My 15 Gallon Coldwater System

[Jamie]

Hi guys, this is my first post here, so I'll try to make it good.

 

I've been keeping aquariums for almost three years, and about a year ago I was inspired by Steve Weast's tanks to set up a coldwater, Oregon coast biotope. I've gone through various tank designs, but so far, this is the one I've settled on. The system is approximately 15 gallons, and comprised of three tanks. The "tidepool," the "subtidal area", and the sump. The tidepool (5.5 gal) is fed by a carlson surge device. There are no actual "tides" (i.e. it's always filled with water), but the surge aspect is meant to mimic a tidepool. All live stock is also found intertidally, since I can't scuba dive, but I'm trying to get a hold of some stuff that is found in deeper water. For the subtidal area (2.5 gal) I hope to get some strawberry anemones, because they are amazing, but I may not be able to get any for a while. Anyway, I thought I'd post a few pics for everyone, if you'd like a more detailed description, or more pictures, you'll find them in my thread on nano-reef.com http://www.nano-reef.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=159219&st=80&start=80

 

Pics! (hopefully these will work)

 

The "tidepool"

 

Anthopleura elegantissima

 

Small greenling

 

Diadumene lineata

 

Not sure about this fish, maybe some sort of gunnel

 

Nassarius fossatus

 

Purple urchin

 

Anthopleura xanthogrammica

 

Thanks for looking!

-Jamie

[stylaster]

Very nice cold water system!!! Where did you go collecting?

[dsoz]

Very nice, and welcome to the local club.

 

dsoz

[ThePremiumAquarium]

I am excited to see a cold water system like this. You dont see them very often ad in my opinion they can be as beautiful and far more unique than our warm water tanks.

 

 

Excellent!

 

Garrett

[DChemist]

Really nice job on the cold water setup.

[Frank]

Very nice tank... Thanks for the pics..

[Jamie]

Thanks everyone for the responses!

 

I've collected at many places on the Oregon coast, but my favorites have been Barview (the north Jetty at Tillamook Bay), Ecola State Park (Just north of Cannon Beach) and Netarts Bay (south of Tillamook). Like I said earlier, I'm not dive certified, so everything was collected from tidepools.

[Benny503]

Welcome to PNWMAS, this is the first time I see a coldwater reef tank. Your tank is looking good. Please keep us update.

[coralreefaquarist]

ive been in the process of setting up a cold water for while now. its still in the build stage but your setup is very inspiring(clap)

[tidalsculpin]

Beautiful and manageable! Nice job. Mine is 130 and still lightly stocked. Good work.

 

Impressive that you were able to catch those fish too. Want to tell a fish story?

[matty]

The tank is lookin good! Nice to see you here on the local board. Welcome!

[Jamie]

Beautiful and manageable! Nice job. Mine is 130 and still lightly stocked. Good work.

 

Impressive that you were able to catch those fish too. Want to tell a fish story?

 

A fish story? Not much of a story, but here goes. Well, I'll have to explain a piece of equipment I made for the task, first. It's basically a strainer, it sort of funnels water over a piece of window-screening - I originally made it for catching mysids out of the waves, they just sort of sweep back and forth in the surf - if you've been to the coast you've probably seen them. It works great for catching fish too! The sculpins (no pics yet) are the easiest, just because there are so many of them. You just put the funnel screen on the sand, bury the front of it a little, so they don't realize that it's there, then scare them into it - works (almost) every time. The Greenling was more difficult because it's larger and a fast swimmer. I got it to hide in some algae, so it couldn't see me, then scooped the strainer up under it. The gunnel was caught the same way. Catching the fish is actually pretty easy, with a little experience, it's finding them that's difficult. Generally, if you just pick a spot and sit there for a really long time, you'll eventually see the fish you're looking for. I actually found the gunnel on accident, I was peeling an anemone off a rock (which was taking quite a while) and it just swam by. Another method for catching fish, if you don't have a strainer with you, is scaring them out of the water. Just make a "barricade" with your hands and push them up onto land. Often the fish don't cooperate (like, swim away) but it works sometimes.

 

Well, that wasn't much of a story at all, but it covers all the fish I've got in my tank. If something more exciting ever happens I'll let you know.

 

I'm leaving for a service trip in mexico tomorrow morning, and won't have internet access. I get back the 27th, so I'll talk to all you's then!

 

-Jamie

[Benny503]

Jamie, enjoy your mexico trip....

[jm82792]

Makes me want to chuck my 10 gallon freshwater setup(I have an aquarium limit) then make it a cold water oregonian biotope

[reef165]

what size chiller is that? what are you keeping the temp at? how long has it been set up? what do you use for filtration? have you had any issues with nitrates?

I ask because I tryed a bigger one but my chiller took a dump after 3 weeks so I never realy got a chance to get realy started, and would like to try again on a smaller scale.

[lurch]

Do you problems with condensation on the outside of this tank?

[Jamie]

reef165 - chiller is 1/10 hp. Temp 58-60 degrees. It's been going for about three months, but I've had many of the inhabitants for longer than that in earlier coldwater tanks. Filtration is just natural, live rock, macro algae, etc. I have not had any problems with nitrates so far, and I'm keeping my fingers crossed, but If I start having trouble I might add a skimmer.

 

lurch - On two of the hottest days of this summer I got fogging on the acrylic, but it doesn't bother me if it's just a few days a year.

 

jm - do it! Coldwater is way cooler than freshwater.

 

-Jamie

[downhill_biker]

that tank looks awesome. some of those pics are stunning. i REALLY like pic #2

[Jamie]

Thanks, pic 2 is one if my favorites, but I wish some of the tentacles were more in focus. This is a little random, but there is a coldwater supplier (www.foreshores.net) located in Eugene. You haven't been there, have you?

[spectra]

That is a sweet little tank(rock2) Is the acrylic only 1/4 inch? Might have said but are all the other tank acrylic to or glass? Need to post a few pics of those to if you can(whistle) After seeing this my mantis tank might have to wait(plotting)

[Jamie]

Yep, all the tanks in this system are quarter inch acrylic. unfortunately, the tank is momentarily not set up, as our floors are getting redone, and I had to take everything out of the house for a week. The tank will be set up again next monday-ish, so there won't be any recent pics until then. Here are a few older ones though. All these were taken at night, with a flashlight to illuminate the subject.

 

Hermissienda crassicornis

 

Unidentified anemones

 

A. elegantissima

 

A. elegantissima on the acrylic

 

-Jamie

[biomekanic]

Thanks' date=' pic 2 is one if my favorites, but I wish some of the tentacles were more in focus. This is a little random, but there is a coldwater supplier ([url']www.foreshores.net[/url]) located in Eugene. You haven't been there, have you?

 

 

Holy Crap! Something really cool ( no pun intended ) and it's here in town.

 

I took the libery of writing them to see if they do tours. That would be an awesome club event. ( And revenge for us down here in the valley on you Portlanders for having all those cool stores. (devil) )

[spectra]

Nice pics those are sweet looking(rock2)

[AmySC]

Those pictures are amazing...I'd never be able to take photos like that.

[Jamie]

Biomekanic -get a response from foreshores yet? I'm anxious to hear what they say.

 

AmySC - course you can, just take practice. A lot - I photo my tank at least once every couple weeks, and take 200-300 photos every time! As you can imagine, most are deleted.