Anemone Propagation System Build Log

Anthony Calfo's talk about propagation of anemone's at MACNA really hit me, so I've decided to build an anemone propagation system.

I've been hashing out the details pretty much since MACNA, but have finally started physically building it out, so figured I'd start a build log so that others can join along in the fun.

The plan is to have 2 50 gallon Rubbermaid stock tanks, lined with outdoor carpet, setup side by side.

The lighting will be 4 4' NO fluorescents over each tank.

Filtration will just be a simple sponge filter with an air pump in each tank. Once it's got water in it, if I decide I need more current, this will be provided with simple air-lift tubes, no anemone shredding pumps will be allowed in this system at all.

At this point, both tanks have been acquired, carpeting acquired, most of the lights acquired, air pumps and filtration acquired, etc...

The outdoor carpeting is currently soaking in the back yard in one of the tubs. When I hit it with the water, it foamed up like it had some detergent residue in it, so I'm soaking it, rinsing it, soaking it again, etc...

Anyway, just wanted to start off with this build log. It ain't much to look at, but here's the one tank with lighting rack in place so far:




Oh yeah, and my intended livestock will be clones of the Sherman RBTA's...

[ss95003]

Why the outdoor carpet?

Why the outdoor carpet?

It keeps the anemone's from fully attaching, so that they're easier to remove when ya' need to remove 'em for splitting or selling...

Whoo hoo the PVC light stand is up. Time to start cutting nems!

Whoo hoo the PVC light stand is up. Time to start cutting nems!

Hehehe... I wish... Need to finish soaking all the crud outta the carpets, get the carpet in, get the other tank in, get water in (I'm gonna do successive water changes outta my main system, and use the "trash" water from my main system to start the new tanks), let the tanks cycle (3-4 weeks), get a brood stock started nem, and let it acclimate for 3-4 weeks in the new system..... THEN time to start cutting.....

[TriggaFish99]

That's going to be cool.

I'll be watching this thread for sure.

Looks like a great idea! Please let us know if you need anything and I would be more than happy to donate to the cause if you have a list of needs.

Oh and Serk clean up that place some... I would hate for you to burn down your house because of an anemone prop tank.

Oh and Serk clean up that place some... I would hate for you to burn down your house because of an anemone prop tank.

Hehehe... You haven't seen other pics of around my house, have you? Between me working full time+, the wife working full time+ and going to grad school, and the 4 year old, we've just given up on cleaning the house... It's an embarrassing mess right now, we do our best to at least keep it messy but sanitary... And... of all the rooms in the house, the prop tanks are going in "The Dungeon", my room which was traditionally the messiest room in an already messy house...

But, as far as safety, I made a GFCI plug in box that all electrical for these tanks will be run through.

Having heard horror stories about the bulkheads in these stock tanks notoriously leaking, I siliconed the bulkhead in place on the dry tank yesterday (And noticed I'd left the bulkhead gasket out after the silicone had already started curing. But no matter, I slathered enough silicone in there, and will just add an extra insurance bead when I do the other tank.)

Other than that, not much visible progress. Both lights are now hung over the first tank, and I moved the junk behind it and moved the tank closer in to the wall. Carpeting is still soaking in the back yard, about to go rinse it out again and see how cruddy the soak-water looks.

[ss95003]

So how do we get on the waiting list for a Sherman?

So how do we get on the waiting list for a Sherman?

Ya'll are gonna tar and feather me for this bit, but the plan is to sale to distributors only, not retail, and not sale to LFS either, but only directly to distributors...

[ss95003]

I am warming up the Tar as I type. The feathers will be in tommorow.

Good luck on your new adventure. So how many tanks does this make now?

This will be a cool setup. I am excited to see it progress.
-Chuck

So how many tanks does this make now?

Once the two anemone prop tanks are running, that'll be 7 total tanks, in 3 systems... Both of the prop tanks will be self-contained and not plumbed together (So that a disaster in one doesn't necessarily wipe out everything I've got)

The plan for today was to move the carpeting inside and place it in the first tank, and start filling it with water (From a water change on my main system.) However, I was just reminded that my niece's birthday party is today in a few hours, so that'll but a bit of a damper on those plans.

