supernip Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 that sucks. was a good concept Quote Link to comment
jbowser Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Go for the temperate tank!!! Would be awsome!!! There are some 2,5 and 5,5g here on the forum too, with the iceprobe. It would be smart to isolate the tank tough! Jbowser Quote Link to comment
BGJ223 Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 @Mike - I think that would be a great idea, for 2 reason. 1. have not seen any cold water picos. 2. If it works, I am sure you will boost your sales. Also consider compiling a list of cold water vendors. If you are going to do it though, I think you should start with a blank canvas. Get rid of your sand and rock. The rock can be reused, but I would dry it out first. With such a drastic temperature swing you would have tons of bacterial die off. That is just my opinion. Lastly, if you do it, I think I want to do it with ya. Tell me what your setup consists of, I would love to give cold water a try. Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 @Mike - I think that would be a great idea, for 2 reason. 1. have not seen any cold water picos. 2. If it works, I am sure you will boost your sales. Also consider compiling a list of cold water vendors. If you are going to do it though, I think you should start with a blank canvas. Get rid of your sand and rock. The rock can be reused, but I would dry it out first. With such a drastic temperature swing you would have tons of bacterial die off. That is just my opinion. Lastly, if you do it, I think I want to do it with ya. Tell me what your setup consists of, I would love to give cold water a try. Thanks....This project looks like it's going to get started.... Will keep the setup basic and will start it this week... Need to pick up another chiller from my supplier.... Go for the temperate tank!!! Would be awsome!!! There are some2,5 and 5,5g here on the forum too, with the iceprobe. It would be smart to isolate the tank tough! Jbowser Thanks, Looks like reefers are interested in seeinig the 2 gallon go cold.... Keep it simple and try to make a beautiful reef out of what I can legally get out of Monterey CA.... Quote Link to comment
Jonboymd Posted December 3, 2011 Share Posted December 3, 2011 Order placed today. Have been wanting to have a tank in my office for a long time. Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 3, 2011 Author Share Posted December 3, 2011 Order placed today. Have been wanting to have a tank in my office for a long time. Hi Jon, I got your order and will put it together... Quote Link to comment
BGJ223 Posted December 4, 2011 Share Posted December 4, 2011 Thanks....This project looks like it's going to get started.... Will keep the setup basic and will start it this week... Need to pick up another chiller from my supplier.... Thanks, Looks like reefers are interested in seeinig the 2 gallon go cold.... Keep it simple and try to make a beautiful reef out of what I can legally get out of Monterey CA.... PM me once you have the setup figured out, maybe we can put together a package (Minus the light). Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 I tore down my 2 gallon pico, completely, transferred all my corals and premium purple live rock into our 25 gallon company show tank. I researched a little on the net and found out I will lose all the purple coralline as I drop the temp down to 55 degrees. So everything except the warm live sand is in the 2 gallon pico and I have pulled out the heater, funny to see the heater be removed in a tank, never done that before. I will be picking up the chiller probably on Thurs from my supplier. There will be a full documentary to follow on exactly what I will use for this cold water setup, it will be awesome. But for now, I will leave you with the last picture I took of the 2 gallon before it was torn down: Macro pic Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 7, 2011 Author Share Posted December 7, 2011 (edited) I don't know if anyone knows, but I am a certified diver since 2007 and was trained in Monterey CA. I absolutely love cold water diving and have all the equipment for such waters. I have sent off for my permit from Fish and Game to collect small critters for this 2 gallon cold water pico. Here are two pictures: Ready to enter Monterey Waters... These are the colors of Cold Water reefing... Colors that I want in our 1st cold water Micro-Reef... Edited December 7, 2011 by mikeguerrero Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 (edited) I met today with the owner of the Cool Works micro-chiller, very nice guy. He showed me around the company and how the chiller works, very helpful... So, here are the first couple of pics on this chiller, it is remarkably quiet and super efficient: All laid out, and 1.25 hole cut on top of the AC20 Ice-probe hand tight fit on AC20 top cover Snug placement into AC20, notice that both sponge and chemipure elite fit View of chiller cooling the 2 gallon pico Birds eye view of chiller on 2 gallon pico The chiller has brought down the temp to: 62.6 degrees. I will be posting a pic of the DA RKL to show you the acquired temp that I would like. Edited December 8, 2011 by mikeguerrero Quote Link to comment
castiel Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 That's very cool. I assume chillers can't be any smaller than that? I guess it is small ... but on a pico looks rather beefy! Any risk of it toppling off? Looks heavy too. Quote Link to comment
jbowser Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Nice start! Have you seen any signs of condense on the HOB or the tank? Its a shame that cycling a CW takes rather long, or are you gonna use rocks from the beach? Jbowser Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 You can use LR and LS from wherever you're gathering, no waiting That's what I did when I used to have a temperate tank Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 That's very cool. I assume chillers can't be any smaller than that? I guess it is small ... but on a pico looks rather beefy! Any risk of it toppling off? Looks heavy too. It comes with heavy duty velcro on the sides that would not let it fall off.... Not to mention it's very heavy and with the center of gravity pulling it down, it doesn't need the velcro... I left mine without. But just for security you can add it... Yes beefy is not the word I would use, I believe Newman called it a beast on a pico... Nice start! Have you seen any signs of condense on the HOB or the tank? Its a shame that cycling a CW takes rather long, or are you gonna use rocks from the beach? Jbowser Very good question and it's something that I feared about doing this project, and the answer so far is NOPE!! I'm using acrylic and I did some research and the thicker the acrylic the better insulation properties over glass. A lot of reefers doing this type of project mentioned the condensation on glass tanks, not acrylic. And remember it's not summer so I have to pass the Yoshii test, she told me Summer is my enemy and this might not work. You can use LR and LS from wherever you're gathering, no waiting That's what I did when I used to have a temperate tank Yoshii, I did some research from the net and found that it's better to use live rock from the area in which you might collect, but any rock will work but takes longer. So, in the interest of time, I will be collecting from Monterey CA shortly. Since I'm a cold water diver, I plan on collecting some rocks from no deeper than 20 ft. Just want to see where that gets me first... Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Here is the pic of the RKL temp reading... Quote Link to comment
