180 gallon Glow tank - Github Universe conference (Palace of Fine Arts)

We were approached by a branding/design company Agency EA in New York to setup a tank for the Github Universe Conference (For builders, planners, and leaders defining the future of software) that was scheduled to be at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on Oct 16 and 17th 2018. I look back at this initial conversation and I'm thinking I was crazy to take on this job. Setup a tank, fill it with fish to be viewed for just 2 days and then taken down?! Of course we care about our animals here, so we wanted to be sure we did this with the least amount of stress on the animals as possible.

With Agency Ea in charge of branding, they shot over design ideas while we determined if it was possible or not. To my initial dismay, they asked for a glofish tank. After designing so many natural style tanks, I did not like hearing about a tank that will be filled with glow in the dark plastics and fish. I mean this is kiddie stuff right? Well the customer is always right... (not always), but in this case they were because the end product rocked! We went with the idea and worked with a set fabrication company to make this concept a reality.

The branding idea was for a Software company in San Jose called Cloud Bees. They wanted a glacier and clouds in the mix. It was envisioned that the glacier would start with the stand and continue with a cutout acrylic that will emerge from the tank. And clouds will house the lighting. I chose kessil lighting as they can make a magnificent blue that will make all the fluorescent fish and props pop. I chose to use an acrylic tank as it was lighter and easier to install and allow me to drill it onsite to install the filter which was a fluval FX-7. The tank was made to have a eurobrace style top, which is not typical for acrylic tanks, we had to use a very thick acrylic for this to be strong enough. The eurobrace allowed for the glacier to emerge from the water at the center of the tank.

The design was to be as clean as possible, no hose and wires visible. The filter was plumbed to the bottom of the tank, with two inline 200w heaters, just in case the place got cold overnight. The lights were hidden in the clouds and suspended over the tank.

We had a couple hiccups along the way, but was able to sort it all out. The next day I brought 150 glo fish and acclimated them to the tank. They were shy at first, only staying at the bottom of the tank, but as time went on they became more comfortable and populated the entire aquarium. The end result came out fantastic! And to top it off, we only lost 1 fish! I know that every life counts, but this 1 out of 150 is pretty darn good.