Brian, where did you get the rubbermaids? How much were they? I may try to make an additional fuge out of one. (of course, it would have to be smaller)
-Chuck

Chuck - I got 'em at Tractor Supply Company... Those are the 50 gallon ones, which were $60ish each... I think the 50's were the smallest size they have...

They've got 100 gallon ($120ish), 150 gallon, 300 gallon (Didn't get the prices on those two since they'd be too big for me, as much fun as I'd have with a few of 'em!)

These things are stout! NOT your normal Rubbbermaid tub... I could flip one of these over, and would feel perfectly confident tap dancing while standing on top of the thing, they're that solid...

forget the tar and feather i think we dunk him in his fancy smancy anemone tank.....

are you just putting anemone anything else cleaner crew or fish?

are you just putting anemone anything else cleaner crew or fish?

Only Anemone's... Fish would irritate them while they're healing from being sliced, same with a clean up crew. (As Calfo put it, you don't see farmers growing corn, wheat, cotton, and grazing cattle and sheep on the same field, ya' gotta keep 'em seperated)

The goal is to be able to produce 100+ RBTA's a month for the distributor market. Luckily, the financial advisor understands, this will be a long term project, it will be the better part of a year before I'm ready to sale my first nem's...

[bimmerzs]

The goal is to be able to produce 100+ RBTA's a month for the distributor market. Luckily, the financial advisor understands, this will be a long term project, it will be the better part of a year before I'm ready to sale my first nem's...

I'd like to volunteer to be your product tester...I could give ya feedback to let you know if they are ready for market.

i hope it works out then i hope the supply and demand will lower the price on them.

Keep the post coming Brian. This looks like it is going to be a cool ride.

BTW - I purchased my 100G Rubbermaid from TSC in Denton for $76.

i hope it works out then i hope the supply and demand will lower the price on them.

Hopefully the price doesn't get lowered TOO much!!!

Seriously though, beyond trying to make a go of this from a financial point of view, I'm no tree-hugger, but, from what I've read, for every wild caught anemone you see in an LFS, 5 have been removed from the ocean, to get 1 live one to your local store... So if for every 1 captive produced anemone I put into the supply chain, 5 will be left in the ocean, that makes this a very worthwhile enterprise to me! We're talking about animals that have no genetic self destruct, unless something kills them, they're immortal...

Anyway, enough eco-soap boxing... On to the build out update!

I've rinsed the outdoor carpeting to my satisfaction, and it's drying in the back yard right now. The second tub has been moved into the room, the light rack for it built, and the lights mounted above it. I need to get some more extension cords to wire it up the way I want, so the wiring in the pics below is VERY temporary! (I.E. will be replaced before any water goes in the tanks!)

I also slathered an entire tube of silicone on all parts of the bulkheads on the second tank, and added some more also to the first tank. At this point, it's a matter of letting the silicone cure, then move the carpet in, cut it to size, figure out how I'm gonna attach it on the sides (The weight of the wet carpet will more or less hold it in place, but I'd still like it fastened in some form too) and start putting water in.

THEN I finally get to start cycling these bad boys...


(Please disregard the clutter, I fully admit I'm a total slob, and this is the messiest room in a VERY messy house to begin with!)

[TriggaFish99]

It may be messy...but it's still waaaay cool!

Looks good!

What are the dimensions of the tubs? I wonder if the carpet would also be good for zoa, xenia, and various other coral propagation.

-Chuck

Looks good!

What are the dimensions of the tubs? I wonder if the carpet would also be good for zoa, xenia, and various other coral propagation.

