The 200,000 gallon tank build thread.

[Anonymous]

I can tell you most isn't all the impressive that I have seen taken. Usually your talking about miss IDed items....Favia being called Favites = confiscation. Too many corals to less CITES permits, that kind of thing

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you most isn't all the impressive that I have seen taken. Usually your talking about miss IDed items....Favia being called Favites = confiscation. Too many corals to less CITES permits, that kind of thing

Right-o, Gresham. I don't think we have received a single coral that was "smuggled" in the sense we think of it. In most cases coral is confiscated because it is mis-ID'd, or the inspector believes it is mis-ID'd. Montastrea/Favia is a pretty common one, and it's fairly easy to distinguish the difference. In some cases the inspector is wrong, and the receiving party gets the coral back. Sometimes the corals are not declared, and they all get yanked. Many times the corals are in poor shape when we receive them, sometimes they are very nice specimens.

While we're on the subject, the USF&W inspectors are incredibly skilled at IDing down to the genus and species level, and not just coral, of course. They can rail off genera for a rack of corals almost by heart just like we can, and then move on to do the same for a rack of freshwater fish, and reptiles, and birds, and then know the legal status for importation of each one. It's impressive.

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you most isn't all the impressive that I have seen taken. Usually your talking about miss IDed items....Favia being called Favites = confiscation. Too many corals to less CITES permits, that kind of thing

While we're on the subject, the USF&W inspectors are incredibly skilled at IDing down to the genus and species level, and not just coral, of course. They can rail off genera for a rack of corals almost by heart just like we can, and then move on to do the same for a rack of freshwater fish, and reptiles, and birds, and then know the legal status for importation of each one. It's impressive.

Hope I don't come off like a jerk here but...

OMG you've got to be joking? Are we talking about the same people? Just how many field agents do you deal with because the ones I've dealt with asked ME what it was they where looking at. I haven't dealt with the new agents in town, but I know everyone that does and the reports I get aren't as steller as you state above

I've never seen or heard of a wholesaler getting back anything after USF&WS took it either Jus the opposite is my experience.

 

[Anonymous]

My experiences echo Gresham's.

 

[Anonymous]

I can tell you most isn't all the impressive that I have seen taken. Usually your talking about miss IDed items....Favia being called Favites = confiscation. Too many corals to less CITES permits, that kind of thing

While we're on the subject, the USF&W inspectors are incredibly skilled at IDing down to the genus and species level, and not just coral, of course. They can rail off genera for a rack of corals almost by heart just like we can, and then move on to do the same for a rack of freshwater fish, and reptiles, and birds, and then know the legal status for importation of each one. It's impressive.

Hope I don't come off like a jerk here but...

OMG you've got to be joking? Are we talking about the same people? Just how many field agents do you deal with because the ones I've dealt with asked ME what it was they where looking at. I haven't dealt with the new agents in town, but I know everyone that does and the reports I get aren't as steller as you state above

I've never seen or heard of a wholesaler getting back anything after USF&WS took it either Jus the opposite is my experience.

Well it doesn't surprise me that the folks who have their coral confiscated don't speak too highly of the people who confiscate it.

Rickey Tome is our contact with the USF&W.

 

[Anonymous]

Under false ID by USF&WS anyone would be pissed to be fined and have a coral taken. In fact I have seen what they give back, usually half dead if not dead. I spent nearly 10 years dealing with them and just how bad they can be. Most people I deal with are the "good guys" Matt and you know this. Of course some jerk smuggler or unconcerned unethical person would be mad even if they had stuff rightfully confiscated, but the people I speak of work hand and hand with USF&WS. In fact two of them have helped on numerous cases and even have housed confiscated coral for USF&WS.

I'm sorry but just how much experience do you have with them? Have you sat thru countless hours of dumb ass questions from them? Have you watched them slice boxes completely open, styro and all, or roll boxes down the hall? Have you witnessed the lack of unification of how the process is applied, or not, to various people? One guy gets fined for 1 CITES violation while a guy with 300 violations get a far less fine? If it's truly $1K per infraction, why would the 300 one not get $300K violation? Why does a certain local wholesale business stay in business when even the agents label him a habitual smuggler?

 

[Len]

Hey Matt, what's the current update on Steinhart. I really want to visit some day

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not Matt, but I was there yesterday while Matt was goofing off on some island somewhere.

The reef tank is doing well. The diatoms are going away and cyano is starting to show up. The LPS corals are doing great, as are the leathers. The montis are doing ok. The fish look great as do the hermits and the snails. Its coming along very well.
The lagoon for the sharks, rays and turtles has sand in it and will be filled with saltwater soon. Then the California Coast tank will get attention.


There are going to be a lot of tank exhibits. It really looks like the whole space is going to be fantastic. They were planting a lot of plants in the rainforest display.

Damn, Matt has a great job!

