AquaticEngineer Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 I thought I would cross post this for you guys since some of you may remember when I first got this tank and some of the work I did on it. Well I ended up selling it to a LFS and the guy who bought it contacted me and we've gone collecting together and are helping eachother out now with our coldwater setups. He's going to concentrate on a very specific biotope we viewed when we were collecting at the Oregon coast. It'll be all tidal containing a lot of Anthoplura Xantogramica ( Giant Green Anemones) green Ulga algae, and the bright green tidal sculpins I have shown in the past. I'm currently holding the quite a bit of livestock for him, so when his tank is ready to rock it should be pretty sweet. Its a ML-22-SS 45 gal marineland lobster tank with to many mods to list, 1/2 hrs pacific coast chiller, SXC hang on the back skimmer rated for 200 gals, more info as tank is stocked and pics to come! The system has a 1/3 chiller built into it, but for whatever reason it wasn't cooling the water. We looked into getting it repaired and recharged and it was more cost beneficial to go a different route. He ended up scoring the 1/2 horse chiller pictured for $150 because the temp control board was fried. The half horse chiller was re-wired to run constantly when powered on, and we just plugged the power cord into the socket that is hooked into the thermostat built into the tank Tank is going to be lit with a single Par38 bulb. COLD WATER TAKE OVER! Link to comment
d0lph1n Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 Very nice. What kind of skimmer is it? SWC, right? Link to comment
C-Rad Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 That's going to be beautiful. I love giant green anemones (but they're not compatible with my octopus). That tank is about 14" deep (28"x28" square) so it should be easy to get lots of light in to keep them happy. I wonder if he could discourage algae growth on the sides by mounting the light high above the tank, and focusing it so that it hits the bottom of the tank, but not the sides? The black trim looks nice. Is that stock or did he have to modify? I'd love to hear about the modifications he's done, to get an idea of how turn-key (or not) such a system can be. I got a chiller cheap once too because the thermostat was shot - good deal. The skimmer is nicely oversized, and installs easily, without the need for a sump - smart. I can't wait to see this system stocked and going. I envy you Oregon guys, living in a free society. In California I can't collect most animals from tide pools, so a tank like his would be difficlut (I'd need to find the animals more than 1000 feet from shore, which is hard for light-lovers like giant green anemone. Link to comment
bensanders Posted May 20, 2011 Share Posted May 20, 2011 These coldwater tanks are so awesome. Can't wait to see how they turn out Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted May 20, 2011 Author Share Posted May 20, 2011 Very nice. What kind of skimmer is it? SWC, right? Yup, and he got it for a freakin steal as well. That's going to be beautiful. I love giant green anemones (but they're not compatible with my octopus). That tank is about 14" deep (28"x28" square) so it should be easy to get lots of light in to keep them happy. I wonder if he could discourage algae growth on the sides by mounting the light high above the tank, and focusing it so that it hits the bottom of the tank, but not the sides? I love them too, I actually loved his idea som much that I am going to copy it on one of my lobster tanks after this weekend. Thats pretty spot on with the tank dimensions, and then below the visible tank bottom is a resevoir that holds the original coolant coil and about 15 gallons of water. As for the algae on the tank sides, he'll be using a Par 38, or one of the 50w DIY lights I made with tight optics. Probably either 30 degrees or 15 degrees. We are going to try both so that it spot lights the center of the tank and has a bit of shadow to the outside edge since there is a lip around the top that is about 2" anyways. The black trim looks nice. Is that stock or did he have to modify? I'd love to hear about the modifications he's done, to get an idea of how turn-key (or not) such a system can be. So far most of the mods where done by me when I owned it and was referbishing it. I repainted most of it from that horrible faded white plastic color to black. Since he has had it we changed it back over to be the original design of a closed loop system and eliminated the standpipe overflow I had put on it before. Also deleted one of the return nozzles so it only has a single return back behind the rocks. I helped him cut the reat part of the plastic to fit the skimmer, and he replaced the opaque plastic top with a nice thick piece of glass so you could view it top down. Basically if you can find one of these (marineland no longer makes this dimesion) buy it as fast as you can If I come across another one I will probably go the same route and use an inline chiller instead if the coil with the compressor just for noise factor. Otherwise most of the mods are very simple. I got a chiller cheap once too because the thermostat was shot - good deal. The skimmer is nicely oversized, and installs easily, without the need for a sump - smart. I can't wait to see this system stocked and going. The best part of the chiller deal for him was that the tank had a thermostat that is hooked up to a wall style plug in so that it kills power to the what ever is plugged into it when the temp goes below the set temp and turns it on when it goes above. I am really impressed with his ideas so far for the tank. I had dismissed using a HOB skimmer because I couldn't seem to find a decent one. This one is awesome I was also too afraid to cut the top plastic at the time I envy you Oregon guys, living in a free society. In California I can't collect most animals from tide pools, so a tank like his would be difficlut (I'd need to find the animals more than 1000 feet from shore, which is hard for light-lovers like giant green anemone. Yeah pretty much you'd have to find an island or a rock outcropping that is 1000 feet offshore, and isn't protected......good luck Link to comment
