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I
am Blane Perun the creator of TheSea.Org and the operator of Farms
at TheSea. I started my first reef tank in 1995 and have been addicted
ever since. In those early days I spent a bit over a year perfecting
my methods in a forty gallon long tank. I learned allot and when
I moved out of my small apartment into my home and began planning
for a 450 gallon Multi Zone System. I was excited to employ all
of the techniques I developed into one large system containing separate
zones allowing me to keep a variety of coral together in one tank
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habitats.
Below to the right you can see a shot
of the tank, which comprised of five separate zones, a lower reef in which
I grew deep water species. A mid Reef, Reef |
Crest, Back Reef and a Lagoon. The tank was very successful, I soon
began eliminating sections of the display and replacing them with
shelves and propagated coral which I would eventually begin selling
online in the beginning of 2000. I always regret not entirely completing
the project but many good things came from the endeavor. The
tank made it to the December 2002 issue of FAMA, and got me back
into writing articles which I had left off on about a year earlier.
The web site TheSea.org was |
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a derivative of that tank and my desire to share what I have learned with
the English Speaking world. My interest in raising and propagating Zoanthus
eventually attracted |
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Julian Sprung to my facility which was a crowning event for me.
Julian shares a love for Zoanthus as well and I had learned allot
from his visit. Since that time I have increased my collection in
both size & color morphs and intensity. One of the more unique
pink color morphs I had at the
time was photographed and appeared in his book.
"Invertebrates: A Quick Reference Guide
" which came out
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bit after his visit
I have included
a shot of those Zoanthus and Sprung's book to the right.For
me that was really the point in time where I knew one day I
would build a
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scale dedicated facility. My Zoo's appear on page
51 of the Guide. My 450 gallon
system supported hundreds of propagation's, but the demand and my
desire to expand the depth of the operation led me to eventually
tear down the system and add on to my home for a small scale coral
farm. In the early days |
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I
propagated on floral pics and inserted them into drilled shelves then
went to trays with propagated corals on plugs. To boost efficiency I moved
to a more precise system of |
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incorporating
drilled acrylic shelves. The drilled holes were cut to hold the
plugs firmly in a preset space apart. I changed the distance for
different types of coral based on their tolerance |
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to one another. Below is a photo of one of the final systems I incorporated.
These were merely stop gaps until I could get the new facility underway
which ended up taking a bit over two years. Two times the amount I had
originally intended. You can read about the stages of production on my
coral farm within the site, just follow the link. Although the process
has been slow and at some points so aggravating I wanted to give up it
is starting to turn the bend. The beginning problems were with the local
municipality. |
Secondly a few design errors led me to make changes after
all the systems had been set up. Below and on the
main page you
can see a shot of one of my six systems. Each system is
dedicated to a different family or set of them which permits
concentration on the ideal parameters instead of
trying to grow every type of coral in a tank with no specific
concentration. Now with this
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facility I am dedicating some of the space to studying The photo above
is of a small colony of DendroNepthea a more difficult coral that I have
been keeping alive since 11/2002. I hope to learn more about them. My
aim is to share propagated species to lessen the strain on our natural
resources, as well as share my experiences with the reef community. |
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After
beginning this project in April of 2001 I was
sure I would have things wrapped up and operational
by winter. Little did I know what work I would
have cut out for me. The largest hold up was that
I am doing this part time as a hobby, so I don't
have a consistent schedule. Looking back it has
been certainly fun and educational. Now that the
majority of work is done, I'm learning that this
small scale farm will always be a work in progress.
Being true to the objective or learning and passing
on knowledge, I find myself trying different things.
Just when I think I have a good combination I
try to make an improvement.The
process which was the creation of this farm, and
trials and tribulations to this point have been
well documented and published within the site.
They are |
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within
a section called farm story. You can read about the
steps I took and the logic that led me to my decisions,
sometimes good, and sometimes bad. My hope is to pass
along the knowledge so that people following in these
footsteps can make advancements and save time and resources.
To the right you can see four operational systems that
are set up in stock tanks. This was a shot from early
Fall in 2002. I had successfully grown a limited amount
of species throughout the summer and was gearing up
to add 4 more |
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systems. As winter set in, I realized Positioning
of the room in relation to the WInter sun was not
going to be enough to move forward, and I soon began
to add supplemental lighting. I was well on my way
2 months later and began trying different lighting
combinations above the tanks. PC's, VHO, Standard
Florescent, and for the room eventually settled with
MH pendants. Things were moving along at a good pace
and then I decided to tear down all of the tanks and
add sumps to each system. I knew this would be a big
set |
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back, but thought the time was going to be justifiable.
When I tore the tanks down I also decided to move the
DSB into the sump and cover the bottom of each system
with small |
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bits
and pieces of live rock. This change permitted me
to increase the current in each system dramatically.
You can see the shot to the right with MH pendants
and sumps worked into each system between the stock
tanks. This adjustment took up the rest of the space
in the room which forced me to sacrifice my future
display tank, however I think the move will pay off
in the long run converting into less maintenance and
a higher survivability rate. Aside from the problems
and small adjustments things are |
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working
fine, and I'm a bit wiser. My objective with the project
is to create individual systems that will cater to a
specific type of coral. I can make minor adjustments
to the |
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tank parameters, lighting, feeding, and additives
for that family or families within the tank. The system
to the left for example is one that was created for
Gorgonia and experimentation with DendroNepthea. The
Wave2K system installed pulses a wall of water back
and forth which seems to be a natural environment
for the specimens. In addition it keeps particles
in suspension longer than typical power heads. I'm
able to feed this system heavy for a sustainable time
without the fear of excess nutrients |
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harming
other corals in the tank. A Tunze skimmer runs on
this system, and operates just a few hours daily.
The skimmer is said to be PhytoPlankton Friendly which
is a major |
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food source for both Gorgonia and DendroNepthea. Based
on that concept I have separated my collection into
six in dependant systems. LPS & Mushrooms, Polyps,
Leathers, Sponges, Gorgonia
& DendroNepthea, and SPS.
My favorite tanks probably have the least commercial
interest but will certainly be a terrific
learning
experience. Dedicating one of these systems to sponge
for example will be great fun. I have always been
amazed with the variety of |
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colors
of sponge that survives in shipping on both
coral and live rock.
For the past 6 months
I have taken time to separate some of these animals
off the rock and grow them out for propagation. Working
with these sponges, a year from now when they will
be available to the public you can be assured these
strains have survived in shipping, and grown successfully
in captivity. |
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