15 gal Coldwater Dual Biotope

[Jamie]

Actually, I might be getting a Strawberry. They have some at foreshores.net, but there is a 250 dollar minimum. Somebody I know (coughjeremaicough) is buying from them though, and might get one for me, if I pay them back of course. I guess I could buy 250 dollars worth of strawberries, but that might be a last resort.

 

If that works and it reproduces a lot, I may eventually have some to trade. I also, possibly, could get some sooner, but I'm not sure about that. I asked the fishstore, and the guy there said to ask the Oregon Coast Aquarium, because, and i quote, "They have them growing like Aiptasia's." So, we'll see if that works out, but I somehow think a large aquarium would be hesitant to donate anemones to a random teenager who lives three hours away. I might try to contact Steve Weast too. It's not his tank anymore, but I'm sure he could pull some strings. maybe...

 

And, this is really random, but I had the best dream last night. It was the perfect tidepooling experience, I found a whole bunch of those A. artemisia, a really cool Urticina (that doesn't actually exist) and my favorite anemone of all time - Cribrinopsis olegi. It was amazing. That's kind of depressing, that a dream about finding anemones was the best dream of my life, but, still, it was amazing. Too bad it didn't actually happen. I woke up and I was like, "Aww, I don't actually have any of that stuff."

 

-Jamie

[hijiwii]

And, this is really random, but I had the best dream last night. It was the perfect tidepooling experience, I found a whole bunch of those A. artemisia, a really cool Urticina (that doesn't actually exist) and my favorite anemone of all time - Cribrinopsis olegi. It was amazing. That's kind of depressing, that a dream about finding anemones was the best dream of my life, but, still, it was amazing. Too bad it didn't actually happen. I woke up and I was like, "Aww, I don't actually have any of that stuff."

 

-Jamie

 

Haha I know what those dreams are like, I had a dream I was culturing nudibranchs. I just looked up Cribrinopsis olegi, and WOW what a beautiful anemone. Good luck finding one of those. An anemone shrimp to go with it would be cool too.

[dshnarw]

Actually, I might be getting a Strawberry. They have some at foreshores.net, but there is a 250 dollar minimum. Somebody I know (coughjeremaicough) is buying from them though, and might get one for me, if I pay them back of course. I guess I could buy 250 dollars worth of strawberries, but that might be a last resort.

 

If that works and it reproduces a lot, I may eventually have some to trade. I also, possibly, could get some sooner, but I'm not sure about that. I asked the fishstore, and the guy there said to ask the Oregon Coast Aquarium, because, and i quote, "They have them growing like Aiptasia's." So, we'll see if that works out, but I somehow think a large aquarium would be hesitant to donate anemones to a random teenager who lives three hours away. I might try to contact Steve Weast too. It's not his tank anymore, but I'm sure he could pull some strings. maybe...

 

 

well, if you get some and they split enough to trade out, lmk. meanwhile, I'll be attempting to talk the lil lady into a $250 present to myself

[Jamie]

Haha I know what those dreams are like, I had a dream I was culturing nudibranchs. I just looked up Cribrinopsis olegi, and WOW what a beautiful anemone. Good luck finding one of those. An anemone shrimp to go with it would be cool too.

 

I know, they're amazing, unfortunately, I think they only live in Russia and maybe Alaska. If I ever am in Alaska though, I'll see if I can find any!

 

well, if you get some and they split enough to trade out, lmk. meanwhile, I'll be attempting to talk the lil lady into a $250 present to myself

 

I emailed Steve, unfortunately, since it's not his tank anymore, he couldn't help me, but he gave me the name of the current owner, and I'm going to pm him on PNWMAS sometime soon. If this doesn't work, I guess I'll ask the aquarium. And Steve also told me that the only place he's found them in the US was a deep and difficult dive in extreme northern Washington. So even once I get certified, I don't think I'll be getting any that way.

 

Would you (or anyone else) be interested in a group buy from foreshores? That way we could get over the minimum without everyone spending so much money.

 

-Jamie

[dshnarw]

I know, they're amazing, unfortunately, I think they only live in Russia and maybe Alaska. If I ever am in Alaska though, I'll see if I can find any!

 

 

 

I emailed Steve, unfortunately, since it's not his tank anymore, he couldn't help me, but he gave me the name of the current owner, and I'm going to pm him on PNWMAS sometime soon. If this doesn't work, I guess I'll ask the aquarium. And Steve also told me that the only place he's found them in the US was a deep and difficult dive in extreme northern Washington. So even once I get certified, I don't think I'll be getting any that way.

 

Would you (or anyone else) be interested in a group buy from foreshores? That way we could get over the minimum without everyone spending so much money.