C-Rad Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 [To collect anemones legally in California] you'd have to find an island or a rock outcropping that is 1000 feet offshore, and isn't protected......good luck AND it would need to be submerged at mean high tide, but still shallow enough to get enough light for giant green anemone. I have found such a place, but it's usually 10-15 feet deep, so not much light. Still, it's a good place to know about, even if it requires a boat to get to. Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 AND it would need to be submerged at mean high tide, but still shallow enough to get enough light for giant green anemone. I have found such a place, but it's usually 10-15 feet deep, so not much light. Still, it's a good place to know about, even if it requires a boat to get to. Yeah I really need to get my dive certs because there are a TON of small rock islands and outcroppings that would be awesome to collect from here in Oregon that are just off shore and barely visible during extreme low tides. Link to comment
alaskan84 Posted May 25, 2011 Share Posted May 25, 2011 Yeah I really need to get my dive certs because there are a TON of small rock islands and outcroppings that would be awesome to collect from here in Oregon that are just off shore and barely visible during extreme low tides. looking good aquatic....ive gotta figure out how i'm gonna get one of these up to alaska...or just find the gem that is sitting in someones garage in Anchorage.... I think I could get a pretty wicked coldwater setup going up here. Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted May 25, 2011 Author Share Posted May 25, 2011 looking good aquatic....ive gotta figure out how i'm gonna get one of these up to alaska...or just find the gem that is sitting in someones garage in Anchorage.... I think I could get a pretty wicked coldwater setup going up here. I check Craigslist on the west coast daily for em, I'll let you know if one pops up. Link to comment
C-Rad Posted May 28, 2011 Share Posted May 28, 2011 Yeah I really need to get my dive certs because there are a TON of small rock islands and outcroppings that would be awesome to collect from here in Oregon that are just off shore and barely visible during extreme low tides. I was a freediver for years before I got SCUBA certified. If the animals are shallow (or you can hold your breath a really long time) you should consider freediving (snorkeling) to collect, if SCUBA certification is too costly or time consuming. You'd still need to buy a good wetsuit, and weights, mask, fins, snorkel, booties, and gloves, but you could postpone paying for training, regulators, tanks, BCD (vest). Plus, it's very nice to not have to carry all that heavy SCUBA stuff around, and to be able to glide through the water like a seal instead of being encumbered by a BCD, tank, regs, and hoses. (You'll still have to carry a weight belt, but the rest fits in a mesh bag/backpack. I tend to use SCUBA to collect animals since I have a boat, and some of the animals take time under water to collect (anemone), and because I'm out of shape and can't hold my breath like I used to, but it's still worth considering freediving. Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted May 29, 2011 Author Share Posted May 29, 2011 I think I am going to give the free-diving a try but it all depends on if I can write off my SCUBA certs as a business expense or not Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted June 7, 2011 Author Share Posted June 7, 2011 OMG my friends tank is AWESOME!!! We stocked it up over the weekend afer our collection trip. Stay tuned,pics will be uploaded tonight after work Link to comment
alaskan84 Posted June 7, 2011 Share Posted June 7, 2011 OMG my friends tank is AWESOME!!! We stocked it up over the weekend afer our collection trip. Stay tuned,pics will be uploaded tonight after work you know that i'm following Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted June 8, 2011 Author Share Posted June 8, 2011 Update with Pics Link to comment
yoshii Posted June 8, 2011 Share Posted June 8, 2011 Awesome! I like that rock of aggregating nems towards the back, really adds some depth Link to comment
Chimpo Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 That's a fantastic tank. The biodiversity of the pacific coast is enviable.. Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted June 9, 2011 Author Share Posted June 9, 2011 That's a fantastic tank. The biodiversity of the pacific coast is enviable.. Its funny that you say that, because we went and collected from the same spot we did last time and we found more different species this time than we did the same. Link to comment
alaskan84 Posted June 9, 2011 Share Posted June 9, 2011 Its funny that you say that, because we went and collected from the same spot we did last time and we found more different species this time than we did the same. Love it! Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 I forgot to grab the camera and upload the other pics, but heres the ones from my phone. Link to comment
briansbelle Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 Looks great! One word of advice though, if thats a par led bulb in the dome you may want to take the dome off. Having the dome on there will cause the heatsink to get really hot and can cause the leds to burn out or shorten the life of the leds. great work!! Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 Looks great! One word of advice though, if thats a par led bulb in the dome you may want to take the dome off. Having the dome on there will cause the heatsink to get really hot and can cause the leds to burn out or shorten the life of the leds. great work!! It is a dimmable 12w Par38 bulb from Ebay. The fixture is oversized and vented on the top, so there is lots of air flow. When I get my bulbs over my tanks, I'll be using an aluminun tube that is completely open on top and bottom for the light shade. Not that these bulbs need it at all, since they have 30 degree optics on them, its mostly for aesthetics. Link to comment
lljdma06 Posted June 24, 2011 Share Posted June 24, 2011 This tank is fabulous. I grew up in the Pacific Northwest (WA), so seeing these animals again has been a real treat. Hahaha, now I'm in South Florida and going Caribbean/FL for my SW tank. Liz Link to comment
AquaticEngineer Posted June 24, 2011 Author Share Posted June 24, 2011 I really like it a lot more now that we took the top off. We had it on there originally to prevent evap, and then realized that since the water is cooler than room temp there is not evaporation hardly at all So its much more enjoyable to look at as a top down viewable tank now, to bad I dont own it anymore and my buddy does I'm kinda jealous now. Link to comment
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