Google says the dimensions (How's that for lazy? Instead of getting a tape measure and checking, I Googled on the dimensions... ) 52 x 31 x 25 in

As far as other softies, I think I'd use a different method. Just pile up a bunch of gravel/liverock rubble/frag plugs in the bottom of the tub, do some slice and dice, and toss the frags in to attach to what they wanna attach to, let 'em grow a bit, and then voila, mounted frags... (My dream is to someday move on to propping other stuff as well... Heck, I eventually would like to make a career outta this, as I don't see a future for my current career in this country, but that's years away.)

Picked up some extension cords, so now I'm off to pretty up and safety up the electrical...

Okay, since yesterday, I finished soaking/rinsing/drying the carpet to my satisfaction and brought it inside.

I found the single large piece I bought and processed isn't quite big enough to be cut and line both of the tanks, so only one tank has been lined so far (Tank 1, as I've started referring to them as "Tank 1" and "Tank 2").

I was a little concerned about capillary action, as the carpeting goes up the side and over the rim, but so far no moisture seems to be traveling up the carpeting... (Knock on wood)

So, here's the first tank with carpeting in place. Duct tape helps hold it in place, but I'm not TOO worried about it staying in place, from my experience rinsing it in the back yard, once it gets soaked, this stuff is HEAVY and strictly obeys Newton's First Law...



After that was done, I proceeded to do a ~10% water change on my main system (Ugh... Need to sale largish purple tipped green monti cap colony now... I hate doing water changes!) and used the old water from my system to start the 'nem tank. Tank 1 is now roughly 50% full:



Slightly different angle for your viewing pleasure:



Letting it soak for a while. Will also probably Jethro up some sort of "carbon in a filter sock dangling from a support with a MJ pumping water into it" to get any loose particles, and for the carbon to remove any other na-ty compounds I haven't already rinsed out.

Looking good Brian, For some weird reason I still can not see a pics you post here. I have been going to your website and checking them out there. Keep it going I know alot of us are following along.

Thanks Richard! I do sometimes wonder if anyone's reading all this, good to know it is being read and maybe helping others...

No pictures, as I'm at work right now, but last night I hooked up the huge air-driven sponge filter and started letting it run. I figure the water coming from my main system will have SOME bacterial load in it, and I plan on adding a pinch of food to help kick start a cycle. I'm considering getting a single Damsel for each tank, not to cycle the system with so much (As I'll be using aged "live" water) but as more of a canary in a mine to check for possible impurities I've overlooked. (Thanks for the idea Ashlar!). Dunno if I'll go that route or not yet, still thinking about it.

My filter socks are soaking in a bleach solution for now, so I haven't setup my Jethro filter yet.

I have noticed some capillary action in the carpet. The carpet is wet about an inch above the water line. I'm considering cutting the carpet right at the top of the tank, and duct taping it in place there, so stop it from whisking any water up and over the side of the tank.

I also T'ed off a new line from my main RO/DI product water run, punched a hole between the kitcken and this room, and ran the line into this room, so I can have RO/DI run directly into this room. I'll eventually setup an ATO system for these systems, but that's not super critical on the list, but I wanted to get the line run before water went into tank 2, and the line comes out right next to this tank.

I've been toying with an idea of drilling a hole through a piece of PVC near one end, running a zip-strip through the hole, and suspending the pipe up and down hanging from one of the light supports to act as a heater holder/ATO sensor holder and also possibly as an air-lift water motion tube. More thought and planning is required on this front though before I actually do anything with it.

I'm going out of town for business Tuesday morning, coming back into town Thursday night, so I'm afraid there won't be much progress for the next few days. I did start mixing another 25 gallons of saltwater last night, and hope to have time to do another water change on my main system to get more water into Tank 1 before I leave, but we'll see if the kiddo cooperates tonight and gives me the time to do so...

Did Calfo use NO lights? How many total watts are over each one? Just curious. I dont think nems are as light demanding as some people make them out to be.

Angela

In Calfo's demonstrations and lectures he has stated that NO lighting would be fine. You just have to feed more. While they do get some energy from light the majority of it comes from food in the water column.

I was wondering when and if that carpet was going to wick up. Glad you caught it.

