1400 gallon curved-front Starphire™ glass reef aquarium with custom cabinetry. Built and installed at a private residence in Boca Raton, Florida.

1000 gallon Starphire™ glass reef aquarium with custom cabinetry. Built and installed at a private residence in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

Installing an 800 gallon Starphire™ glass reef aquarium corner tank. The custom cabinetry was designed as bookshelves and constructed from Mahogany and White Maple.

My 210 gallon Starphire™ all-glass reef aquarium. Over 60 species of reef-building coral, each started as ~ 2cm fragments, and propagated over 6 years. The system included: an 80 gallon planted reservoir on reverse photoperiod, 2,400W Metal Halide lighting, 800W VHO actinic lighting, 3/4 ton reverse-phase split unit chiller, dual foam fractionators, UV and Ozone sterilizers, carbonate reactor, RO/DI top-off, and remote login computer control, monitoring and alarms.

(image 2) My 210 gallon Starphire™ all-glass reef aquarium. Over 60 species of reef-building coral, each started as ~ 2cm fragments, and propagated over 6 years. The system included: an 80 gallon planted reservoir on reverse photoperiod, 2,400W Metal Halide lighting, 800W VHO actinic lighting, 3/4 ton reverse-phase split unit chiller, dual foam fractionators, UV and Ozone sterilizers, carbonate reactor, RO/DI top-off, and remote login computer control, monitoring and alarms.

During undergrad, I began experimenting extensively on different techniques to most efficiently propagate reef-building coral fragments. This led to my development of a profitable online business selling coral fragments to aquarists across North America. Shown here is my 180 gallon experimental tank with several coral species in different phases of propagation.

My biggest breakthrough (in profits) actually came from experimenting with corals and shipping procedures. I determined coral fragments had higher survivorship for up to 26 hours (depending on species) if they were packaged moist, in open bags, versus the typical method of bagging them in water with pure oxygen added. This is now known as the "dry-shipping" method and is commonly practiced by researchers and aquarists when transporting corals.

In 2016, while a post-doctoral research scientist at the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Puerto Morelos, Mexico, I carried 100 live coral fragments using the "dry-shipping" method with me to Norway, where I was presenting at European Coral Reef Symposium. Collaborators met me at customs and transferred the fragments to their University, with a total "dry" time of 22 hours. Only 1 fragment failed to survive.

My 800 gallon Starphire™ all-glass reef aquarium. I built and installed this system in my house during graduate school. The equipment and filtration was located in an adjacent room, and included a 400 gallon coral propagation reservoir connected inline with the system.

(image 2) My 800 gallon Starphire™ all-glass reef aquarium. I built and installed this system in my house during graduate school. The equipment and filtration was located in an adjacent room, and included a 400 gallon coral propagation reservoir connected inline with the system.

In 2003, myself and Dr. Erich Mueller designed and built the indoor and outdoor coral culture facilities at Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Tropical Research (now Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research), Summerland Key, Florida. The indoor culture aquaria were built at closed-systems utilizing Jaubert-type filtration, while the outdoor tables were semi-open systems, utilizing seawater filtered from a well for turnover.

(image 2) In 2003, myself and Dr. Erich Mueller designed and built the indoor and outdoor coral culture facilities at Mote Marine Laboratory's Center for Tropical Research (now Elizabeth Moore International Center for Coral Reef Research), Summerland Key, Florida. The indoor culture aquaria were built at closed-systems utilizing Jaubert-type filtration, while the outdoor tables were semi-open systems, utilizing seawater filtered from a well for turnover.

During graduate school, I was contracted by Florida International University's Marine Science Laboratory to design and install a coral culture system in their new building. I constructed the all-glass aquariums on site and utilized large (600 gallon) poly transport bins as reservoirs. The systems included: a Carlson-type surge system, 1200W Metal Halide lighting, 1/2 hp split-unit chiller, foam fractionator, ozone sterilization, carbonate reactor, RO/DI top off, remote login computer control, monitoring and alarms.

(image 2) During graduate school, I was contracted by Florida International University's Marine Science Laboratory to design and install a coral culture system in their new building. I constructed the all-glass aquariums on site and utilized large (600 gallon) poly transport bins as reservoirs. The systems included: a Carlson-type surge system, 1200W Metal Halide lighting, 1/2 hp split-unit chiller, foam fractionator, ozone sterilization, carbonate reactor, RO/DI top off, remote login computer control, monitoring and alarms.

(image 3) During graduate school, I was contracted by Florida International University's Marine Science Laboratory to design and install a coral culture system in their new building. I constructed the all-glass aquariums on site and utilized large (600 gallon) poly transport bins as reservoirs. The systems included: a Carlson-type surge system, 1200W Metal Halide lighting, 1/2 hp split-unit chiller, foam fractionator, ozone sterilization, carbonate reactor, RO/DI top off, remote login computer control, monitoring and alarms.

I helped design and build the abstract-shaped aquarium and tidal system for Biscayne Nature Center's indoor mangrove exhibit. The display houses live mangroves and intertidal animals, and also changes in water height mimicking a natural tide.

I designed, built and installed a customized anemone culture system for Penn State. The wall stacked, multi tank system, is geared for culturing Aptasia, a small anemone that has become a model system in coral reef research. The system allows researchers to rear the anemones in both the light and dark, in order to create experimental anemones lacking their usual symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae).

(image 2) I designed, built and installed a customized anemone culture system for Penn State. The wall stacked, multi tank system, is geared for culturing Aptasia, a small anemone that has become a model system in coral reef research. The system allows researchers to rear the anemones in both the light and dark, in order to create experimental anemones lacking their usual symbiotic algae (zooxanthellae).

During my appointment as post-doctoral researcher at the Instituto de Ciencias del Mar y Limnología, Puerto Morelos, Mexico, I designed and installed a state-of-the-art experimental system for ocean acidification research on corals. The computer-controlled system allows for precise and independent control of temperature and CO2 levels in 8 replicate systems.

(continued)  Eight independently controlled reservoirs are each connected to 4 experimental tanks to allow for experimental replication. Experimental tanks are located outside to utilize natural sunlight and most accurately mimic natural environmental conditions.

(continued)  Outdoor experimental tanks and reservoirs are plumbed into a control room, where the pumps, computer and control equipment are located.

(continued) Inside the control room, the systems are plumbed into a flow-control manifold to facilitate independent flow-rate adjustments and fresh seawater additions when longer-term experiments call for a semi-open system

(continued) A series of computerized mass-flow controllers allows levels of CO2 to be precisely and independently maintained and adjusted in each system. Each controller communicates wirelessly to pH monitoring systems installed outside on the experimental tanks where the experimental corals are located.

(continued) The entire system is computer-controlled by National Instruments wireless sensor hardware using customized LabVIEW programming.