coolwaters Posted January 10, 2008 Share Posted January 10, 2008 where do u get most of your livestock? i found havent found any LFS or sites that sell cold marine animals... do u get it from the ocean? XD Link to comment
Jamie Posted January 12, 2008 Share Posted January 12, 2008 I've collected everything in my tank, except the Catalina gobies, from the Oregon coast. The gobies are from my fishstore, which got them from somewhere in California. -Jamie Link to comment
kingwintergreen Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 where do u get most of your livestock? i found havent found any LFS or sites that sell cold marine animals...do u get it from the ocean? XD You can obtain temperate marine critters from a number of places. For the most part, the fish selection takes a backseat to inverts (most notably some very impressive anemones) as well as some kelps, seagrasses and macroalgae. You can ask your LFS to inquire about what might currently be available through Quality Marine, or you can order online from the following: www.gulfofme.com www.foreshores.net www.aquaticbiodiversitygroup.com.au If you find a source of South African or Northern European stuff in the course of your search, please let us know... Link to comment
kingwintergreen Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 You can obtain temperate marine critters from a number of places. For the most part, the fish selection takes a backseat to inverts (most notably some very impressive anemones) as well as some kelps, seagrasses and macroalgae. You can ask your LFS to inquire about what might currently be available through Quality Marine, or you can order online from the following: www.gulfofme.com www.foreshores.net www.aquaticbiodiversitygroup.com.au If you find a source of South African or Northern European stuff in the course of your search, please let us know... It would be cool to find a source of Mediterranean livestock as well... are these worms not glorious? Link to comment
Uhuru Posted January 13, 2008 Share Posted January 13, 2008 I got to see steve weasts old coldwater tank (now owned by someone else) yesterday and I was blown away at how awesome it was. Definitely something I'd like to do in the future, I would leave it in my garage - it's cold enough up here that the chiller would barely need to run for most of the year. Link to comment
kingwintergreen Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 some more cool temperate tank pics... (a "moonlit" anemone tank, a nice little waratah, and a leafy seadragon...) Link to comment
MushiMushi Posted January 19, 2008 Share Posted January 19, 2008 This is pretty cool stuff! Link to comment
Jamie Posted January 21, 2008 Share Posted January 21, 2008 I found this link to another CW aquarium. Also has DIY instructions for making a chiller. http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/index.html -Jamie Link to comment
kingwintergreen Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 I found this link to another CW aquarium. Also has DIY instructions for making a chiller. http://www.jonolavsakvarium.com/index.html -Jamie I definately don't want to take anything away from his extremely unique and interesting effort, but I must say I had to chuckle a bit when I saw that coldwater reefers have apparently fallen to the wall-against-the-wall aquascaping theme... There are some really pretty macros in the North Sea. Somebody, please get me some... Link to comment
musicalmike Posted January 29, 2008 Share Posted January 29, 2008 KWG great pic of the worms!! I forgot how beautiful that critter really is. I need to start gathering some for my tank. Sorry for the long hiatus guys, but l have been really busy. I have been following the thread, but lying silent. I do appreciate you guys keeping this thread alive though and want to contribute. My coldwater tank has been doing quite well since its inception back in March of 07. I've suffered no deaths by means of poor water quality, but some by survival of the fittest. The water temps have dropped substantially in the last month, making collecting on SCUBA a very cold endeavor. So things have just been cruising along....up until yesterday. When I walk into my LFS...and right there before me very eyes......a baby Garibaldi!!!. Sweet......I'll take him.........gulp....$95.00 I dropped him in the tank last night and he sank to the bottom and went sideways in a frozen state. "F#@k", I thought to myself, I just lost $95. I left him alone and went to sleep......woke this morning and it had found itself a little place to hide. It seems to be doing ok. I'm sure it's been quite a shock going from 75 degrees down to 60. I hope he survives. Hopefully this fish is the catalyst that helps me sell the idea to the wife that I need a 150 gallon tank, built in to the side of my family room wall. MOOHAHA!!! He's only a baby now....maybe 2-3"......but in a few years, he's gonna need to move on. Jamie... I still owe you those berries, but it's been really to cold for collecting. The surface temps are around 53, so that puts the berries down below 50. Are you ready to sustain that type of temp? EDIT_________________WED 30th The baldi was cruising the tank when I got home and even ait some frozen brine shrimp.....yes!!!! Here are a couple pics of my tank in action. Link to comment
