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Jigsaw's 10G Coldwater Build!


Jigsaw

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@Aquatic Spendthrift They are not photosynthetic! I am actually feeding them every day, alternating between oyster feast (which they seem to love) and reef roids! When I feed oyster feast, they seem to extend a bit more afterward (wanting more!), but it could just be coincidence.

 

@Firefish15 Thank you! Yeah so I'll get a few better photos of these guys soon; my fiancee has a better phone camera than me lol, so I'll have to use hers to take some better photos!

 

Next on the list (probably next month, going slow to make sure nothing goes wrong) is a harem of Catalina gobies!

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  • 6 months later...

Hey all! Just a small update after awhile for not posting:

 

I went through about 4-5 Catalinas months ago :(. They look like they got some sort of bacterial infection (parts of their body turned white the day before their deaths) and perished. I had ONE left for awhile and took a risk and decided to get him some more Catalina friends. I think my root cause, although I have no evidence, was feeding my coldwater fish the same food as my reef tank. I mixed water into the frozen mysis from my reef tank and I'm guessing there was some contamination which caused their deaths :(. Anyway, other than fighting some hair algae which seems to be going away, I have 3 healthy, happy catalinas! One is clearly the alpha male and has 2 smaller females in the "harem." Strawberry anemones are doing great as well! Anyway, here's a short video I posted on IG of them eating. Enjoy :)!

 

 

 

 

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Dang, glad the 3 left are doing good. I got two from LA and they are doing good so far. I thaw the food in my reef tank too... always done it that way... but I don't have any disease in my reef tank that I know of. 

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@Tamberav Yeah, same! I don't know if the bacteria is different or what, but I haven't had any issue (knock on wood) since I got 2 new catalinas and stopped contaminating the food with my reef tank water. I could be paranoid, but who knows, right?

 

So YOU'RE the one I was competing with when I was buying them 😉 

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1 hour ago, Jigsaw said:

@Tamberav Yeah, same! I don't know if the bacteria is different or what, but I haven't had any issue (knock on wood) since I got 2 new catalinas and stopped contaminating the food with my reef tank water. I could be paranoid, but who knows, right?

 

So YOU'RE the one I was competing with when I was buying them 😉 

Haha at least they all got proper cold water homes 🙂

 

Maybe some ended up with an infection since I am positive the suppliers just keep them in whatever temp the rest of the tropicals are. I know in the past cold water people reported issues with them from suppliers who keep them at warm temps (LA).... No other choice though so I ordered anyways.

 

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On 1/17/2019 at 4:57 PM, Aquatic Spendthrift said:

wow thats so cool! Im liking the uniqueness  of this cold water build! are  those nems photosynthetic? 

 

@Aquatic Spendthrift Thank you so much! The nems aren't photosynthetic, actually. I feed them about once every 3 days or so. They REALLY open up shortly before and after feeding. They've multiplied a bit; I started with around 25 and currently have about 35-36 last time I counted!

 

On 1/17/2019 at 5:01 PM, Firefish15 said:

Wow, nice! They're a decent size! Pretty under the actinics too! What's next?

 

@Firefish15 Yeah there is one LA described as "medium" sized and the other two are "small" sizes. Not sure! Would like to get a giant green anemone and maybe order a big pink one from Gulf of Maine (gulfofme.com)

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  • 3 months later...

Hello everyone! I haven't been very active lately (truth be told, I'm more active on @Coldwater.Reef on Instagram! Anyway, since I last posted, I got a number of new anemones from fellow hobbyists and some from @AquaSD! Tank is excellent, only issue I have is hair algae, which I've had for months now. Going to buy a. new skimmer and hopefully remedy it with that and maybe a nitrate reactor. Anyway, without further adieu....

 

IMG_9497.thumb.JPG.7ad9864c50b82e648edb2458e82a30e4.JPG

 

IMG_9498.thumb.JPG.12952f3025c3b4123381e6276f0bfbf4.JPG

 

 

IMG_9500.thumb.JPG.572c071a7cdb4e0421b429b920ca1324.JPG

 

IMG_9508.thumb.JPG.fe1553bc84b3b68521683337b8f9c9cc.JPG

 

IMG_9502.thumb.JPG.0da01a96b488d6d131a67ac0353368e0.JPG

 

 

Any finally my favorite!

IMG_9505.thumb.JPG.26d838af02b488ae7a64667b3b0c5ab8.JPG

 

 

Enjoy! Happy to answer any questions you might have 🙂

 

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Those gobies are breathtaking! I remember years ago I saw them on LiveAquaria and was disappointed when I found out that they are a cold water species. Same with the little strawberry nems. I could have a tank full of them and be content. 

