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Got another 10,000 litres of water in and added 200kg of sand... Doesn't look like much does it?

Actually this is just Quarantine Tank 4... We have 3 more to go before we build the 80m x 17m x 4m monster outside.

This is it guys! This is it! http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_2106.jpg.html'>

Sitting here, waiting for this thing to fill up... and I don't see a single cloud in the sky..

Check out the video of my daughter and me in the tank! Opened up the roof. Waiting for the rain to fill the tank now

Completed the first tank. Just waiting for one good thunderstorm to start filling her up. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_2017.jpg.html'> In the meantime I started working on the second tank http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_2020.jpg.html'>

Getting there... http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/1975162_720927701274053_126687566_n.jpg.html'>

First coat of epoxy done. Whew! Gonna try and get this done by wednesday. Then water in on friday. Not sure where to find the water in this damned drought though =( http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1925.jpg.html]

I paid that trawler another visit last weekend. It's amazing the kinds of things they catch in their nets. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1803.jpg.html'> Finally finished the 2.4m high wall and plastered it. Waterproofing to come soon. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1849.jpg.html'> Well, all done except for that section on the left. But we've started work on the 2nd quarantine tank already! http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1852.jpg.html'>

http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1792.jpg.html]

It's still an outdoor pond. That's just the quarantine tank.

Got some friends to drop by and help me lay bricks, far farm from the tank just in case they did a bad job http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1344.jpg.html'> Left the serious work to the professionals. Here you see us building a retaining wall around the quarantine tank. We're doing this because the tank will eventually be 2.4m deep. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1337.jpg.html'> Progress is a wall that is 3x taller than it was the day before. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1341.jpg.html'>

Anyone want to volunteer to dig holes and mix cement? Seriously, I'm 2 banglas short at the moment.

Believe it or not, it's the positive attitude of this forum that keeps me going! Thanks for the motivation brothers! More pictures to come after Deepavali!

It was a really long tiring day, but we got the first course of slabs in place. Sunday will be the day we align everything and cement it to the floor. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1308.jpg.html'>

Sorry for the delay guys, I've been busy. But can you guess what this stuff is for? http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1175.jpg.html'> This is the site where I'm building my quarantine tanks. It used to be an old grouper hatchery, but the previous owner gave up after several failed batches. It's mine now! http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1178.jpg.html'> I'm in the process of clearing out the debris and leveling the floor. There's actually a height difference of 37cm from one side of the property to the other. http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/IMG_1180.jpg.html'>

Definitely still going strong. Just in the process of finding a replacement for a shareholder and crowdfunding the project. If anyone's interested, add me on facebook. "Shannon Lim", look for the picture of me and my daughter in the pool. xnsdvd@gmail.com works too. Should have some pictures of the retaining walls and floor being done in early July.

Interesting little tidbit of info from our NUS contacts: As far as I know, corals and sponges don't feed on bacteria. The best bet will be burrowing worms but again I am not fully sure. One report suggested that thallaceans (related to salps) are efficient consumers, but this is based on dead individuals recovered from the seafloor (they are usually in the upper sea surface), and not verified by laboratory observations.

Very likely around Dec, but it depends on a lot of factors, one of my bigger investors just disappeared. We're in the process of legalising the crowdfunding to cover up for him. And as I mentioned, a lot of research still needs to be done regarding the paddlewheel and corals.

It's about 2 years old, never used, no warranty. I'll send you a pic ASAP.

Good questions, here goes; 1. Is this pond going to be a reef or fish only setup? We operate something called an Integrated Multi-Trophic Recirculating Aquaculture System or IMTRAS. So basically it's a planted marine setup with bivalves(mussels and clams). I'm currently waiting on some academic partners to see how different species of coral and sponges affect bacteria levels in the water. If anyone is interested in the research, let me know, I can just post it here. 2. How do you intend to keep the water clear? The muck you see is actually the result of an imbalanced ecosystem. With the amount of plants we have in our system we've never really had a nitrate issue and the mussels are more than capable of filtering the water to keep it clear. 3. Care to share your equipment? Going for a 2 storey skimmer? There's surprisingly little equipment involved in the operation. Because most of the work is done by biological agents, all we need to do is move 9,000,000 litres of water an hour. And to do that I'll have to build a paddle wheel(another DIY post). I have no idea whether or not we'll need a skimmer at this point, but if it comes to that it'll be powered by two 15,000 litre/hour Tsurumi TM2.4 pumps and two Tsurumi TLD-20R aerators. The contact chamber will probably just be a 2ft wide, 2m tall PVC pipe. Hopefully we can do without those though.

Sorry guys, forgot to mention, it'd be really helpful if you brought your own containers.

They're also called Panther grouper or Polka dot grouper. Here's a pic! http://s9.photobucket.com/user/xnsdvd/media/65006955JPG.jpg.html'>

Actually that's half wholesale price. But you bring up a good point. I should change the title to WTS: Investments. Great stock, very liquid. And Yes, there should be a few 15cm specimens. But these guys are predatory, so I wouldn't keep them with fish less than 1/3 their size. Won't harm corals at all though.

Main project is still going ahead.