Our cutting edge facility employs the most sophisticated technology in lighting, filtration, water movement, and quarantine systems to ensure the hardiest and disease-free coral selection for home aquariums. Our staff of aquatic experts, diagnostic specialists, and veterinarians will personally oversee the health of each coral frag, and strict standards are in place to protect hobbyists from the common marine parasites currently plaguing home-operated coral frag traders. Coral Facility Timeline By Kevin Kohen, LiveAquaria.com Director July: We currently have over 400 corals acclimating ahead of our Aquaculture Facility's grand opening this month! Please read about our recent research expedition to Fiji in preparation for the opening of our new Aquaculture Facility. June: All three raceways and their respective filtration skids are fully plumbed and operational. Float valves have been installed on each row for both RO water and saltwater in order to maintain each system at the proper water level and specific gravity. Each row was run for two days on tap water so we could properly clean out each systems, and test for leaks. All of the sumps and raceways were then drained completely and wiped down, then filled with fully mixed Saltwater with Reef Crystals salt mix and RO water. So far, we have mixed up almost 8000 gallons of saltwater in order to fill each of the three 2,600 gallon rows and perform small water changes. We shipped in 3600 pounds of Drs. Foster & Smith's Select Fiji Premium Live Rock in order to start establishing each of the three systems. We plan on cycling each of the systems for a month, performing partial water changes in order to limit the ammonia in each system. Each of the foam fractionators is running at maximum capacity with a substantial load from the uncured Live Rock that is housed in each row. Through the use of 1,000 mg RK2 ozone generators with controller units, we have been able to keep the ammonia levels down to very low levels during the first few days of the cycling process, then to zero after only 3 days. By cycling the live rock this way, we should be guaranteed to have an abundance of beneficial micro fauna and bacteria in order to have the most stable and healthy systems for the corals we will grow and maintain. After we have run each of the systems for 4 weeks with no corals of any kind, we will perform substantial water changes on each row, then adjust the water chemistry accordingly to prepare for the stocking process. Three Industrial Schuran Calcium Reactors are on the way from Germany, and will be installed shortly before we introduce corals into the systems. We are diligently working on buttoning up the finishing touches, and are fabricating the racking and accompanying stands for the corals that will sit inside each raceway tank. Stay tuned and get ready for some of the most incredible corals available anywhere. May: In the past few weeks, construction of the aquaculture facility has continued to progress. All exposed surfaces in the facility that are not covered in a waterproof material have been given a liberal coat of epoxy paint to protect them from deterioration. The plumbing of the sumps are progressing rapidly in order to connect the raceways to their respective filtration skid. Each raceway will be run by its own filtration system independent from one another to help prevent the spread of parasites or disease. This will also allow us to maintain specific water parameters for the different types of corals that will be housed. In addition, the sumps of each raceway will be automatically topped off in order to maintain a constant specific gravity in each of the holding systems. The two 500-gallon saltwater holding tanks which will store conditioned synthetic sea water and the 500-gallon freshwater holding tank that contains RO water have been plumbed in and are ready to go. A special saltwater mixing station has been installed to make the process of mixing saltwater an easy task so that we may supply the coral farm with its daily water needs. An industrial RO machine that produces 600 gallons of RO water per day has been installed. The Light Rail system, along with special enclosures that hold the electronic ballasts, have been hung and installed. A Light Rail system incorporates a small motor unit that moves along an aluminum track to move each light fixture back and forth above each raceway. Double Ended 400 watt HQI Metal Halide lighting fixtures fired from electronic ballasts have been hung from each of the Light Rail Systems. These will move back and forth across each raceway throughout the day to prevent hot spots, and provide even light distribution to all corals regardless of their placement inside of each raceway. April: We began the construction by framing out the room, and hanging drywall. From there we selected a waterproof material called "milkboard" to hang over the drywall to contain moisture. The milkboard covers the walls and ceiling and all seams are sealed by silicone. At the same time, the ductwork for our ventilation system was routed and installed. The electrical work is also underway - outlets, wiring, along with the installation of overhead lights. The install and main wiring of the two large fuse boxes has also begun. Things really started taking shape when the racking was constructed. The raceways and sumps are now nearly ready for plumbing. The racking will hold the raceways (tanks) as well as contain the sumps, which sit directly below the raceway in the main coral room. Filtration Skids The filtration skids and sump units have been assembled and we are awaiting a few final parts, which are expected to arrive within the next few weeks. The filtration skids consists of an RK2 Systems foam fractionators with ozone generators. The eight-foot tall foam fractionators (skimmers) have a self-cleaning device that, at preset intervals, spray saltwater down the bubble column, and freshwater around the column inside the collection cup in order to self clean the units. This feature will help eliminate the manual cleaning of the collection cup, as well as enable the foam fractionator to operate at maximum efficiency. Ozone Generator The ozone generator on the filtration skid is 1000 mg cold spark corona discharge unit with built-in electronic air dryers. These are the most efficient and compact units available, and will help to maintain crystal clear water and optimum ORP (Oxidation Reduction Potential). RK2/Aquadine Octopus Controllers are mounted on the ozone generator, and come with pH, temperature and ORP probes. The controller will enable us to electronically monitor and automate numerous parameters and functions in the tanks.