Prepare for the most epic tank ever!!!

[Coldwater]

wow NICE tank! I want to set up a coldwater tank in the future. How critical is the cold temp to these guys? Is it very detrimental to them if the temp goes up to about 25 deg C?

I've always wanted some grunt sculpins and pacific spiny pumpsuckers. funniest fish ever imo.

I have discovered in severe circumstances that the fish found in tidal pools and under rocks can and will survive around that temperature but I wouldn't advise running it at that high of a temperature. As for the grunt sculpins and pacific spiny lumpsuckers they are both in my top ten all time favorite fish. I just wish I could find one or two to put in my tank. Maybe when I get my diving license.

How big is the tank and how is it lit?

The tank is my once tropical 73 gallon. The lighting is a 36" coralife with two 96 watt bulbs. One of the things in the fixture fried though so I am only using on light right now. The fish over here down need much light and I don't plan on keeping any corals in it.

Matt

[Knobsmith]

Nice work! Let me know what you think of the chiller. I am eyeing up the same one for my cold water set-up and I'd like to know how loud it is.
Are you using a glass tank? If so, are you having condensation problems yet?
I highly recommend getting your dive ticket.

[justinl]

whoa! hey that lumpsucker is PINK! hahaha awesome. Ive only seen tan to dark coloured lumps.

I discovered a new fave local species of mine! I saw them at the vancouver aquarium today. hooded nudibranchs. They look like a normal nudi with a dull tan colour (boring) but here's the fun part: it looks like they have a jellyfish fused to their head! they use this "hood" to filter get food. another fun thing is that if you take em out of the water, they smell like WATERMELON! heh, ain't that just retardiculous?

[Coldwater]

Nice work! Let me know what you think of the chiller. I am eyeing up the same one for my cold water set-up and I'd like to know how loud it is.
Are you using a glass tank? If so, are you having condensation problems yet?
I highly recommend getting your dive ticket.

I am using a glass aquarium and will set up the chiller soon. And yes i will for sure be getting my drive ticket. I was supposed to get it the fall but I had a small issue with spending my course money on other stuff...

whoa! hey that lumpsucker is PINK! hahaha awesome. Ive only seen tan to dark coloured lumps.

I discovered a new fave local species of mine! I saw them at the vancouver aquarium today. hooded nudibranchs. They look like a normal nudi with a dull tan colour (boring) but here's the fun part: it looks like they have a jellyfish fused to their head! they use this "hood" to filter get food. another fun thing is that if you take em out of the water, they smell like WATERMELON! heh, ain't that just retardiculous?

Wow I really like that pink one eh. I think I may have to go break into the aquarium and "liberate" one of these Hooded Nudibranchs HA. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm watermelon.

Matt

[justinl]

hahaha. apparently they can swim (although awkwardly) too. They are actually quite common. apparently the show up here: God's Pocket Bay, Port Hardy in the Spring

[Coldwater]

hahaha. apparently they can swim (although awkwardly) too. They are actually quite common. apparently the show up here: God's Pocket Bay, Port Hardy in the Spring

THEY CAN SWIM!!!??? AWESOME!!! I really need to get one now. I have enough algae and other goodies growing in it.

Matt

[justinl]

yeah I know, screwed up isn't it? They sit on eel grass and filter the water for food (plankton) and sometimes are knocked off... then they swim. oh and the "hood" thing sorta goes up and down when they feed. looks like they're praying!

I really want a cold tank for these guys. and grunts and pink lumpsuckers. Ill call it the "nature's rejects tank".

Matt,
okay semi serious question: other than a chiller, do you need anything else on a coldwater tank that a tropical tank doesn't have?

I always figured acrylic tank with skimmer (optional?), canister filter, couple of power heads, maybe a fuge/sump, low lights. maybe a small heater just in case.

do you think a fuge is necessary in this case?

[justinl]

hey i was wondering where you got all your cold livestock from. Did you get other diver friends to collect for you? do divers need a permit to collect wild?

do you think more light would be needed if i took in some coldwater corals? I once dove off bowen island and there was an underwater canyon and on both sides were just walls of white plumose anemones. It was the most ethereal experience Ive ever had. I was thinking of plastering my back wall with a patch of these. there are also a few other beautiful cold corals i would love to keep, including one GORGEOUS pink kind of anemone whose name escapes me for the moment.

[Coldwater]

some have controllers, some don't. If it has a little panel where you can set the temp, then you're kosher. There are single and dual stage controllers as well, the dual stage controls the chiller and then the heater, to stop the constant flucuations, single stage just turns the chiller on when it gets too warm, and off once it hits the set degree.

Wicked my chillers a dual stage.

hey i was wondering where you got all your cold livestock from. Did you get other diver friends to collect for you? do divers need a permit to collect wild?

do you think more light would be needed if i took in some coldwater corals? I once dove off bowen island and there was an underwater canyon and on both sides were just walls of white plumose anemones. It was the most ethereal experience Ive ever had. I was thinking of plastering my back wall with a patch of these. there are also a few other beautiful cold corals i would love to keep, including one GORGEOUS pink kind of anemone whose name escapes me for the moment.

Ummm... I get all my stuff from the shallow water with a dip net or when snorkeling... I think that you may just need a fishing license to keep things I have never run into trouble. I remember hearing or reading somewhere that the corals and anemones around here need alot less like than the tropical ones. In fact I think if you have too much light it can be bad. The plumose anemones feed off of phytoplankton and other small goodies. They would probably be quite hard to keep alive like barnacles.

Matt

[justinl]

yeah i just finished reading somewhere... can't find the link... that cold corals are very independent of light. they all depend much more on plankton.

I would think the anemones would be able to stand any light that goes on a cold tank (because they do use low light) if the anemone were from the intertidal. could probably just peel one off the rock in a tidepool.

damn! i want to set up a cold tank so bad! I think may even tear down my 60gal tropical acrylic tank to do it.

edit: ...and i just finished setting up the 60!!