 

-Jamie

 

well, I'll have my fingers crossed that one of the cheaper possibilities comes through for you

 

but yeah, I'd definitely be interested in a group buy.

[Jamie]

Oooh! I think I found another coldwater livestock supplier! Yay!!!

 

http://m-rep.com/index.htm

 

Quotes from the site:

 

"Marine Research and Educational Products' mission statement is to provide quality maricultured and natural marine stock organisms to educational, research, and consulting organizations for the advancement of higher learning, new drug discoveries, and environmental monitoring activities."

 

"We have the capabilities to provide almost any southern California marine species [like strawberries!!!] that you might want to fulfill your needs. "

 

I don't know if they'd sell to hobbiests, since it says they provide to educational organizations and such. I don't see why they wouldn't, it doesn't say anything about it on their website. I'm definitely looking into this. Exciting!

 

-Jamie

[jeremai]

Good find. ^

 

I was thinking of contacting Fore Shores about a group buy, but the logistics of shipping are foreign to me, as I've never participated in a group buy before. Would we be asking them to ship individually, or would they ship everything to one of us who would then distribute further?

 

I'm a little hesitant to do any shipping to or from Las Vegas for the next couple months, that's why I've waitied on my order.

[Jamie]

I've never done one either, so I don't know, but I doubt they'd want to ship individually; we'd probably have to send it to one person, who would then ship everything out. Unfortunately, that would make shipping costs a lot more. They say shipping is free, but they really just add it to the price of the animals. Another problem is that there is a limit on the strawberries (three per order), if the three of us ordered together, we would only get one each. If anyone else wants in, somebody wouldn't get a berry at all. I'm fine with only getting one, but I don't know about you guys, they're supposed to reproduce quickly, at least. I'm good with waiting a little while, I'm not going to be around much until September starts, when does it start cooling of in Las Vegas?

 

-Jamie

 

EDIT: I take back what I just said about the limit of three per order. It used to say that under the description of the anemones, but they must have changed it. I'm assuming that since it doesn't say that anymore, there is no longer a limit.

[arwndsh]

EDIT: DANG IT!!! AMBER KEEPS LOGGING IN ON ME!!! ---DANIEL

 

If m-rep turns out to be worthwhile, but only works with educational institutions, I can always try the "scientist at U of Maryland" approach.

 

re foreshores, never hurts to ask about individual shipping - if they add on the price of overnight USPS to everyone, makes it easier. If it comes down to a 1 strawberry each limit, I'm cool with that. Just means I'll be feeding extra September seems like a good time for me as well, DC can get awfully hot and muggy through August.

 

 

WOOHOO STRAWBERRIES!

[jeremai]

Ok, I'll email foreshores.net tomorrow and get the skinny, then start a new thread so we don't keep muddying up Jamie's.

[Jamie]

hey, it's not like anyone else is posting here. But sure, I'm up for a new thread. I'm looking forward to seeing what foreshores says, I hope there isn't a limit, I'd at least like to get a couple.

 

Random, but, one of my dad's patients (he's a surgeon) is a commercial fisherman, and they offered to take us out on a commercial Hake fishing trip. Apparently they just drag nets around for the fish. I'm not too interested in seeing a bajillion dead hake, but I think the bycatch could be really cool. Maybe I'll even get to take something for my tank! Not getting my hopes up for that, but I'm still excited. I saw a website where people just dragged nets along the bottom and pulled up all sorts of ridiculous and awesome stuff. They even got a rock covered in strawberries! But they pulled up all sorts of cool shrimp, little fish, shrimp, sponges, anemones - stuff you really wouldn't expect to find in a net. I don't know if the trawler will be dragging along the bottom or in open water, and I'm really not expecting to get anything good, but I still can't help getting a little excitied.

 

-Jamie

[Jamie]

I got some more night-time pics!

 

First, the nudi's. These pics aren't great - the acrylic has some algae on it that won't come off, and it's just hard to manually focus on a moving subject while holding a flashlight!

 

 

 

 

And a couple anemone pics

 

something funky has been going on with the ISO (like, it keeps changing and making ugly pictures) and you can kind of see it in this pic. I think it does it more with the longer exposure pics, but I'll have to do more experimenting.

 

 

Anemone on the acrylic

 

 

I also finally got around fixing the "overflowing fish" problem. All the small fish kept overflowing into the sump, due to the lack of screening over the overflow, and I finally added screening! Unfortunately, It only worked for the top tank, when I tried it on the bottom it caused the water level to rise more during the surges, and the tank would overflow. Not over the sides of the main tank, but in the sump. The level of the acrylic drops when you go into the sump, and if the water level is too high it will pour over the edge there.

 

I apologize if that didn't make much sense, it's pretty late, and I'm tired, but I wanted to get these pics up.