Angela, as Steve stated, Calfo says NO lighting is fine, especially in a shallow tank, which is why I went with 2 50 gallon tubs instead of the 1 100 gallon I was going to use (The 100 gallon has the same footprint, but is just taller.)

I'm in L.A. right now, but last night while I couldn't sleep I made a little creation. Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures, so words will hafta do for now.

I took a piece of 3/4 PVC, drilled a hole about 1/2 inch from the top in both sides, and put a zip-strip through this, so that I could suspend this pipe from one of the light support pipes.

The PVC runs down to about 1.5 inches off the surface of the water, where a T fixture is in place, with outpts pointing up, down, and straight forward.

I attached a small (2" - 3") piece of PVC on the bottom piece, and jammed a piece of airline up the bottom of it.

With the airpump running, air goes up the bottom pipe, pushing water along the way. The air is released at the top of the water column, and continues out the pipe at the top, while the raising water is forced out the front facing bit of the T, creating a modest, but definite current... No, it's not a Tunze, but it also won't shred an anemone either!

Oh, almost forgot, in answer to your other question:

Each 50 gallon tub has 2 dual 32 watt NO fixtures over it, so 4 32 watt bulbs over each tank... So 128 watts each...

(Pretty nice fixtures actually... Comes with hanging hardware, electronic ballasts, T8 bulbs, and they're like $20 each at the Home Depot!)

Brian:
Liveaquaria has their small BTA's on sale for $20. Dont know about you but Id rather practice on a cheap one before hacking up a $200 RBTA. Not that little green,brown, etc BTA's arent just as special.

Angela

[TriggaFish99]

I'm reading this thread!

Keep it coming!

There's no end to this hobby is there?

Angela, appreciate the tip, but the donor for a brood stock Sherman RBTA has already been lined up... And even if it wasn't, I'm confident enough of the procedure at this point that I'd take a knife to my own huge Sherman RBTA if I needed to, biggest problem is the way the tank's setup, I couldn't et the rock it's on out (Rock went in, THEN lights were screwed to the shelf above it.)

Ron - Nope, there isn't! A year ago I woulda laughed at anyone that told me you could take a knife to an anemone and make two of 'em... And now here I am trying to start a business, and possibly a career, on that very thing! What a cool hobby/obsession we've all wandered into!!!

[TriggaFish99]

I think you said it right...an obsession.

Im here and watching. Currently thinking about building a prop tank myself. Although I dont think I will be cutting nems anytime soon. Keep us updated. And was the LA trip really necessary. I think you would have been better staying here working on this system to keep us entertained.

And was the LA trip really necessary. I think you would have been better staying here working on this system to keep us entertained.

Glad ya'll are enjoying reading of my trials and travails! Well, the trip's pretty relevant to my job, and The Company is paying for the whole thing, AND if I'm in L.A. having vendors wine and dine me, that means I'm not at home doing REAL work, so yeah, it was pretty necessary!

Oh yeah, and I put a tiny pinch of flake food in the running prop tank right before I left to feed a cycle...


(Posted from the floor (Literally, sitting on the floor) of the L.A. Convention center... They're taking us to a private party at Universal Studios in a few hours... )

[fperkins]

Visit Hot Match Cycles if you get a chance. http://www.hotmatchcustomcycles.com/

Make you swear off those sake sipping things you drive ........

LOL! Funny... I didn't know Ohio (Where my bike was made) was considered "Sake Sipping" territory!

Universal Studios was awesome, since we had the place just for the people at the conference, the longest wait for any ride or show was about 5 minutes...

Oh yeah, and I'm sure it's not normal to have free beer/wine every 100 yards or so at a place like that... Nothing like getting good and loaded and hopping on a roller coaster!

[fperkins]

HeHe -- it's a Honda no matter where it is made, however,

many of the folks who worked for Honda and VW up that way were laid off employees of a Singer Sewing Machine factory that closed about the same time the other assembly plants in the area opened, so maybe another analogy would be more apropos .........

LOL - get a Harley (and some tools, you will need them ).