My Public Aquarium: exhibit blues - how to make them?

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 13 Jun 2018, 21:35

Usually their enthusiasm is through the roof, so this is not the best example but will do for the first try at this video. The gang is used to feed on saltwater cuisine without bright lights (only dim lights in the back). Instead, they are being offered freshwater fish (colonizers from the koi pond pump down) in bright light. So they are showing their dismay.

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 25 Jun 2018, 21:40

Mr Whippy · Post by **Mr Whippy** » 29 Jun 2018, 02:13

This is just literally, mind blowing! What else can I say

taksan · Post by **taksan** » 25 Aug 2018, 13:22

First time I’ve checked this out for 7 years Victor... I can’t believe how far you have come and how well you have gone to realise your dream. How are Jack’s tanks holding up?

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 25 Aug 2018, 14:40

Thank you, guys, I appreciate it.

taksan wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 13:22 First time I’ve checked this out for 7 years Victor... I can’t believe how far you have come and how well you have gone to realise your dream. How are Jack’s tanks holding up?

Wow... Hi Taksan! I feared we'd never cross paths again. It's been such a long time both here and on MFK. I still tell people every now and then about your legendary 27-year old RTC pair. We need you around, especially on MFK, to help and educate new generations of monster fish keepers.

Thank you for the kind review. I think we are on a home stretch, need to finish the pavilion around the 25,000 gal koi pond and get my Certificate of Occupancy, business license, and prohibited fish licenses and open for business.

Jack and his crew at Dolphin Fiberglass Products are great, they build the highest quality, sturdiness, and durability tanks for the money. They take no risks, nor cut corners to save money for clients or themselves, which in this wet business is the only way to go really, if one aims to uphold their company name and longevity. Hence, you pay a fair price for a great tank. Jack's never had a shortage of orders. There is always a line of people at his door but he still operates same small scale with a crew of half a dozen or so. Wonderful guy to deal with. He would seriously entertain my "novel tank designs" spending hours on them and drawing prints but after he mulls it over with George, his foreman, he always refuses and prefers to stay with what they know how to make and how to make safely.

taksan · Post by **taksan** » 25 Aug 2018, 15:01

They are still alive and kicking in the same pond too ! I lost my beloved Tigrinus in 2016 after about 14 years I think and that caused me a lot of distress. I felt so privileged to have him for so long and grow him so big from a tiny little kitten. I only have 2 mixed tanks and the pond now but I’ve just retired and I’m now going to get back into it and get a few more tanks.

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 25 Aug 2018, 17:41

Viktor Jarikov wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 14:40It's been such a long time both here and on MFK. I still tell people every now and then about your legendary 27-year old RTC pair. We need you around, especially on MFK, to help and educate new generations of monster fish keepers.

Viktor, is MFK still open? I thought it closed.

Cheers, Eric

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 25 Aug 2018, 19:46

taksan wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 15:01 They are still alive and kicking in the same pond too ! I lost my beloved Tigrinus in 2016 after about 14 years I think and that caused me a lot of distress. I felt so privileged to have him for so long and grow him so big from a tiny little kitten. I only have 2 mixed tanks and the pond now but I’ve just retired and I’m now going to get back into it and get a few more tanks.

Your RTCs are still around?? No way! Really? I guess my memory failed me as I thought they have passed on. Those must have been someone else's RTCs. So how old yours are now, 34 years old? Sorry to hear about your tig. Fourteen years is a very respectable time. I am thoroughly amazed you are able to keep fish for such long times. I think you should make a thread and update everyone on what happened to you in the last 7 years and what you are keeping and doing now. Your comeback and info buried in my thread will not get any attention they deserve.

bekateen wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 17:41 Viktor, is MFK still open? I thought it closed.

Hey Eric, I don't know what are talking about. MFK has been fine and 100,000 strong. I don't know if you are referring to the "Monster" in the name, that Monster Drinks Co has stupidly challenged in court (and lost) or if you are remembering good old "Waterwolves" that indeed perished long time ago, about 7-8 years.

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 25 Aug 2018, 20:09

Viktor Jarikov wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 19:46Hey Eric, I don't know what are talking about. MFK has been fine and 100,000 strong. I don't know if you are referring to the "Monster" in the name, that Monster Drinks Co has stupidly challenged in court (and lost) or if you are remembering good old "Waterwolves" that indeed perished long time ago, about 7-8 years.

LOL, No I was thinking of MFK... Or that's my (frail) memory, anyway. Being that my largest fish (ever) is a 5" mustard spot, I'm not a monster fish keeper myself and was only on the MFK site occasionally to follow posts of yours and others also associated with PlanetCatfish. But I have a recollection from someone... @amiidae maybe...stating that because of the negative impact of modern social media platforms like Facebook on activity at pages like MFK, that MFK would be closing its forum. And since I don't frequent that site anyway due to the non-monstrous nature of my own fish, I wasn't following closely enough to know different in the meantime.

It must have been a different fish site I was thinking of.

