The Display Tank

The main display tank is a 180 gallon tank on the back counter of the classroom. The tank was recently upgraded from the 125 gallon that had been there for ~10 years. Thanks to a lare group of students and local reef keepers, we were able to switch the new tank from the old one, rework the cabinets below, install a sump and move all of the gear/electronics into the space below. The tank is lit with three XR30Pro Radion LED fixtures. I was into LED's long before their recent popularity and have continued to ride that wave. At one point, I had one of the original PFO Solaris fixtures on a previous version of the tank. The current LED fixtures are suspended from a mount that a student welded to the ceiling for me (thanks to the Ag department!). For water flow, a pair of MP40 pumps face in from the ends of the tank and three MP10's face forward off the back wall of the tank. The filtration in the tank is done via a Berlin approach using 150+lbs of live rock (Thanks to MarcoRocks) in the tank and a CoralBox Cloud 9 skimmer (thanks to ReefBreeders) in the sump. A single, U shaped, eggcrate rack extends across the entire length of the tank and makes up the growing space to go along with the bigger corals in the tank below.

The Greenhouse

The Mangrove Tank

The coral propagation system in the greenhouse consists of a series of tubs and tanks all plumbed together to form a single system with a volume of approximately 600 gallons. Water is pumped from the primary sump (a 100 gallon Rubbermaid tub) into a custom made 72” x 36” x 12” glass frag tank, made by GlassCages.com. The tank is lit by a combination of natural light and 2 AI Blade LED fixtures suspended ~30" off the surface of the water. Circulation within the tank is accompished using two Ecotech Marine MP40 Vortec pumps at opposite ends ofthe tank and a pair of MP10's set on the back side of the tank. Also arranged in the back of the tank are a number of mangroves, both white and red. They have been in the tank since 2013 with most grown from seedpods or tiny growth plants. By far, this is the most impressive tank we have at the school, creating a mangrove forest in our CT greenhouse! 

Evolution of the Mangrove Tank

It has been an amazing journey to see the mangroves grow from seedlings to full trees through the years.      

The "Raceway"

Water from the main glass tank flows into pair of 40 gallon Zoomed Lowboy tanks, plumbed together to make one connected tank series.  The tanks are lit with a combination of  XR30 Radions and the natural sunlight of the greenhouse.  Water flow is provided by a pair of MP10 pumps in each of the tanks and the natural flow from the main return pump on the system.          

From the final raceway, water flows dow two   1.5” overflows into a series of 100 gallon Rubbermaid stock tubs, which act as sumps/refugia for the upper tanks. The three tubs make up "posts" that support the upper section of the system. The first of the tubs is filled with 300+lbs of live rock acting as a biological filter for the system and providing living space for a wide variety of invertebrates, some intentional, others no so much. I once saw a 3+" crab on one of the rocks in the sump.
The second tub with a 10” deep aragonite sand bed and a healthy crop of macroalgae (primarily Cheatomorpha and Caulerpa) growing in it.  One of the benefits of the greenhouse is the ability to grow these without supplemental lighting.
The final tub acts as a water holding tank, a feed for the main system return pump and the auto-topoff system. The system is topped off by a direct connection, with a float switch, to a 100 gallon RO/DI tower fed by a Bulk Reef 100gpd RO/DI system.

The Polo Reef Frag System

Thanks to a generous donation in 2023 from Andrew Sandler and Polo Reef, we were able to do a complete overhaul of our backroom frag system. With some help from the kids and a number of local reefers, we were able to design and install a brand new custom system for us to grow and carryout experiments in.  

The system consists of a single 6' sump (actually two plumbed together!) that feeds into two sets of three 25 gallon Waterbox peninsula tanks (one on either side of the room) , drilled to allow water to flow in through the input, but flow down into the tank below from the overflow. Each of the tanks is lit with a single XR15 Radion and has a side mounted MP10 for waterflow. This allows for customization of lighting and wateflow patterns if needed.

Water from these upper tanks flows down into a 60 gallon Seapora frag tank, one for each set of three Waterbox tanks. Each of these is also drilled to allow the water to come in from above, and the traditional return, but also to allow the water from the overflow to flow back down into the central sump. These tanks are lit by a pair of XR15 Radions, with MP40's located at either end of the tank for water flow.

The last part of the system is an 80 gallon Seapora tank set above the sump. This tank is again drilled to allow water in from the traditional return but to also drain down into the sump from the overflow. The tank is lit by 2 XR15's and water is churned by two MP40's at the ends of the tank and a single MP10 mounted on the back wall.

The entire system is ~350 gallons in volume and gives the program a great place to breed/rear fish, grow corals, and carry out experiments. A huge shout out to Andrew Sandler and Polo Reef for their support to make this system a reality.

For more information, check out the 

  Polo Reef Frag System Build