From the Archives: Think outside the box with 115 gallon reef bowls

戴夫·拉克兰的写在他独特的100加仑礁碗s four years ago has been one of our most popular stories since it was first shared more than four years ago. We have recently learned that Dave is relocating to the Caribbean and had to let go of his supersized reef bowls.

之所以及时，是因为他们开始从压力中扭曲，并且通常是从礁石和自然阳光的恶劣环境中衰老的。这张70年代的椅子转变为雷夫·阿奎里姆（Reef-Aquarium）被垃圾收集捡起的图像是一个美丽的提醒，礁石坦克不会永远持续下去，但它们可以在他们一生中给我们带来极大的喜悦和迷恋。

你好！我叫戴夫·拉克兰（Dave Lackland），我被成长为艺术家和教育。我有30年的经验创建和维护海洋水族馆，所以当我自己的客厅里一个表演案例系统时，它必须有所不同，这会使朋友和访客微笑和 /或笑。我居住在佛罗里达钥匙的亚热带中，我渴望使用自然的阳光作为该项目的主要光源，但对于哪种形状，形式或大小却不优美。矩形和正方形系统是常态，我已经设置了这些份额，我看到了许多做得很好的圆柱体，所以这已经消失了。一个充满海洋无脊椎动物和鱼类的巨型鱼碗的舌头幽默，只是不断出现在我的脑海中。

我知道其他的碗e, the vessel itself, something pre-made for a different application. Not sure where to start, I began looking into and even purchasing a couple large light-globes for giant event-style parking lot lighting fixtures. One held 36 gallons, but was smoke-y; the other had an exaggerated “seam” and was gray in color. One night in bed I woke up and it just hit me, Aarnio Eerro’s “Bubble Chair”! A clear acrylic hanging ball chair designed by Italian artist/designer Aarnio Eerro that has appeared in hundreds of commercials and advertising photo-adds since it’s creation in 1968.

I contacted the manufacturing company and explained what I wanted. I placed a special ordered; the chair was fabricated without the steel ring, chain, or cushions. I had already purchased the base, a 24″ schedule 40 slip fitting, when the bowl showed up. It was incredibly scratched and “crazed”, (small spider-web like cracks throughout the surface). I contacted the manufacturer, who immediately apologized and sent a second chair within days. The replacement arrived in worse condition than the first. I was out of luck unless I learned how to buff and re-finish acrylic. Sixty+ hours later, I had two crystal clear bowls. They didn’t want the first one back, so I ordered another PVC coupling-stand and re-worked the design to include the second bowl.Both vessels were set in place, dry and unplumbed, for months until I was done installing the 21″ tubular skylight, (that illuminates the central bowl), the sump, skimmer, supplemental HQI pendant for second bowl and other life-support equipment. The second bowl is positioned in the corner of the same room, receives natural sunlight as the sun is rising through a set of sliding glass doors that face SE (from 7AM-10AM depending on the time of year), 4-5 hours of just ambient room light and then a second 8 hour photo-period with a single 150 10K HQI pendant from 3-10pm.

现在一切都到位了，是时候加水并测试碗的结构完整性了。我两个晚上都填满了。碗看起来很棒，感觉稳定，坚固。我上床睡觉。第二天早上，我突然唤醒了我们的火警警报和烟气的声音。这不仅是烟；它使我想起了小时候用放大镜燃烧的叶子。当我将拐角进入客厅时，我简直不敢相信我在看什么：

我无意间创造了一个巨大的放大镜，那是集中的“热点”烧毁了我们的墙壁，融化了我们的垂直百叶窗，现在正在烧毁我最喜欢的玉米植物。我刚刚站在那儿呆了几秒钟。我的妻子用双手在臀部上出现在我身后，说：“只有你只能在我们的客厅里创建死亡射线，只有你。”我把相机放在那里，玉米植物吸烟，墙壁和融化百叶窗的照片实际上是在我们俩停止笑的那一刻。在关闭百叶窗之前，我抢了他们，让源头从SE中亮起。我知道这个项目将会有一些“不预定”，但从未见过这种情况。第二天早上，我和一个为Windows谋生的家伙度过了。当他尝试将不同的样品悬挂在滑块上时，我用量子计在每个样品后面读取。我去了50％的色调，今天仍然融化了百叶窗。（当它们变得太毁容时，我只是更换它们。）

The 2 bowls are a single system sharing a communal 65 gallon sump, skimmer, and chiller. They have been set up for over 4 years and both feature a solid coral skeleton reef bottom. They were initially intended to house corals, more of a “reef tank” application , however many sessile invertebrates bleached and perished during summer months. Once I switched to vagile/mobile Inverts, i.e. anemones that can move to avoid receiving an overabundance of light during the summer peak, they have been nothing but a beautiful successful living sculpture and a joy to live with.
我的公司Atlantic Reef水产养殖目前正签订合同，今年春季将在客户的Key West房屋中安装我们的第一个住宅碗。
快乐的礁
- 戴夫·拉克兰（Dave Lackland）
www.atlanticreef.com