 

[Anonymous]

Under false ID by USF&WS anyone would be pissed to be fined and have a coral taken. In fact I have seen what they give back, usually half dead if not dead. I spent nearly 10 years dealing with them and just how bad they can be. Most people I deal with are the "good guys" Matt and you know this. Of course some jerk smuggler or unconcerned unethical person would be mad even if they had stuff rightfully confiscated, but the people I speak of work hand and hand with USF&WS. In fact two of them have helped on numerous cases and even have housed confiscated coral for USF&WS.

I'm sorry but just how much experience do you have with them? Have you sat thru countless hours of dumb ass questions from them? Have you watched them slice boxes completely open, styro and all, or roll boxes down the hall? Have you witnessed the lack of unification of how the process is applied, or not, to various people? One guy gets fined for 1 CITES violation while a guy with 300 violations get a far less fine? If it's truly $1K per infraction, why would the 300 one not get $300K violation? Why does a certain local wholesale business stay in business when even the agents label him a habitual smuggler?

Let's just start another thread about it in the IBTH.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm more stoked about seeing the Steinhart this December than the conference I'm otherwise there to attend.

 

[Anonymous]

I'm not Matt, but I was there yesterday while Matt was goofing off on some island somewhere.

The reef tank is doing well. The diatoms are going away and cyano is starting to show up. The LPS corals are doing great, as are the leathers. The montis are doing ok. The fish look great as do the hermits and the snails. Its coming along very well.
The lagoon for the sharks, rays and turtles has sand in it and will be filled with saltwater soon. Then the California Coast tank will get attention.


There are going to be a lot of tank exhibits. It really looks like the whole space is going to be fantastic. They were planting a lot of plants in the rainforest display.

Damn, Matt has a great job!

What Rich said...except wait, you found hermits?!?!?! :lol:

Rich busted his arse on Thursday along with several other volunteers (some from the Bay Area Reefers) to load dry sand into the lagoon. Fortunately I was taking my first much needed vacation while all that was going on. Although it won't share water with the reef tank it will look like virtually the same tank from above. Sharks, rays, sea turtles, etc. The sides are lined with large mangrove trees, which are doing well. That tank will come on line very soon.

As for the reef tank, we've got our first corals in and we're keeping an eye on them to assess how soon we can add more. 300+ fish at the moment, a little less than 10% of the final total of 4000. We have somewhere around 1000 fish here at Howard St. waiting tp be moved over, slowly. The rest will have to be accquired, treated, and acclimated over the next few months. Opening day is September 27th!

 

[Anonymous]

Ok here's the 64 thousand dollar question Matt, the sand you put in, is it an aragonite based sand? Or do you guys give a hoot and use what's cheap + local?

 

[Anonymous]

Matt - they were cleaning out the pump baskets, and Seth found a hermit in there.

A pic of the top of the tank and of the lagoon and sand crew

 

[Anonymous]

HOLY F*CK. I need to go change my shorts now.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, its crazy. Really crazy. And that is just a single pic of a single view. You understand my email now.

 

[Anonymous]

Totally. Now I REALLY can't wait to see it in person.

 

[Anonymous]

In that lower picture looks like they do have holes for some natural sunlight to come though. However don't know how useful that will be with 8 bajillion watts of halides they have!

In that last picture is that a walkway on the left for guests? Seems like it could get mighty toasty under all those bulbs. Also looks like there's still a bit of rearranging of lighting fixtures.

Coprolite: You need to see it? Hell I walk outside the building a couple times a month on minimum, and yet all I see is tall imposing building with a fence green "keep the F-out" fabric all over it.

 

[Anonymous]

Ok here's the 64 thousand dollar question Matt, the sand you put in, is it an aragonite based sand? Or do you guys give a hoot and use what's cheap + local?

Do you mean sand from the beach?

No, this is aragonite based. Not sure exactly where it came from though.

 

[Anonymous]

Yeah, its crazy. Really crazy. And that is just a single pic of a single view. You understand my email now.

Great great photos Rich. Even though it was probably a ton of work it looks like you guys had a lot of fun. Glad you finally got to see it all.

 

[Anonymous]

In that lower picture looks like they do have holes for some natural sunlight to come though. However don't know how useful that will be with 8 bajillion watts of halides they have!

There are some holes there, yes. At the right time of day, and if it's cloudless (big IF), it hits right where we plan on putting the bulk of the stony corals. It completely overpowers the artificial light, too.

In that last picture is that a walkway on the left for guests? Seems like it could get mighty toasty under all those bulbs. Also looks like there's still a bit of rearranging of lighting fixtures.

The walkway on the left edge of the picture hugs the back of the planetarium. The angle is odd, so it looks pretty close to the lights. The height varies, but they are suspended anywhere between 12-18' above "ground" level.

Coprolite: You need to see it? Hell I walk outside the building a couple times a month on minimum, and yet all I see is tall imposing building with a fence green "keep the F-out" fabric all over it.

Interesting take on it. The architect wanted no fence at all, so that people could walk right up to the building. Clearly not practical. I think some folks wanted a plain chain link fence so that people could see what was going on, but then that doesn't look very pleasant.