16 gallon Coldwater

[Jacobnano]

Wow thats a bummer man

[Lalani]

[Jamie]

Yeah, well, I have to get rid of everything anyway since I'm going to college, but this is a little sooner than I'd like. And everything is doing fine in the current arrangement, as disorganized as it is, and I've been so busy with school I haven't had time to get things cleaned up.

[dtfleming]

Sorry to hear Jamie.

[Jamie]

It's not all bad - I'm excited to be going to college, after all.

 

Despite the tank being in limbo, the few remianing residents are happy. Here's the big anthopleura soaking up some sun.

 

[Jacobnano]

Awesome pic! We need more lol

[Jamie]

The rest is all ugliness.

[Jacobnano]

Nawww. I think it will look fine, take some more pics

[Jamie]

when I have time. Check back in a few weeks.

[Jacobnano]

Lame! Cmon turn on the lights, snap some macro shots. Finals week just ended you are fine (well it did for me anyway lol).

[Jamie]

You, young sophomore, simply cannot understand.

[Jacobnano]

Haha I know, gonna have full IB next year though, Physics too, it's going to be hell.

[Jamie]

hooray!

[Jacobnano]

Exactly. Did you take IB classes?

[Jamie]

We don't have IB at my school, but we have AP, which I think is similar (with AP, you take a big test at the end of the year for college credit. same for IB?). Last year I took AP Chem and Calculus. Along with a bunch of honors classes which are harder than regular, but don't count for anything. My only impossible class this year is Discrete Math, which is a college math class that I really shouldn't be in, but I had a schedule conflict, and... yeah.

[AquaticEngineer]

Where are you planning on going to school? If its not to far from Portland we should go on a collecting trip this summer since I'm out in Beaverton. I should have my 110 gallon temperate tank up and running by the end of May once I get moved into my new house in Damascus.

 

I have a thread going on HERE What areas along the Oregon coast have you gone collecting at in the past?

[Jamie]

I'm going to Pomona (in Claremont, CA) so sadly I won't be bringing any coldwater stuff with me. I can give you a few pointers on where to go though.

 

My favorite place is the Barview jetty (north end of Tillamook bay). There are lots of little loose rocks covered in anemones that are easy to take. you'll also get a lot of cool encrusting sponges on these rocks, but they never lasted long in my tank. you can also find gunnels and sculpins here. Watch out for mossy headed sculpins though, they eat anemones.

 

The docks at Newport are great for getting things that aren't found in tidepools. Small metridium anemones are pretty common. There was also a large colony of an invasive, bright orange colonial tunicate, hanging of the dock when I went. If you can find, it, cut a piece off. It's spread quickly in your tank, and is very pretty. I've also seen baby rockfish hanging out around the docks. It'd be neat if you could net a few for your tank, but they're really hard to catch.

 

There are five places on the Oregon coast designated as marine gardens, which means you can't take anything. I don't know all of them, but Haystack Rock is the only one near here.

 

You do need fishing/shellfish licenses for collection. a few things are protected, but generally the limits are pretty generous (also pretty vague - most of what you're collecting will be "non-food invertebrates," the limit is 10 per person per day.) full guidlines can be found on ODFW's website.

 

Good luck collecting, you're tank looks awesome - I can't wait to see it full!

[AquaticEngineer]

Thanks for the pointers, my friend Ken directed me your way. Any recommendations about where I could catch green pipefish or Spiny Lumpsuckers? I've found reports of school kids catching them posted on the internet using throw nets and seine nets in a few areas for the pipefish. Mostly in bays near Newport and Tillamook. I found a few other accounts of the Lumpsuckers being found in minus tides near kelp beds that where exposed and occasionally in tidepools. Ever see either of theses gems?

 

I've also found online that Ecola State Park has some pretty decent tidepools and they allow collecting since its not a Marine Garden or Research Reserve. Also, if you go just south of Strawberry Hill in Neptune State Park, there is a nice rocky shore area that is outside of the Cape Perpetua Marine Garden. Couple of my friends collected there years back and it was awesome. You going to setup anything while in CA at school?

[C-Rad]

I'm going to Pomona (in Claremont, CA) so sadly I won't be bringing any coldwater stuff with me.

