6 replies to this topic

[centrarchid]

I have a fiberglass tank that is very heavy duty made from several sections held together with bolts.  Dimension are 12' L x 7' W x 4' D.  It has been indoor for over a decade and used for holding brood stock in a building we are moving out of.  I want to move it to campus where is get more public traffic.  It will be used to demonstrate natural reproduction and small scale culturing like might be down in a backyard setting.  Any suggestions?  It will be subjected to freezing conditions.  I have budget to purchase metal carport as cover.

 

 

Hope is to establish breeding group of top minnows, silversides and sunfish like Dollars.

[centrarchid]

Help me folks.  I was hoping to put tank near a greenhouse that is a designated landmark but will not fit by 4".  I am not against going all out to make it pretty.  It will be within 100 feet of an urban walkway where people already stop by to check out our FINCA.

[gerald]

Not sure I understand your question.  Do you want us all to come to Lincoln and help move a greenhouse 4 inches?  Regarding freeze damage, if sub-freezing temps are not too prolonged or severe, you might get students to bust up the ice each morning and evening to prevent excessive sidewall pressure.  For visual appeal, you could hang plastic shelving along the edges a few inches below the water surface to support potted wetland plants (pitchers, cardinal flower, sagittaria, etc).  The pots could be moved into the greenhouse in winter.

[centrarchid]

Looking for ideas on how to setup tank to increase functionality / educational value.  The plants part of interest.  I think tank will be resistant to damage from ice.

[Matt DeLaVega]

Stock tank heaters, insulation, and used sliding glass doors over a good portion of the top to retain heat.

[Doug_Dame]

My first thought re a piece of advice when I saw the original posting was: "Don't try to carry it by yourself." 

 

I'm assuming the tank does not have a viewing window. In that case, you could think about putting it in a 2' or 3' deep hole to help give it a bit of thermal insulation.

 

So how do walkers-by see what's in this tank? You could make a couple of (cheap) "bucket viewers", and attach them with chains to a strong post to keep them from wandering off. That would help people see what's going on in the tank.

 

Another idea that's always appealed to me was a an underwater web-cam. Seems like it would be do-able. Even fancier would be a web-cam mounted on some kind of track attached to the inside of the tank, with some kind of power and controls so the camera could be moved around the tank to some degree. But 2 or 3 webcams in fixed locations would probably be much easier from an engineering point of view, and less needy of ongoing maintenance.

 

If you want to "demonstrate natural reproduction and small scale culturing like might be down in a backyard setting", that will need explanations in the form of signage, etc. Might be a good Eagle Scout project. (I'm thinking of Cobalt (son of Casper) Cox' project on the South Chick in Chattanooga as an inspiration.) 

[centrarchid]

My first thought re a piece of advice when I saw the original posting was: "Don't try to carry it by yourself." 

 

I'm assuming the tank does not have a viewing window. In that case, you could think about putting it in a 2' or 3' deep hole to help give it a bit of thermal insulation.

 

So how do walkers-by see what's in this tank? You could make a couple of (cheap) "bucket viewers", and attach them with chains to a strong post to keep them from wandering off. That would help people see what's going on in the tank.

 

Another idea that's always appealed to me was a an underwater web-cam. Seems like it would be do-able. Even fancier would be a web-cam mounted on some kind of track attached to the inside of the tank, with some kind of power and controls so the camera could be moved around the tank to some degree. But 2 or 3 webcams in fixed locations would probably be much easier from an engineering point of view, and less needy of ongoing maintenance.

 

If you want to "demonstrate natural reproduction and small scale culturing like might be down in a backyard setting", that will need explanations in the form of signage, etc. Might be a good Eagle Scout project. (I'm thinking of Cobalt (son of Casper) Cox' project on the South Chick in Chattanooga as an inspiration.) 

I would like tank to provide a viewing not like you get when laying on a log directly over a pond surface where you can put your nose immediately above the water surface while standing or leaning on the tank side.  We will install a ledge for sunfish nesting habitat close enough to surface so you can see eggs and prolarvae in the nest.  My preference is make to some sort of floating nest sites are in place for the Brook Silversides.  Some Redfin Shiners could also be stocked so they can breed in the sunfish nest.

 

We do the pornochannel bit with web cams in our lab now to observe Bluegill and Longear breeding colonies.  Will look into underwater versions.  Cams we have now are pushing 4 years old so hopefully newer units have better resolution.  Tank will be close enough to building for wireless and video could be projected on screen used for lectures.

 

Making signage is already in the works.  Hope is audience will be able to see things in 3-D as it happens.  The silversides and minnows breed like clock work in the quarry which is used for lectures and outreach events although when it comes to details of breeding behavior, visibility it not reliable, especially when active nesting activity is going on away from places and organize for 20 people.  

 

Planting ideas in particular I would like advice on.  A extension co-worker specializing in native plants can procure.