unforgettable experience

[tetraodon]

several months ago, i was helping people at the pet store i work at, i happen accross a man looking pretty lost, so helping as i usually do, he had a strange request, he was looking for a package of a fine grain quartz gravel, an oddly specific request, so i asked what it was for. he said he was getting media together for a reactor similar to a fluidized bedding reactor, even further curious i asked what he was keeping, and in a nonchalant way he said, octopuses. needless to say, in the area i live most people dont know anything about filters like a bedding reactor, let alone how to keep cephalopods. anyway fast forward a bit and it turns out he's a research scientist that specialized in cephalopod neuroscience. well i was a little taken back, that kind of stuff was common more around cities, and places with large universities that can sustain this kind of research. after several more conversations and emails, i was invited to come and visit the lab. little bit of a back story, ive always loved science and always wanted to make a career out of it, but monetary trouble kept my dream from becoming real. so anyway today i went "sea lab" as the school calls it, and coming from my background i was very impressed, there were 2 rows of tanks, each row had 6 tanks that are partitioned making a total of 12 areas, 10 holding and 2 testing tanks. filtration was achieved with 3 pipes into a sump, each pipe has its own filter sock with media, the sump has 3 large, 20 inch diameter with a 3.5 foot height. a total of 3 return pumps are used, 2 active and 1 stand by, 30% of the water is pumped back to the tanks, and 70% is pumped into a bank of 6 UV sterilizers, a large fluidized bedding reactor and one other reactor. he also has a 1,000+ gpd RO/DI that has a feed to 150 gallon holding tank that is connected to a float valve auto top off system. there where octopuses there i only was able to photograph one, i cannot wait to go to sea lab again. heres some eye candy.

 

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this is what i like to call octo-awesomeness, this is definitely the highlight of my day, enjoy

[Dark_ice]

several months ago, i was helping people at the pet store i work at, i happen accross a man looking pretty lost, so helping as i usually do, he had a strange request, he was looking for a package of a fine grain quartz gravel, an oddly specific request, so i asked what it was for. he said he was getting media together for a reactor similar to a fluidized bedding reactor, even further curious i asked what he was keeping, and in a nonchalant way he said, octopuses. needless to say, in the area i live most people dont know anything about filters like a bedding reactor, let alone how to keep cephalopods. anyway fast forward a bit and it turns out he's a research scientist that specialized in cephalopod neuroscience. well i was a little taken back, that kind of stuff was common more around cities, and places with large universities that can sustain this kind of research. after several more conversations and emails, i was invited to come and visit the lab. little bit of a back story, ive always loved science and always wanted to make a career out of it, but monetary trouble kept my dream from becoming real. so anyway today i went "sea lab" as the school calls it, and coming from my background i was very impressed, there were 2 rows of tanks, each row had 6 tanks that are partitioned making a total of 12 areas, 10 holding and 2 testing tanks. filtration was achieved with 3 pipes into a sump, each pipe has its own filter sock with media, the sump has 3 large, 20 inch diameter with a 3.5 foot height. a total of 3 return pumps are used, 2 active and 1 stand by, 30% of the water is pumped back to the tanks, and 70% is pumped into a bank of 6 UV sterilizers, a large fluidized bedding reactor and one other reactor. he also has a 1,000+ gpd RO/DI that has a feed to 150 gallon holding tank that is connected to a float valve auto top off system. there where octopuses there i only was able to photograph one, i cannot wait to go to sea lab again. heres some eye candy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

this is what i like to call octo-awesomeness, this is definitely the highlight of my day, enjoy

wow very cool.

[tetraodon]

it was, i was in heaven there, next time i go, i would like to take pictures of the whole place, its very impressive

[Dark_ice]

it was, i was in heaven there, next time i go, i would like to take pictures of the whole place, its very impressive

yea i would like to see it. i always love customer's like that

[tetraodon]

ill definitely get more pics to share,

[Pinner Reef]

Uh never get over how cool those things are.