JManrow Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 You are doing a great job stocking your tank. Adding hardy invertebrates is definitely the best way to go right now, since your tank's biological system is not yet established. There has already been too much careless spending of our resources the way many of us spend money. You are teaching your students much more than how to make a colorful tank. That will happen in time as your tank becomes established and is able to support more delicate fish and invertebrates. I have collected many of the same specimens down in the Monterey Bay Area that are found in the Puget Sound Region. As it was previously said, it has much to to with upwelling of currents bringing nutrients to particular areas. These areas normally have an extensive growth of kelp. In these Kelp Forests you will find a great diversity on marinelife. I would suggest talking to some of the divemasters at various Oregon Dive Shops about where the best areas for collecting might be. Ask them where Corynactis and Metridium anemones can be seen locally. The solitary corals are often sought after as a photographic subject - ask about these too. Different habitats will have different organisms. Zostera beds will have pipefish and many juvenile fish suitable for your tank. Don't give up on Oregon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquasereneDiver Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 JManrow...great point...this is about showing young people the diversity of their native species and giving them an appreciation for them. As far as asking the DM's at the local shops...well...I'm well on my way to becoming one of them. lol My girlfriend is an instructor at the only shop within 60 miles. We just don't have great dive collection sites around here without paying for a charter to get offshore to the reef zones. (Let me rephrase that...we do have some great sites..Florence and Newport are two of them...they just don't pack the biological diversity punch that Puget Sound or Monterey do...) As I said, we are going to be collecting in the Sound here shortly...it wouldn't surprise me if we can come back with 20 or 30 different species without even trying. I know exactly where I can grab Metridium giganteum and roughly a dozen other species within 10 minutes in the Sound. (We usually dive Alki Beach Cove 2/Seacrest Park in West Seattle...great dive site if you haven't tried it Steve, btw. It has pretty much any depth you'd like to reach at one site...from shallow kelp beds at 40' to a huge Metridium garden on submerged girders at about 100'...and if it's your thing and you're a tech diver..the site continues to drop off to 200 or 300' or so. ) Cheers, Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 Austin brought by the animals this AM. All are doing great so far. I'll be chacking parameters this afternoon. Anyone have salinity converstion charts around for a regular dip sg meter? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 Austin brought by the animals this AM. All are doing great so far. I'll be chacking parameters this afternoon. Anyone have salinity converstion charts around for a regular dip sg meter? http://www.lumcon.edu/education/studentdatabase/SGTable.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 23, 2007 Author Share Posted February 23, 2007 Latest parameters: 53 F /11.6 C 1.026 sg Should be about 32.8 ppt at 11.6 C Ammonia 0.25 Nitrite 0.0 Nitrate 0.0 Ph 7.8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted February 23, 2007 Share Posted February 23, 2007 i remember a while back on this thread Austin had said he tested the PH in the ocean at 7.8 and ive herd Steve say hes strugling to keep his tank at 8.2. Does the ocean here allways test at 7.8 here? is it diff up in the sound? or is Steve still thinking tropical? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 7.8 or 7.9 is what I am shooting for. Don't know if it gets higher than that in Oregon. I believe that Steve's tank is not completely an Oregon tank he has quite a few organisms from the New Zealand Tasmania region. I do not know what paramaters are like in that portion of the world's ocean are. I don't think I'll let it go lower than 7.8. I'll start kalk if I have a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquasereneDiver Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Joel...thanks again for letting me be a part of things. I can't wait to see what I can bring back from Newport next week. I've got some pics of stuff in the tank...I'll upload them to the PC tonight and post later. Oh...and when is everyone getting SCUBA certified? Cheers, Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Certified NASDS(Now Scuba Schools International-SSI) in 1971. Who else in the club dives? (no doubt a new thread on this should be started...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveweast Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 A few thoughts: 1) When I test the water that I get from the Sound, the pH usually messures at 8.0....sometimes at tad lower or higher.....but, remember, the water sits with no aeration in my bucket for the over 5 hour drive home. I try to keep mine at 8.0 ish. I was unable to keep it at 8.0 without using kalk as top-off...not alot...maybe 1/2 gal a day. Since there is little photosynthethesis going on. my pH has a low of 8.0 and a high of 8.1. 2) As for s.g......I really don't think it is that important as long as it is in the 33 -35 ppt range. The areas that we dive are usually shore dives and subject to fresh water run-off or sometimes even streams. When I test the Sound water....temp at 55....for salinity on my refractometer, I usually get a 34ppt reading....so....I just use that number on my refractometer. By using this method, there's no need to correct my refractometer for temp since...if it reads 34....it is the same salinity as the Sound. I would suggest that you just use your salinity reading device on cold ocean water and use that as your temp correction. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 24, 2007 Author Share Posted February 24, 2007 Thanks for the insight Steve. One kind of beginner question: Refractometers- What brand do you like/trust? Do they all auto adjust to temp? Kids got a kick out of the observation time today. We notice several behaviors. 