Omaha Aquarium

[mjcarl]

Hi all, always looking for feedback on our Aquarium. What did you like and what didn't you like?

Mitch

[Travis]

Hmmm.... What did I like.... that is an easy one.:D

I think my favorite part of all was the surges in the sps tank, beach tank, and the one saltwater fish tank. Honestly, I could have sat and watched the surges in those tanks for hours and hours. I loved the flow they created and I feel this is the one type of flow that we can provide in captivity that most closely mimics the natural currents in the ocean.

I'm an sps guy so obviously my favorite tank was the sps tank. I liked everything about that tank, especially the nice sized mature colonies. It would be nice if you guys could polish out the scratches on the inside of that tank but I understand that this would be nearly impossible as there is ver little room to get in that tank and move around. I also realize how much of a pain it is to buff out scratches as I've done it before. And I know that it is twice as hard when the tank is up and running because you are pretty much limited to micro-mesh, which takes a lot of work. I never really noticed the scratches because I looked right past them and was more drawn in to what was inside the tank. But I could see how a visitor that knows nothing about a reef tank might get turned off by the scratches and walk right past that tank.

Obviously, the shark tank is a big hit for everyone. That was an awesome tank. My favorite part about that exhibit is how the far wall was black as was the sand in that area, which made it look like the tank went on forever. That was a very neat effect.

I also found the cylindrical tank with the schooling fish swimming around in circles to be a real eye catcher, although I got dizzy looking at it.:lol:

Overall, I was very pleased with the aquarium part of the zoo. It was much more than I had expected, and my expectations were pretty high. Props to you Mitch and all the other people that have made the aquarium what it is.;)

[tangdiver]

What can I say, well Mitch still all good, you have been able to do ok without my expertise (spelling?)....do not start throwing up now, just a joke...still one of my favorites spots to come and visit...you guys are a great group of people who bust their butts not for the $$ but for the animals.

Thanks for the memories, all the endless ?? over the years and being a friend. If you actually would call me that...fine sell out aquarist might be a better term.

Great job, and loved the overhand sps toss @ the prop demo...you must have been practicing for a while

Gotta run,

Grant

[Lunchbucket]

Mitch, thanks for letting us come visit your amazing facility. there was so much that caught my eye.

here are my fav's

#1 - your prop systems. i could have stared in there for hours. oh man did i want some of those SPS in there. those are frag tubs...those are all COLONIES :eek2: the colors are amazing and the growth has to be unreal. the flow amazed the heck out of me. any idea how much turnover you have in there?

#2 - the beach w/ the surge. i agree w/ Travis when that surged dumped it was like a whole different place...more like a piece of the ocean and not a tank!

#3 - the SPS tank - ok i'm an SPS guy so i had to love that. colors and size of the mature colonies....i couldn't believe. i wanted about one of every coral. i stared at that tank for about 10min and i never saw any scratches...too busy looking at the tank. you have 2 or 3 surges on there? couldn't tell

#4 - the Indo tank...my wife calls it the angel tank. has 2 of my top three fish in it - Emperor Angel and a Blueface angel. oh and a orange shoulder tang and an Achilles! amazing fish!

shark tank in always a fav. the sea turtles caught my eye too.

all in all i was very very impressed. great set ups and i'm sure you guys run on a tight budget.

gotta give you some serious props for all the amazing growth, coloration, health, and beauty of the specimens. give you and your staff a huge pat on the back.

thank again for having us to your obsession....hope to see it again soon

Lunchbucket

[mjcarl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6848820#post6848820 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lunchbucket
the flow amazed the heck out of me. any idea how much turnover you have in there?

you have 2 or 3 surges on there? couldn't tell

all in all i was very very impressed. great set ups and i'm sure you guys run on a tight budget.

Lunchbucket

Since I'm not bright enough to separate each question, I'll just answer them like this.

I have no idea of the turnover rate of the prop tanks. It's a 1 1/2hp pump that runs all three troughs. Most of the returns are hooked up to eductors which put out a great deal of flow. I've deemed it good enough flow and left it at that.

There are 2 surges on the sps tank. Each is a 40gal bucket w/ a three inch return line. One bucket is 6ft above the tank, so it dumps very quickly, while the other is just above tank level and goes much slower.

As far as the budget goes, no, it's not really a tight budget. We are pretty well funded and get much of what we want or need. It's nice that way!

You guys really should have a club trip down here for a BTS tour where we can go over things in depth. I really didn't get to talk to anyone during the meeting.

Mitch

[Lunchbucket]

Mitch - thanks for the answers.

eductors really do work well. i'd like to throw a few on a future setup.

you have any problems w/ you surges? in a big tank like that i doubt it but the hobby ones seem to have a ton of trouble

heck yeah i'm game for you to talk us through everything!

i hoped that i could get a chance to talk to you but it was a big event and everyone wanted sometime from you or Calfo.

thanks again!
Lunchbucket

[creslin2]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6854848#post6854848 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by mjcarl
You guys really should have a club trip down here for a BTS tour where we can go over things in depth.

Give me at least 2 weeks lead time (maybe more, depending on the time of year) and I'm THERE!! :D:D

[mjcarl]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=6857664#post6857664 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Lunchbucket
you have any problems w/ you surges? in a big tank like that i doubt it but the hobby ones seem to have a ton of trouble


Nope. They are both just the simple Carlson surges. They've both been running for over four years now, and I've never had any problems w/ them.

The surge on the beach tank is very different and is run w/ a double piston air cylinder. That has run smoothly for 5 years w/ only one break down.

Mitch

[Lunchbucket]

dang!!! very cool that they run so smoothly

Lunchbucket