 

Oh, and since only the top tank has screening over the overflow, all the small fish had to go up there, so it now has four fish in it. The tidepool still has the greenling, since he's too big to go over the overflow (there is eggcrate over it, just not screening). A few days ago I asked the fishstore to order a couple of Catalina gobies for me, so now I'm going to have six fish (though they are tiny) in the top tank, a volume of about 2.5 gallons. So needless to say, I need to get rid of some fish. I think Jeremai is buying a sculpin, or maybe both (???). The problem is, the sculpins are really cool, and I still want at least one, so I'm going to have to get more after I sell the ones I have. I have to keep the gunnel, because it is amazing, but maybe once it gets bigger it can go in the lower tank. The stickleback is kind of ugly, so I might just let it go, but it's one of the only (maybe the only) "water column swimming" fish I know of that stays small, and I'd like to have something to fill that niche. That's still four or five fish, but they are all under an inch long, other than the gunnel, and the stickleback is around 1.5, but I don't know if I'll be keeping him. I don't know, I guess I'll see how is getting along before any big changes.

 

-Jamie

[arwndsh]

EDIT: DANG IT!!! AMBER KEEPS LOGGING IN ON ME!!! ---DANIEL

 

If m-rep turns out to be worthwhile, but only works with educational institutions, I can always try the "scientist at U of Maryland" approach.

 

re foreshores, never hurts to ask about individual shipping - if they add on the price of overnight USPS to everyone, makes it easier. If it comes down to a 1 strawberry each limit, I'm cool with that. Just means I'll be feeding extra September seems like a good time for me as well, DC can get awfully hot and muggy through August.

 

 

WOOHOO STRAWBERRIES!

 

Maybe you should start checking who is signed in like I do before you start posting.

 

Jamie- I love your tank design its so different. Might have to borrow a few ideas for the evolution of my tank. And I think that whether or not you do the group buy I still see strawberries in Daniels future. I wonder how long it will take him to see this. Sorry for the hijack.

[Jamie]

Thanks! Sounds like someone might be getting a little present!

[dshnarw]

Thanks! Sounds like someone might be getting a little present!

 

more like a trade agreement I get coldwater livestock, she gets new clothes

 

 

those night shots are great. good way to highlight just the subject

[Jamie]

Perfect! A win-win situation. That's what it's like with me and my mom / sister. "Okay, I'll go to the mall with you for an hour if we get to go to the fishstore afterwards."

 

yeah, this kind of photography is fun, especially because a lot of the time there isn't a very pretty backround in my tank. I need to get a tripod for my flashlight or something though. The tank is too low for the camera to be on a tripod, so it's on a stack of textbooks. I hold the flashlight in my left hand, and focus with the right (auto-focus doesn't work with my lens extender). Unfortunately, since the camera isn't on a tripod, I can't adjust it's position very much, so a lot of he shots aren't framed very well. It works okay, but there could definitely be some improvements.

 

-Jamie

[Jamie]

I just emailed m-rep, we'll see what they say!

 

-Jamie

[jeremai]

^ same with foreshores.

 

[Jamie]

Well, m-rep can't supply to hobbiests. I asked him if he knew of anywhere that would, but I think that probably won't work out. I guess I'll try the current owner of Steve Weast's tank next.

 

-Jamie

[jeremai]

lol, time for Daniel to step in with his scientist from U of M approach.

[Jamie]

DO IT!!! I'm emailing randy (Steve's tanks new owner) as we speak, too. I hope that works out.

 

-Jamie

[jeremai]

 

I apologize for the slow reply, I am in the process of moving tanks and things (and you have to finish what you start rather quickly in this hot weather). Shipping is my single largest expense, so everything would indeed have to go to a single address for any kind of break (sorry). Breaks, even if small (everything helps), are however possible, depending on the item and quantity. For example, supplies and availability for strawberries is so low that I had a quantity LIMIT on them for each order until recently! Let me know what you need, how much, etc. and I'll see what we can do. Thanks!

 

Kenneth Wingerter, ForeShores.net

 

Well kids, PM me with what and how much you'd like and we'll go from there as soon as I figure out where to post the new thread, lol.

 

[Jamie]

hehe, I'm so excited.

ygpm.

[dshnarw]

lol, time for Daniel to step in with his scientist from U of M approach.

 

I'll have to work on that Monday...I think I may have to write a paper on a bunch of articles I haven't read (or found) and don't understand by tomorrow afternoon?

[Jamie]

Hooray for unwritten papers with deadlines in less than 24 hours!

 

Do you really think you'll be able to convince them that a geologist needs strawberries for a research project? lol, this could be fun. Can't wait to see if it works out.

 

I tried to get some good nudibranch pics this afternoon, I think I got a couple, but they're still on the camera. I'll probably upload them later tonight.

 

-Jamie