Doc's Reef Build

Back from Vegas. There is a major story here for me to have gotten these pics. First off, I am so determined. I tend to get what I want. I believe that asking for things is just fine and that you won't know unless you ask.

I stayed at the Golden Nugget and went to the pool to hang out. I just happened to run into the zoologist who runs "The Tank", which is the center-piece of the $30 million pool area just completed last year. Her name is Laura and she KICKS ASS. We talked about fish and sharks for about 15 minutes. I asked her if I could have a private tour and she told me that the tank is not open for tours. I asked again, explaining to her that I was no mere mortal and that I knew my shit. After about 5 minutes, she told me that she would be busy but that one of her staff, Mike, could give me 30 minutes later that day. She told me that no one has ever taken a tour of the guts of the 3 STORY facility. 200,000 gallons of ASS-KICKING SHARK FANTASY. I was so pleased. Here is proof I was there.



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Notice the INK, yup, that is me. BTW, I gained 10 pounds eating like a pig there as well. I have to thank all of the wonderful people at Fitzgerald's Casino on Fremont who contributed to my spending cash to the point that I ate Filet every day and bought by wife a kicking Coach purse. They were kind to allow me to win like an old-west bandit.

-Doc
 
this may take a while since I have about 100 pics to post, so please be patient with the uploading. There is no way for me to get this all up tonight. It will probably take three days to tell the story of this tank as well as the tank at Caesar's Palace, which I also snookered a private tour. My tour guide was Daryl there and my wife and I HAND FED cow-nose rays and a horn shark. More on that later.

Here are a few pics of The Tank and the 5 different species of sharks they have: zebra, nurse, sand tiger, brown and black-tip (my favorite).


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-Doc
 
The divers in the tank were cleaning the fake coral and afterward, fed the sharks. I missed that due to being on the tour. I went inside and saw the biggest protein skimmers in my life. 30 feet tall. Their chamber to hold the 4 million bioballs for bio-filtration is 130 feet tall. It was loud in there. Here are some pics of the open tank once I got inside. the nurse shark is 8 feet long, the three sand tigers range from 7-11 feet long. It was almost a spiritual experience gazing down on top of them.


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-Doc
 
BTW, those lamps are MH lighting. There are 27 individual handing pendant lamps, each holding 1 - 1,000 watt bulb the size of a watermelon. Massive lighting. They also run actynics that are a sight to behold. I have to upload more pics, it will take a bit. I will see what more I can do tonight

-Doc


Biff, can I be cool yet? If this doesn't do it, I give up :mrgreen:

Mind you, I am the only person to not work there to EVER set foot inside, did I mention that? Yeah, I feel special still.
 
You know what would've really made you cool? If you had started a new thread for these pics instead of putting them in your build thread, where they very obviously do not belong :D.
 
see what they usually do is tell everyone that same line "you are the only one to ever see the insides of the tanks" and then they end up feeding them to the sharks. I guess you got lucky and made it out alive.
 
Bifferwine said:
You know what would've really made you cool? If you had started a new thread for these pics instead of putting them in your build thread, where they very obviously do not belong :D.
Click to expand...

its never enough for biff

please forgive her oh mighty one for she is just envious of your coolness :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:
 
jcegt87 said:
its never enough for biff

please forgive her oh mighty one for she is just envious of your coolness :bowdown::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:
Click to expand...

I will forgive her for her short-sightedness. I will continue to post my pictures.

-Doc
 
fishfan said:
doc how do you go about explaining your no mere mortal and get a private tour that has never been given before
Click to expand...

I only use the title "Dr" when I want something: reservations to a fancy restaurant or getting special treatment. I introduced myself as such and explained what I do for my sanity hobby. I expressed interest in learning more from Laura about sharks for my own husbandry and it just went from there

-Doc
 
jcegt87 said:
doc why no pic of you in the community pic thread
Click to expand...

That is a good question. Mostly to protect my privacy - not that I fear anyone here, but I have been involved with clients who were victims of internet abuse crimes. As a therapist, I just like to maintain privacy I guess, not to mention the mystery of what I look like - keeps you interested. I am 5'4" and weigh about 290 - all fat, so that should explain it. My picture just isn't worth posting. Sorry. Alexander will be meeting me on Monday and he will attest that I am human!

-Doc
 
Last edited:
Now then, onto protein skimming!!!



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There are three skimmers, each 30 feet tall. They are incredible. I have never seen anything quiet like them. they are next to the tower that contains the bioballs. I have a pic of that chamber I will post later.

-Doc
 

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