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Thank you so much! They are incredibly gorgeous and one of the main reasons I set the tank up to begin with :). Here's a pretty cool video of them during feeding time: 

 

 

 

Edited by Jigsaw
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  • 2 weeks later...
Micro-Reefs Aquariums
On 11/22/2019 at 7:52 PM, Jigsaw said:

Hello everyone! I haven't been very active lately (truth be told, I'm more active on @Coldwater.Reef on Instagram! Anyway, since I last posted, I got a number of new anemones from fellow hobbyists and some from @AquaSD! Tank is excellent, only issue I have is hair algae, which I've had for months now. Going to buy a. new skimmer and hopefully remedy it with that and maybe a nitrate reactor. Anyway, without further adieu....

 

IMG_9497.thumb.JPG.7ad9864c50b82e648edb2458e82a30e4.JPG

 

IMG_9498.thumb.JPG.12952f3025c3b4123381e6276f0bfbf4.JPG

 

 

IMG_9500.thumb.JPG.572c071a7cdb4e0421b429b920ca1324.JPG

 

IMG_9508.thumb.JPG.fe1553bc84b3b68521683337b8f9c9cc.JPG

 

IMG_9502.thumb.JPG.0da01a96b488d6d131a67ac0353368e0.JPG

 

 

Any finally my favorite!

IMG_9505.thumb.JPG.26d838af02b488ae7a64667b3b0c5ab8.JPG

 

 

Enjoy! Happy to answer any questions you might have 🙂

 

So, happy to see Catalina goby in a proper environment!  Kudos!

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Micro-Reefs Aquariums

Your setup is great!  I love it that you purchased the 1/2 inch acrylic tank from TruVu Aquariums, they are credited for getting Micro-Reefs Aquariums on the map!

 

I have worked with both types of cooling, compressors and thermo electric ice probes.  Both work well but many variables are needed to make the thermo electric work just right.

 

Compressors are fantastic in power but make more noise and vent hot air much more than a iceprobe.  Your 10 gallon plus 3 gallons in the sump were too much volume for that thermoelectric chiller.  It performs well for a much smaller volume say 4 gallons.

 

Our 7.2 gallon worked with three thermoelectric chillers to bring down the system to 55 gallons of coolness. Our system literally allowed our sand anemone to spawn and we got that in video.

 

The main thing is that you realized that you needed the system at proper temp and moved to the compressor, kudos for that!

 

Your video clearly shows the 3 Catalina gobies flourishing!  Even noticed you are running the temp at 63 F degrees, kudos again!

 

I have dove off the coast of Catalina where they are found and the temp runs 50-72 F year around.  In the winter when I dove it was 63 F.  I filmed them in their natural environment and they move around super fast!

 

Your video shows them alert and feeding with quick gulps a fantastic sign that the environment in your system is optimal!

 

Great job again coming from a fabricator of cold water systems!

 

Mike Guerrero

 

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@mikeguerrero thanks so much for the kind words! Yeah, I tried thermoelectric, and I think with a basic 10G it could have worked, but it was essentially ineffective when I added a sump. My initial tests for 5-7 gallons of water worked great, though. 

 

Interesting about the temperature! Do you recommend that I raise it and have a "summer" or have my temperature be more consistent? I've debated that a few times, but figured consistency is key. 

 

@Tamberav Thank you so much! So happy to hear that from another temperate aquarium owner :). We need to spread the movement 😉 

 

 

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Micro-Reefs Aquariums
7 hours ago, Jigsaw said:

@mikeguerrero thanks so much for the kind words! Yeah, I tried thermoelectric, and I think with a basic 10G it could have worked, but it was essentially ineffective when I added a sump. My initial tests for 5-7 gallons of water worked great, though. 

 

Interesting about the temperature! Do you recommend that I raise it and have a "summer" or have my temperature be more consistent? I've debated that a few times, but figured consistency is key. 

 

@Tamberav Thank you so much! So happy to hear that from another temperate aquarium owner :). We need to spread the movement 😉 

 

 

Both of you need to keep energy alive with temperate systems!  I am so proud of both your systems.

 

In summer 2020 my site will go live to fully support new cold water users!

 

I think regarding the change in temp during the year would not do any harm as long as its gradual.

 

See how they take to the different changes, watch their behavior and report back tonus via the thread.

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