PRIVATE HOME GETS CUSTOM SHARK AQUARIUM

Building New Pad for Some Ocean Predators

Our most recent project involves fourteen thousand gallons of water, two-inch thick acrylic panels, a reinforced concrete pad—and two sets of dorsal fins.

Shark tanks aren’t just for James Bond and cartoon villains anymore.

Apex is helping one local homeowner build an addition to his house, along with a roomy tank to give two toothy predators a new home —right off the kitchen.

A new 10,000 gallon salt water tank with a 4,000 gallon filtration system will house a pair of rare Shark Rays, prized marine fish.  They aren’t man-eaters like the Great White but rather are far more docile relatives from a different branch of the family tree.

The sharks will be the latest coupe for Eric, a collector, who buys his fish from sellers around the world.  Most of the specimens in his current tank are so rare they had to be plucked from warm seas in faraway places like Japan and Australia, some by submarines outfitted with specially-designed vacuum arms.

Creating a proper habitat for sharks requires more than a bubbling filter and a stick of fake coral. Eric has to create an intricate life-support system for the sharks, which includes components such as a 930 gallon sump pump, titanium heater, micron sock filtration, a gravity drain, protein skimmer and ozone generator.

Apex has begun preparations for the new addition to his home to fit the massive new tank, which is 14 feet in diameter. It will sit on a sturdy base of rebar-enforced cement. We poured a second cement pad in the rear of the house to hold the massive filtration system.

Work is progressing on the addition and we hope to have it all completed for this summer. Stay tuned for regular updates on the project.