450+ gal outdoor marine pond/lagoon

[whitelightning77]

Here are the pods I collected a few months back. I had them in the back of one of my Nanos. Also came with a bunch of nice micro stars.

 

[whitelightning77]

And hopfully the start of the new mangrove island.

 

[whitelightning77]

 

[clifg]

Very cool on the mangrove island!

 

[Bfragale]

Very cool build! Can’t wait to continue along with your journey! I’m following lol.

 

[bherbold8]

Wow, haven't updated this thread in a while. It is however still in the works. After a bout with covid during the holidays, and then just "life" stuff, things got side tracked. In the mean time, the pond has been running, and have been slowly bringing up the salinity.

Scored a good amount of rock this weekend so aquascaping should begin shortly.

Plus the rock isn't leaving the island so no curses!! hah nice build

 

[Arcadiareef]

How are you planning on heating and cooling, also long time ago I was thinking of using liners for reef pond in sunroom and came across someone mentioning about boring worms which could potentially get through rubber, so you may want to keep an eye on this, I love the idea, I just never followed through due to above reasons, I hope it works out well in end for you.

 

[Weasel1960]

Looking really good, following for more.

 

[Devaji]

Heck yeah bud!

 

[whitelightning77]

How are you planning on heating and cooling, also long time ago I was thinking of using liners for reef pond in sunroom and came across someone mentioning about boring worms which could potentially get through rubber, so you may want to keep an eye on this, I love the idea, I just never followed through due to above reasons, I hope it works out well in end for you.

For temperature control i will be using fans for evaporative cooling when needed. It's in a covered lanai so it does not get direct sunlight. As for in the winter, I'm down here in Florida so it won't be too much of an issue. But I did go the extra mile to insulate the pond on the sides and bottom if you saw my previous posts. I also plan on making an insulated cover/top to be able to use when necessary as well as a couple titanium heaters.

I tracked the temps this winter down here in the pond, and with it not being 100% insulated yet, left uncovered, and with absolutely no heaters, I think it dropped down to the mid to low 60s at its lowest.

As for the boring worms, I'm not sure. Never heard of them. I know about vermatid worms, but they typically stay on the rocks. I also placed some plexiglass sheets under the rock structures to eliminate the chance of the rocks puncturing the liner.

 

[Arcadiareef]

Sounds cool, will keep following, chk out Steve Garret’s setup he’s out here in southern Cali and produces coral in his outdoor setup, he’s had his setup up and running for years, name of his business is Garret’s Acropolis .

 

[whitelightning77]

Sounds cool, will keep following, chk out Steve Garret’s setup he’s out here in southern Cali and produces coral in his outdoor setup, he’s had his setup up and running for years, name of his business is Garret’s Acropolis .

Thanks, I think I've seen a couple of his videos.

 

[McPuff]

It's coming around! Looking forward to more updates.

 

[whitelightning77]

Started to take down my nano because the light used on it will be the main light for the moment to light the mangroves. Home depot didn't have the materials I wanted to make the hanging fixture, so I had to retrofit something till I can get what I need. Lol. My blood orange clown looks like it will be the first inhabitant of the pond. Quite the upgrade from his little nano.

 

[whitelightning77]

 

[whitelightning77]

Looking for inspiration and ideas for skinning the outside of the pond. Open to suggestions.

 

[FishTruck]

Consider using the PVC boards at home depot. Could be a real time saver over wood.

 

[SydneyRose]

Pieces of drift wood fastened to distressed/reclaimed wood would look neat. Love the setup BTW.

 

[whitelightning77]

So nothing much to report on. Had people over for the holidays, etc. However, looks like im officially cycling or getting into the "ugly phase" now that we have some light

Also, went fishing Friday and brought home a couple stragglers, lol. Well see if they keep the sand stirred up.

 

[whitelightning77]

Small update, got another new recruit for the pond. My 7" magnificent fox face from my main reef. He was getting too big and started "fragging" some of my corals that I didn't necessarily want fragged.

Also picked up some macro algea from the beach that we get around here in SW Florida from time to time. Testing it out to see if it will grow and work as nutrient export, and also to see if the fish have any interest in it. It's similar in color and growth to Ogo.

Also, out of the 3 bait shrimp I tossed in there I for sure still have 2 scooting around in there.