coolwaters Posted January 30, 2008 Share Posted January 30, 2008 u should have float the bag for about 20 mins next time. i could image people putting their tanks in the frig in the summer... Link to comment
musicalmike Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 When I said I "dropped it in the tank", I didn't mean it litterly. I always float my fish for 20 min minimum. I also drip small amounts of tank water into the bag, every 5 min or so. I still think it was a heavy shock to come down that fast and hard. He looks pretty happy today and is eating well too. Link to comment
Jamie Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I recently insulated the pipes and that has helped a lot. The chiller is able to keep it down to 60 easy, it's only on for about half the time. Now that it's not in the zeroedge anymore I'll be able to put styro around it, too. I don't know if I can get it down to 50, but i think 55 is a reasonable goal. I'm going to be shopping for chillers this spring, as the one on my CW tank will be needed for my tropical tank. If I can afford it, I may try something like a 1/5 HP. Good luck with the Garibaldi! -Jamie Link to comment
dshnarw Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Alright, so I'm about to take the coldwater plunge (as if nano-reefing with nearly all nem tanks wasn't difficult enough). Hopefully the chiller will be in my possession tomorrow - a used CSL 1/5 hp with a Ranco controller. Assuming it functions as expected, I should have all the equipment. I've not quite decided on which tank to use though...I have an old 3g Tom Deco, a 10g AGA, and a 12g AP sitting around that I could use. Originally, I was going to use the 3g, but I'm thinking the chiller should be able to handle the 10g, and it would be easier to add insulation to. I could live with whatever sweating happens. Now, for the part I'm unsure of...how do people cycle a coldwater tank? I know most get rocks/substrate straight from the ocean but...well, the Chesapeake is fairly....nasty. And then, the question becomes, how difficult will it be to transfer my A. equina to coldwater? And just because pics are always good - a couple of coldwater shots from the Ripley's Gatlinburg Aquarium: Link to comment
jeremai Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I haven't quite been keeping up - is the A. equina all you have for temperate stuff right now? I wouldn't worry with a cycle. If that's the only livestock, set the tank up at whatver temp the anemone is in right now. put in the anemone, and drop the temp a couple degrees every three or four days till it is where you want it. Worked for me, and the tank never cycled per se; just keep the water changed or filtered or both, and you should be fine. I had a 1/10th hp chiller that kept my tank at 55 easily - but it was in a plywood surrou nd with 1/2" acrylic up front, so well insulated. Still, your chiller should easily be able to handle a 10g AGA. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I haven't quite been keeping up - is the A. equina all you have for temperate stuff right now? I wouldn't worry with a cycle. If that's the only livestock, set the tank up at whatver temp the anemone is in right now. put in the anemone, and drop the temp a couple degrees every three or four days till it is where you want it. Worked for me, and the tank never cycled per se; just keep the water changed or filtered or both, and you should be fine. I had a 1/10th hp chiller that kept my tank at 55 easily - but it was in a plywood surrou nd with 1/2" acrylic up front, so well insulated. Still, your chiller should easily be able to handle a 10g AGA. Yeah, thats the only thing for now. Thanks! I guess after cleaning the 10g and testing the chiller out, I'll move it over and start dropping the temp. I have some 1.5" styro for insulation on the sides/back/bottom that I'll eventually cover over with finished plywood to help out with efficiency. Link to comment