jbowser Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Then we will just have to wait and see I've been told to get my hands on the thickest acrylic i could afford... To battle off condense AND help the chiller (I dont think that any chiller would be happy running at full throttle 24/7 But for now i'm focusing on my reef tank Jbowser Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 (edited) Then we will just have to wait and see I've been told to get my hands on the thickest acrylic i could afford... To battle off condense AND help the chiller (I dont think that any chiller would be happy running at full throttle 24/7 But for now i'm focusing on my reef tank Jbowser So far the chiller is turning on for about 20 mins and then resting for 30 mins before it turns back on to keep me at 55 F degrees.... My room is at 65 degrees and it's night time and outside it's 45 degrees.... I'm talking with others to find out what temp I will be settling for to keep my Catalina gobies happy and cold water reef critters and some kick ass purple coraline only found in cold water.... That is why I'm doing this project on a 2 gallon pico and not the 3 gallon.... I know this will fly also with good results on my 1.6 gallon pico as well,,,, the smaller the volume of water the easier the chiller has to keep the temp constant.... Edited December 8, 2011 by mikeguerrero Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 A lot of reefers doing this type of project mentioned the condensation on glass tanks, not acrylic. And remember it's not summer so I have to pass the Yoshii test, she told me Summer is my enemy and this might not work. Yoshii, I did some research from the net and found that it's better to use live rock from the area in which you might collect, but any rock will work but takes longer. So, in the interest of time, I will be collecting from Monterey CA shortly. Since I'm a cold water diver, I plan on collecting some rocks from no deeper than 20 ft. Like jbowser said, usually the acrylic is thicker, but we'll have to see if it sweats or not Isn't most of Monterey Bay that marine reserve? Make sure to see what areas you can collect in Btw, I love this site, it's mostly for stuff you find in tidepools, but if you look here it might help you ID stuff What I did when I set up mine was just get a bunch of LS, like 15-20+lbs (I actually didn't have much rock) and I didn't have a cycle. Quote Link to comment
rbaby Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Your bro told me about it today...that you had this maniacal idea of a coldwater pico =P ...can't wait to see it and what grows in it!! Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Like jbowser said, usually the acrylic is thicker, but we'll have to see if it sweats or not Isn't most of Monterey Bay that marine reserve? Make sure to see what areas you can collect in Btw, I love this site, it's mostly for stuff you find in tidepools, but if you look here it might help you ID stuff What I did when I set up mine was just get a bunch of LS, like 15-20+lbs (I actually didn't have much rock) and I didn't have a cycle. Yoshii, Thanks for the site, even though I've been diving 4 years in California Monterey and Carmel I don't know all the phylums... As far as catching, I don't have my Fish and Game permit it's $800 dollars for the year and I haven't sent off for it... If I pick up stuff it will be broken rock in 20+ ft of water, where there is some light so my critters won't mind my light on them... As far as sweating, not yet and remember I don't use glass and that's why acrylic is better for insulation. But my room has been cool, lets see Cristina, how far I can go with this project... I don't know any other that has taken a 2 gallon pico to a magnificent place... I might be the first, wish me luck... Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Your bro told me about it today...that you had this maniacal idea of a coldwater pico =P ...can't wait to see it and what grows in it!! Ruthie, Remember that cold water reefs are not photosynthetic as their brethren tropical reefs, they rely on super rich nutrients that rush up from the abyss of Monterey canyons... So my research is pointing towards, good dosing beyond what I have done with tropical reefs and excellent stable cold water, where oxygen stays richer than in warmer water... From what I've read and experienced with the Catalina goby, is that when temps got higher than 70 degrees they started to breathe heavy, a good indication of lack of oxygen in their captive world... My cold water reef doesn't rely on a LED fixture at all, simple T5 bulbs will showcase the tank, it's the power of the chiller and good filtration to pull out any left over nutrients that are not consumed... A good protein skimmer is highly recommended for a cold water reef, but one as small as mine, will not work so I have to rely on good water changes and since I keep my water in the garage, it's always 50 degrees there, a plus for this project... I can't wait to see what I can pull out of California coast that will live with the purchaseable Catalina goby, and I hope to be among the first on this board to keep a catalina goby past the year and healthy... Am I crazy? Nah, just a fanatic with anything related to the ocean warm water or cold water, I'm there... Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 8, 2011 Author Share Posted December 8, 2011 Good day to all my inquisitive cold water reefing friends.... Report: 55.5 degrees F with no hick ups, chiller is on for about 20 mins and shuts off for another 30min so the chiller is not on 24/7 to maintain. Zero condensation, might be because of the acrylic and I am not using thin glass. Two small victories in today's quest for our cold water pico.... Quote Link to comment
dragon79 Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 maybe Mike can start with some sand crabs. lol Quote Link to comment
yoshii Posted December 8, 2011 Share Posted December 8, 2011 Wait, you're doing a NPS temperate reef? Quote Link to comment
Micro-Reefs Aquariums Posted December 9, 2011 Author Share Posted December 9, 2011 Wait, you're doing a NPS temperate reef? Tell me my dear, what is a NPS temperate reef? Quote Link to comment
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