Canada? Can you not buy common household drain cleaner/caustic soda at the grocery store or hardware store (Red Devil is the brand that most of us use on these units down here).

It is being removed from many shelves just like Sudafed because the meth people use both to create their drugs.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Anthony Calfo — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 08:37:28 GMT

Lye is illegal in Canada? Can you not buy common household drain cleaner/caustic soda at the grocery store or hardware store (Red Devil is the brand that most of us use on these units down here).

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

CanadianReef — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 06:56:18 GMT

Looking real good.I hope to build up my set up to where you are starting at
Im very interested in Ani/Kati,but am having a problem finding a source for the chems to recharge,it seems lye is illegal to sell here in Canada.I may have to try and talk to someone at a place like DOW and see if there is a way around that.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Thu, 29 Mar 2007 05:38:11 GMT

I have been working hard on getting this thing off the ground... I have lots to update but here is what I feel is a key for me to move forward...

Filters, Ani/Kati in production

Note the triple ZREOs on the out bound TDS reading. It is interesting, my inbound TDS will range from a low of 45 to a high of 200. That has to be a comment on the water softener and the resins they use in it, I would guess. Prior to getting to the Ani/Kati my water passed through a 5 micron sedimate filter, a Water Softener and then a carbon filter. I can only imagine what the TDS must be of the water coming in before all that filtering.

I have made 55 gallons of fresh water so far, the TDS is pegged at zero. I am having some issues with the water pressure, and controlling the flow rates with that ball valve. I need to find a 1/2" OD John Guest or similar fitting valve to put in line right after the 1" ball valve. Right now if I open the ball valve too much it will pop the tubing off the DI canisters, but fine control with that valve is not easy.

The pipe entering my sink to the right of the faucet is my drain line, all water changes will be pumped through that, although water may have to be treated with Chlorine prior to allowing it to drain, I have to wait for an answer from the Aquaculture Division of the Florida Agriculture Department on that.

I will post more as I get around to getting the pictured off the memory card.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

redsonja — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:17:09 GMT

Also if you have a Coca-Cola (or similar product) bottling plant in your area, check with them for plastic barrels. I've heard they have large ones they sell cheap, that the syrup is shipped in. I keep meaning to ask the one in Raleigh but never can remember to do so. :/

-Sonja

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Anthony Calfo — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 09:26:51 GMT

those food barrels are available in most every city that has more than 5 restaurants in town Find your wholesale district (the place where restaurants go to buy produce/meats... fishmarket, etc and you will find the same folks that import olives, pickles, etc in those barrels. They get so many per week that they often give them away for free. $15 is very retail (though still a good price).

Also look up in your yellow pages to see if there are any food packers in your area (Heinz plant, Bellvue, Vlassic, etc). They do the same and have a surplus of these barrels to keep your local town supplied with pickles and olives

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Thu, 08 Mar 2007 08:18:01 GMT

[quote]Mark (3/7/2007)

Bryan,

Would you mind sharing your source for the 60 gallon barrels? Thanks,

Mark[/quote]

They come from Vigo Foods near Tampa International Airport. The food distributor uses them to import Greek Peppers and once the peppers are repackaged they consider them trash, and as a result, sell them for a very reasonable price.

There are stores all over the Tampa area that buy them and resell them for $15.

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Mark — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 20:44:50 GMT

Bryan,

Would you mind sharing your source for the 60 gallon barrels? Thanks,

Mark

RE: I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

Anthony Calfo — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 12:55:17 GMT

I am grateful that you are sharing this with us and look forward to watching this thread develop!

Kindly, Anth-

I have been talking about this for at least 6 months... My Farm build has begun

WarDaddy — Wed, 07 Mar 2007 09:49:28 GMT

Anthony's spoke at the a club meeting in Southern California last summer, and then the following day at the Reef-a-Palloza event. Since those meetings I have been focused on building out a small garage based RBTA farm. I have had several set backs since last summer, the least of which was moving 2500 miles to Tampa Florida.

In January I started building my 77sqft anemone farm. I will have 500 gallons of production water and 240 gallons of saltwater mixing barrels available to me. Well enough of the talk... here is where I am.

My Garage came coated with epoxy, that is nice, and I have painted the walls with 2 coats of oil based primer/sealer and then a coat of a very hard oil based enamel. the Enamel was so hard and slow drying that each coat would take nearly 72 hours to dry. Crazy stuff, but is sure cleans easy!

I have my 2 BIG tables built, 80" long, 40" wide and 47" tall. Each will have a 110 gallon tank on top and under, and a 60 gallon barrel on top and under.

Here is an early construction picture:

4x4 posts, doubled up 2x4 upper frame.
And here is a completed stand (still needed paint on the plywood at this point)

...and here you can see both the big tables

I am now working on my electrical, plumbing and climate control. I will post pics as I make progress.

I still need to build the 2 level table for my 55 gallon tanks that will be the final 100 gallons of the system.

****
This design will not be the easiest to work on.
I have to lean under the table to work on the lower tanks, and stand on a stool to reach the top tables.
Given the 77sqft that I have to work with, it is the best I could do.
****

I am also working and tweaking my Business plan weekly, and have consulted with an accountant and the Florida State Agriculture department. I plan on making some money with this, and as a result I am making sure I am compliant with state and local laws, and have all the necessary permits and certifications.

Anthony, thanks for helping me take my hobby to a whole new level, both my wife and I are very excited about getting this going.

--Bryan