Claremont is only about 50 minutes from the coast (Newport Beach, Laguna Beach), and they have some great tidepools there. I live in San Diego, but I know a lot about California animals and collecting laws, so let me know if you want some help setting up a cold water tank when you get here.

[Jamie]

Thanks for the pointers, my friend Ken directed me your way. Any recommendations about where I could catch green pipefish or Spiny Lumpsuckers? I've found reports of school kids catching them posted on the internet using throw nets and seine nets in a few areas for the pipefish. Mostly in bays near Newport and Tillamook. I found a few other accounts of the Lumpsuckers being found in minus tides near kelp beds that where exposed and occasionally in tidepools. Ever see either of theses gems?

 

I've also found online that Ecola State Park has some pretty decent tidepools and they allow collecting since its not a Marine Garden or Research Reserve. Also, if you go just south of Strawberry Hill in Neptune State Park, there is a nice rocky shore area that is outside of the Cape Perpetua Marine Garden. Couple of my friends collected there years back and it was awesome. You going to setup anything while in CA at school?

 

The only place I've seen pipefish around here was randomly off the side of a dock in Anacortes, WA. They normally live in eelgrass flats. When I was at camp in San Diego, we went on a pipefish collection trip for Scripps, and basically just got a big seine net and dragged it through the eelgrass. I think actually spotting individuals to catch could be pretty difficult. I wouldn't go with a casting net; in my experience, fish just get caught in the netting and injured. Unless you can find one with really fine mesh, but pipes are pretty fragile.

 

I have no experience with lumpsuckers, but Jacob (he has a thread in the biotopes section, too) has caught them in Puget Sound.

 

Ecola park is great, but you have to do a little rappelling to get to the good tidepools (unless the tide is below -1.4, then you can walk around the headland - but you can get trapped this way), so bring a rope. It's possible without one, but really steep, crumbly oil, which his hard if you're carrying a bucket. Ecola is the only place on the north coast I've found urchins, though I think they're more common further south.

 

 

Claremont is only about 50 minutes from the coast (Newport Beach, Laguna Beach), and they have some great tidepools there. I live in San Diego, but I know a lot about California animals and collecting laws, so let me know if you want some help setting up a cold water tank when you get here.

 

I don't know if I'm going to set one up. I really really want to, but there are a few obstacles. Feeding would be an issue, because I'd be going home in the summer. I was thinking of building a 1 gallon or less tank with a sealing lid, so I could just seal it up and put it in my suitcase whenever I go home, which would work as long as I glued everything down. Some of the dorms aren't air-conditioned, so keeping a tank cool in the first few weeks of school would be quite a challenge. I was thinking about getting a little iceprobe, but I don't know if that would have the cooling power I need. An actual chiller would probably be noisy and annoy my roommate.

 

So, I might have a little personal tank, we'll see. The other possibility is doing research on local marine life, which is maybe a little more likely. Either way, I'll let you know if I need to collect anything. Thanks!

[Jacobnano]

Yay pipe fish! I have always been wondering about these Jamie. My family works with the University of Washington to protect them and there is a really nice one in the bay next to my cabin. I always see pipes in there. My question is, they seem really big, like over a foot. I could prob catch one pretty easily but the size has me worried. That on top of feeding something with such a small mouth sounds scary.

[Jamie]

yeah, they get pretty big - still adorable though! I think they're a little easier than tropical pipes. The temperature slows their metabolism a little, so they don't have to be fed four times a day like tropical varieties. I wouldn't try keeping them with large anemones, though - I think an eelgrass biotope would be a much safer bet. If you could ween one onto frozen mysis, I don't think feeding would be too difficult, but they might get a little big for your tank.

[Jacobnano]

yeah, they get pretty big - still adorable though! I think they're a little easier than tropical pipes. The temperature slows their metabolism a little, so they don't have to be fed four times a day like tropical varieties. I wouldn't try keeping them with large anemones, though - I think an eelgrass biotope would be a much safer bet. If you could ween one onto frozen mysis, I don't think feeding would be too difficult, but they might get a little big for your tank.

 

 

Yea. I am thinking about setting up a flow through tank this summer. It would be tough but neat. You could come help haha. The pipes are neat:)

[Jamie]

oooh, I like it. Post pictures!

[Jacobnano]

oooh, I like it. Post pictures!

 

I will if I do. I got plan it out of course. Wouldn't be too tough I don't think....