1. The buffalo sculpin matched the substrate perfectly. Didn't budge three inches from where Austin placed him. 2. One cockle was not alive. The other two, once open and feeding, excreted an interesting white globby mucous. 3. The limpets hitchhiker barnacles are readily filter feeding. 4. One other fun hitchhiker -An amphipod! It was cruising around like Luke Skywalker in the Ewok Forest looking for food. Thanks Austin for generosity in time and effort. And the scuba talk might be fun sometime. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steveweast Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 I don't necessarily prefer one brand over another. They do not correct for temp...they are used for warm water....but, there is no need for them to correct for temp. You just need to see what your refractometer reads for cold ocean water....then match that value for your tank....the actual number is irrelevant.....just match the reading for ocean water to your tank water. Of course you could always bring up the test water temp to 78 if you like and then test and adjust to 35ppt....the salt content doesn't change with temp....just what value the refractometer yields will vary with temp...and even with that, there isn't that much of a difference. You could also use a LaMotte titration salinity test kit which is NOT dependant upon temperature and yields a ppt reading. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AquasereneDiver Posted February 24, 2007 Share Posted February 24, 2007 Joel..no worries on the time and effort...we would be diving anyway and Karin likes to have things "to do" while she dives (I think it's a dive instructor thing...lol..always has to be doing something while diving). Although I have to admit, trying to aim a dive light, maneuver too big of a net, AND chase gunnells into said net while laying on a mud bottom brings new meaning to "task loading" underwater..lol. And I would have no problem coming in in gear to talk about diving. We're actually getting a new housing for the camera shortly, so I'd even be able to share photos of what it looks like while we're down there. Cheers, Austin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted February 27, 2007 Share Posted February 27, 2007 any new pics? Austin, did you make it to newport? do you know how deep the reefs are at the 3/4 mile off shore? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 Sorry no new pics but parameters are starting to move. The true cycle has begun. Salinity 35 ppt Ammonia 0.50 Nitrite 0.25 Nitrate 0 pH 7.9 Temp 11 degrees C Animals are all alive still. Currently feed krill 1X daily a 3 g chunk Currently feed 1 tsp of phytofeast Reef nutrition to barnacles and clams. Get a strong feeding behavior 10 min after feeding. Installed 1 1500 seio in the corner to bounce off the front of the tank. Austin dives tomorrow PM. We should have new animals and pics Friday. Tidepool Trip will be March 24th - The next mninus tide I'm off work and that the (wife) gave me off lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JManrow Posted February 28, 2007 Share Posted February 28, 2007 Joel, did any substrate make it back to add to your sandbed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted February 28, 2007 Author Share Posted February 28, 2007 No, Austin forgot the muck. Maybe this week. The Nuttal's Cockle Clams have been doing nicely. One stuck it's foot out in class today! I placed them in the thickest portion of the substrate near the front of the tank for kids to observe. They react to light and vibration much like tridacnid clams do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 3, 2007 Author Share Posted March 3, 2007 Temp 11 C SG 1.026 pH 7.9 Ammonia 0.25 Nitrite .25 ! Nitrate 0.10 ! I've got cycle! Snails appear to be carnivorous. They have eaten all the little barnacles off my limpet! No new animals today(scratch) . Austin has been out of touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted March 10, 2007 Share Posted March 10, 2007 hows it comming? any new critters or pics? i cant tell buy the pic, what is the thickness of the tank? 3/4 or 1 inch? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
acrylics Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Tank is made from 1" with 1/2" bottom and overflow IIRC. James Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 There a no new animals in the tank. Last week the weather was bad for Austin. His trip to Seattle did not include too much diving. I'm hoping Austin will dive this next week. I am going on my tide pool collection trip on March 24th. Anyone is welcome to tag along to Arago. That will be when I have more animals to show off. The tank is cycling cold so I am not in a hurry. Feedings include sinking pellets, mysis,krill and live phytofeast. Ammonia has dropped nitrates are stable. I started skimming last week. Tidepool reports are over for now. Students are moving into weather and climate next. Another opportunity to talk about corals and ecosystems effected by climate change. I'll post some more pictures of animals when I have a chance. I have been pretty busy with sub plans lately. My wife and I are baby swapping these days until we put him in daycare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nyles Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 Tank is made from 1" with 1/2" bottom and overflow IIRC. James And did he mention its heavy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tidalsculpin Posted March 11, 2007 Author Share Posted March 11, 2007 Oh yeah, Nyles and his bro helped bring it in the school on a freezing December night! I placed it on the stand myself. Ouch. Yeah I know..... crazy teacher!(nutty) Levers are simple machines. So are tanks in a pinch! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 i was wondering if you could use a thinner acrylic for the bottom and top, that would cut down the price quite a bit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reef165 Posted March 11, 2007 Share Posted March 11, 2007 i can imagine that its abought 250lbs? concidering that 1/4 inch is abought 50lbs a sheet how do you do the quote in reply? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.