Cheers, Eric

taksan · Post by **taksan** » 26 Aug 2018, 02:53

Viktor Jarikov wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 19:46 Your RTCs are still around?? No way! Really? I guess my memory failed me as I thought they have passed on. Those must have been someone else's RTCs. So how old yours are now, 34 years old? Sorry to hear about your tig. Fourteen years is a very respectable time. I am thoroughly amazed you are able to keep fish for such long times. I think you should make a thread and update everyone on what happened to you in the last 7 years and what you are keeping and doing now. Your comeback and info buried in my thread will not get any attention they deserve.

Your memory is good Victor...yes the old fellow passed away after I think 29 years it was ...but the two kittens I got in 2001 I think it was are still going strong. I will provide updates when I can decide how I’m going to go forward. Have you got your Florida aquaculture permit yet so you can keep rays?

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 26 Aug 2018, 13:55

bekateen wrote: 25 Aug 2018, 20:09 LOL, No I was thinking of MFK... Or that's my (frail) memory, anyway. Being that my largest fish (ever) is a 5" mustard spot, I'm not a monster fish keeper myself and was only on the MFK site occasionally to follow posts of yours and others also associated with PlanetCatfish. But I have a recollection from someone... @amiidae maybe...stating that because of the negative impact of modern social media platforms like Facebook on activity at pages like MFK, that MFK would be closing its forum. And since I don't frequent that site anyway due to the non-monstrous nature of my own fish, I wasn't following closely enough to know different in the meantime.

It must have been a different fish site I was thinking of.

Cheers, Eric

That could be Ben the Amiidae's forum PFK - Predatory Fish Keepers. I hope not as it is a lovely and great forum, just like Ben is, for which I've never had the time. PCF and MFK have taken it all up and even more than I could afford. BTW, MFK has more to offer e.g., to DIY-ers, aspiring homemade fish vets, breeders, etc. not to mention that when it comes to setups, it is only the scale that's different. And all MFKers start out with small tanks and small fish. The maturity and the science level in general forums (not the stickie threads or write-ups) of course lags behind the PCF.

taksan wrote: 26 Aug 2018, 02:53 Your memory is good Victor...yes the old fellow passed away after I think 29 years it was ...but the two kittens I got in 2001 I think it was are still going strong. I will provide updates when I can decide how I’m going to go forward. Have you got your Florida aquaculture permit yet so you can keep rays?

I see. Thanks for the clarification, albeit I thought the older fish were a pair. I'll look forward to your thread! As I started saying above, I need to renew my prohibited fish licenses before we open but I've never applied nor plan to apply for a stingray license. I've never kept them as I think of them as not my cup of tea, which might or might not change if I acquired firsthand experience with them but for now that's how it stands.

taksan · Post by **taksan** » 26 Aug 2018, 14:48

Once you get into rays ... it’s obsessive

YouTube · Post by **bekateen** » 26 Aug 2018, 17:20

Viktor Jarikov wrote: 26 Aug 2018, 13:55That could be Ben the Amiidae's forum PFK - Predatory Fish Keepers. I hope not as it is a lovely and great forum, just like Ben is, for which I've never had the time. PCF and MFK have taken it all up and even more than I could afford. BTW, MFK has more to offer e.g., to DIY-ers, aspiring homemade fish vets, breeders, etc. not to mention that when it comes to setups, it is only the scale that's different. And all MFKers start out with small tanks and small fish. The maturity and the science level in general forums (not the stickie threads or write-ups) of course lags behind the PCF.

Yes, that was it. PFK. Another group of fish I don't keep, except as much as almost any fish of mine will opportunistically eat eggs or fry or small fish when they get the chance.

Cheers, Eric

Reteos · Post by **Reteos** » 13 Sep 2018, 01:01

Wow I can't believe I am just catching up with this now, it was one hell of a read and it is very inspiring to see someone take their dream and make it happen.

I would love to visit if I am ever in Florida.

As an architecture student with a focus on Building Science I thought I would mention low E coatings for reference. If you have a a low Emissivity coating layer on your roof you can remove the long range radiation before it even enters the building.

If you're open to ideas for the "dome" it might be cool to grow some vines or plants over it? they will help reduce heat and cool the space below (a little lower tech than a green roof)

keep up the good work and great job Viktor!

Viktor Jarikov · Post by **Viktor Jarikov** » 13 Sep 2018, 14:30

Thank you much, my friend! Appreciate your reading the whole thing. It's a feat in itself

When I get a chance, I'll read up more on the low E coatings. My current understanding is this is what's used on multi-pane windows in the north to reflect the heat back into the house on the inside on the window and to reflect heat back outside on the outside of the house - best windows have both coatings and triple panes (I studied the windows a tiny bit when we were changing ours in our prior life in cold and snowy Rochester, NY ten years ago). These coatings need a hard substrate to be coated on like glass, not a plastic film or tarp. The vines are too a radical and cool idea but I need the cool only 2/3 of the year. 1/3 of the year I need the warmth. I too need to get the rain water run off of the dome as quickly as possible and periodically I need to change the tarp, about every five years is all it lasts under FL merciless sun. I realize it would last longer if protected by the greenery.