jeremai Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If you're going to cover with plywood, I wouldn't even worry with the styrofoam. The sides of my tank were thin, and with an inch of plywood, the outside stayed at ambient temp - which means no cold was escaping through the sides. Plywood has a great insulative factor; the more layers, the better. The top is really the only place other than the viewing panel that would throw off the efficiency. You also asked about aquascaping, right? Just get some dry sand (the reds in my anemones popped against black sand, but that's a personal preference) and whatever rock looks good to you, and let the livestock provide all the bacteria they bring with them. The great thing about these temperate tanks is that the smoother, more dense the rock is, the more natural it looks. Shouldn't be hard to find something laying around. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If you're going to cover with plywood, I wouldn't even worry with the styrofoam. The sides of my tank were thin, and with an inch of plywood, the outside stayed at ambient temp - which means no cold was escaping through the sides. Plywood has a great insulative factor; the more layers, the better. The top is really the only place other than the viewing panel that would throw off the efficiency. You also asked about aquascaping, right? Just get some dry sand (the reds in my anemones popped against black sand, but that's a personal preference) and whatever rock looks good to you, and let the livestock provide all the bacteria they bring with them. The great thing about these temperate tanks is that the smoother, more dense the rock is, the more natural it looks. Shouldn't be hard to find something laying around. Thats cool, would make things simpler that way. Rocks won't be a problem. I've got a ton of "eggs" from Maine to put in from my various research trips up there. Biggest thing now is getting everything put together - I hadn't planned on having the chiller until tax refunds came in. I might take some of the sand out of the biotope to add in as well, just for extra bacteria to ease my mind a bit. Link to comment
Jamie Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 I don't mean to question the anemone gods here, but I'm not convinced that that's is A. equina. A simple google image search reveals that A. equina have a smooth column, while yours is quite bumpy. It's possible that it is just a variation of A equina, and it certainly is a coldwater anemone, but I wouldn't be 100% confident with that ID yet. Regardless, a very nice specimen. If it ever starts making babies, let me know . -Jamie Link to comment
jeremai Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Jamie, A. equina wasn't my first guess either, but I came by it logically. Let me find the post... Ok, from dshnarw's biotope thread: It's an Actinia equina - and I'm darn near positive. Here's how I came at that: My first guess was Actinia tenebrosa, but they are nearly endemic to the extreme South Pacific. My second guess was the same as adin's, Cladactella. Phymactis are squatty with flat oral discs like Urticina, and have a very textured, bumpy column, so that's out. Then you say the LFS guy was adamant about it being from Africa. I had linked to this article a while back and dug around till something popped out. The fact that A. equina occur in South African waters, and that there is an almost identical appearance to A. tenebrosa only an ocean and a half away... well, that's that. And: In Actinias the morphology of the base is determined more by location and less by species. Only one way to know for sure, I'll tell you the same thing I told adin a year and a half ago: count the tentacles. The multiple will give you the genus, the location it was collected will usually narrow it down to a species. I'm not 100% of course, but I would wager on it. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Here's the post: http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...t&p=1464372 nevermind...beat me to it. Now, for tentacle count - I made it to 140, but couldn't see a row in the pic. Link to comment
jeremai Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 That's the tough part - it's not so much the exact number, but the the multiple. Miss one, and it throws it all off. Link to comment
dshnarw Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 That's the tough part - it's not so much the exact number, but the the multiple. Miss one, and it throws it all off. oh joy. excuse me for a couple months while I teach my nem to "sit" and "stay"... Link to comment
jeremai Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 Hehe, exaclty. All my nems were very easy to identify because the Oregon coast is fairly well documented. Perhaps you should just live with the uncertainty. Geez, all this nem talk with you and looking at Jamie's thread makes me want to get back in the game... Link to comment
adinsxq Posted January 31, 2008 Share Posted January 31, 2008 If you're going to cover with plywood, I wouldn't even worry with the styrofoam. styrofoam & black duct tape FTW!! http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?...st&p=978725 Link to comment
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.