Tank dabbler, reef enthusiast or reef junkie…they all love the same thing: really big saltwater aquariums. I’m a die-hard reef junkie and I’ve seen some big reef tanks in my live, but nothing compares to the Philippine reef tank at the California Academy of Sciences. And who better to give me a tour, but Richard Ross, a.k.a “Mr. Cuttlefish” himself.
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Yup, I did get to visit the place last year and pretty much asked the same questions. I did get to snap some pics:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/78178692@N00/7165416080/in/set-72157629639075082/
I wish there were more corals. Those lights can grow any SPS for sure.
Looking forward to Part 2 since I want to know more about their filtration.
Great job on the interview.
Pretty sweet Mark, let me know if you need another cameraman…
Really looking forward to part 2. I’m thinking a skimmer about the size of a grain silo ought to do the trick!
Ha! When I saw the title in your email (“The biggest reef tank I’ve ever seen”), my first thought was, “He’s never been to the Steinhart before.” Thanks for visiting, as an aquarium docent at the Cal Academy I get delighted when people talk about their visits.
Mark
You had me, mouth open eyes wide then you stopped PART 2!!! Waiting patiently, OK, not so patiently. Actually, considering time constraints of this format, I am looking forward to part 2, 3, & 4. Good work. Great location.
Hey mark, the glow on your face while you were there is priceless. What a dream for any reef junkie!
Jay…I certainly felt like a kid in a candy shop! Everywhere I looked there was sweetness!!!
hey mark, i found this LFS by my house that sells these really cool looking anemones, they call them “Inferno Bubble Tip Anemones” they look REALLY cool, what do you think of them, the url is http://www.coralcollection.net/product/inferno-bta.
Great video! Shot beautifully, snappy edits and great pace. Your a pro Mark.
Great video, I can’t wait until next part.
Thanks!
Mark, fantastic video! I love these huge public aquarium reefs (recently went to the Georgia Aquarium) and I love the behind the scenes look. Keep up the excellent work and look forward to seeing more like this!
Guess where I went on Tuesday? I even made an appointment with Richard Ross, since our research group is also raising cuttlefish for research purposes. This article made me smile!
Fantastic video Mark, thank you for sharing this with us.
Great job. Best interview I have seen so for.
WOW! That was a kaleidoscope of anthias!!
thats like a dream within a dream…….. got no words… absolutely fantastic……
love the tank it is a humongous it is a lot of power
80,000 watts that could light up Stadium it still is a beautiful tank
what about the filter system.did u get to see that mark.love to see pics of that.
Great video, Mark! Steinhart is definitely on my list for my next trip to S.F.! You need to come down to Galveston and do a shoot at Moody Gardens. They have a setup that is very comparable to what I saw in this video (minus the super-cool lagoonal areas). They even have several publically accessable top-down areas over the displays. I took a “backstage” tour of Moody with Marine Aquarium and Reef Society of Houston (M.A.R.S.H.) a little while back and got a great look at all of the filtration systems used on a massive system like this. I’m looking forward to part 2!
Jaw. On. Floor.
Next “family” vacation is to San Fran
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Definitely worth the trip and the visit Cam!
Mark,
Great video. I am a new viewer. Perhaps some day i will visit that aquarium. I have visited the reef aquarium at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, NV which was impressive as well.
One question though, did you ask them how they start a large tank like that ? Do they use Dr Tim’s products in bulk or get bacteria samples from other established reef tanks ?
P.S. – Wish Dr Tim’s products were sold more in canada because we only have one importer in Ontario that sells the stuff. If your viewers know of any more i’d be happy to hear about it.
I’m hoping in part 2 you will reveal if any water changes are done. I’d like to know if they use synthetic or truck ocean water in (or both).
Is part 2 coming up soon???
NYUUUU!! Pooh bear should not be a rug!!!