Tropical Outdoor Saltwater Aquarium

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Nightwalker

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Hi all,

Does anyone have any idea if it is possible to set up a Saltwater Aquarium outdoors like in a swimming pool? Instead of a Tank, I would like to build a massive swimming pool about the size of a football pitch or larger and set up my own personal reef with a few Blacktip Reef Sharks so that myself and few friends can scuba dive with them. The other crazy idea I would like to do is to build a "fake Beach" and an aquarium that will have no sharks in it (apart from catsharks, dogfish) so that others can snorkel etc. like it was a small bay or the like?

Kind Regards

Bryn
 
Hi Bryn,

masahello

Nightwalker said:
Instead of a Tank, I would like to build a massive swimming pool about the size of a football pitch or larger and set up my own personal reef with a few Blacktip Reef Sharks
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Unless you're into smuggling perlemoen, or perhaps family of Bill Gates, I doubt if it would be financially viable. For a tank that size you would need massive filtersn pumps, etc, and an unlimited supply of fresh sea water... I would guess this setup would cost you a few million Rand.

The other crazy idea I would like to do is to build a "fake Beach" and an aquarium that will have no sharks in it (apart from catsharks, dogfish) so that others can snorkel etc. like it was a small bay or the like?
Click to expand...

This would be much more practical, but would still set you back a few hundred-thousand rand if you don't want to end up with a large green slime pit.

Where do you live, do you have free access to sea water? Have you had any previous experience in keeping a marine aquarium?

Hennie
 
hi
you sure can set up a pond outside. i have done it, mine is in one of those plastic pools, it has been up for about 7 months only got a skimmer on it no filters 6 heaters thats it. there are about 14 assorted fish in it all doing very well. i have had a few clams in it but they dont get to stay in it to long my customers keep buying them. the water temp changes up to 20 degrees in any given day, lets say from 16 in the morning to 32 by the aftenoon, never lost a fish so it works. i am buisy building one here with about 8000l pond outside connected to 15000l pond in my shop.
good luck
peter bee
 
Peter Bee said:
hi
you sure can set up a pond outside. i have done it, mine is in one of those plastic pools, it has been up for about 7 months only got a skimmer on it no filters 6 heaters thats it. there are about 14 assorted fish in it all doing very well. i have had a few clams in it but they dont get to stay in it to long my customers keep buying them. the water temp changes up to 20 degrees in any given day, lets say from 16 in the morning to 32 by the aftenoon, never lost a fish so it works. i am buisy building one here with about 8000l pond outside connected to 15000l pond in my shop.
good luck
peter bee
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yeah peter, but this dude wants to dive in it. It probably have to be 60-80K litres
 
anything can be done with the right amount of money - you would need to contact ushaka or 2oceans though for something that scale. i would not suggest full outdoor as the rain, dust/dirt, leaves will mess things up big time - salt levels, ammonia, nitrates, ect If you have an indoor pool - then we talking even when heat is concerned.

but if you have not kept a reef tank - and from the sounds of things you have not - do not even think about it. get your self a reef tank and see how difficult that is and then then you will know what we talking about.
 
shan said:
but if you have not kept a reef tank - and from the sounds of things you have not - do not even think about it. get your self a reef tank and see how difficult that is and then then you will know what we talking about.
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LOL, yeah look after 500 litres before going on 50 000. :lol: :lol:
 
Welcome to MASA Bryn - this is a VERY expensive and huge undertaking that you want to take on. Good luck with it if you are willing to continue after the things these guys said ;-)
Unfortunately it's all true.

BUT, if you are willing and able to continue, please let us know, and we will be more than willing to try and assist you where we can.

Many thanks.
 
Wow, i would love to see it, as others have said, it will be very difficult, but if you have plenty of the folding stuff, go for it, see if you can get backstage in a public aquarium to see just how much goes on
 
wee-man is right - i took a tour of the back side of 2 oceans and wow - to maintain that shark tank of theirs would would not believe the equipment they had - take a tour
 
Nightwalker, what experience do you have? If you don't have much, rather keep something smaller first... we don't want to see the "Worlds biggest aquarium disaster"
 
Peter Bee said:
i have done it, mine is in one of those plastic pools, it has been up for about 7 months only got a skimmer on it no filters 6 heaters thats it.
Click to expand...

Soooo, the guy asked about keeping SHARKS in a pond - do you reckon that "a few Blacktip Reef Sharks" will survive long-term in a pool without filtration... I reckon that Two Oceans, Bayworld and Ushaka are all lining up to learn your techniques...

the water temp changes up to 20 degrees in any given day, lets say from 16 in the morning to 32 by the aftenoon, never lost a fish so it works.
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It's unbelievable that you're giving this as ADVICE :nono: Whatever poor fish you have in there, they must be extremely hardy to survive this - glad I'm not a fish in your shop :whistling:

Hennie
 
hi all
sorry so long no reply but been buisy. the poor fish outside in the ponde are a brown tang two tomato clowns, coral beauty, dragom wrass, and a cow fish.
i have now built a propper pond for them about 20000l one so they happy. dont dissagree with people and give advice if you have not done it. as they say the proof of the pudding is in the eating. i am not giving advice only telling some one of what i have tried and how it worked. advice is free you can choose to listern to it and dump it or try it for yourself. it is a lot of cash to waste on something you not sure is going to work or not, i tried it and it worked for me.
thanks peter bee
 
Hello Peter - AWESOME to have you back again.... Could you please be so kind as to elaborate on EXACTLY what it took you to get the pond up and running?
ie.
- cost
- effort
- equipment used
- how you did the pond exactly
- pictures possibly, if you have?

Many thanks.
Jacques
 
well done mate, post up your trials and tribulations, i'm sure there is much we can all learn from your success.
What did go well and what would you avoid doing in the future?
 
hi
ok nothing to report on. i took down the plastis pond after about a year, it had done its job. i am buisy building a propper one now.
i got the filter section going it is outside 8500l the rest will be inside 15000l
we will see how it goes
thanks peter bee
 
Does Peter's pond have any DSB IN the pond itself? Or is he JUST making use of a DSB in a sump? Or is Peter using pool-filters to do the filtration?
How effective would pool filters be as a "DSB"?
 
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