cold water reef pics

[morgan]

those starfish are stick on both sides are they not i threw one on west oz back the other day to trip him out ive been diving and just found one on my back

 

[tamarindthai]

steve
how cool it can be collect your owns stuff ,,
thanks for the info,,i do have set up for cool tank completed sat in the garage after look at your collection,ommmmi'm sur will be no dang's redbug at 55 degree temp.

 

[Krish]

Very nice pics as always Steve!

 

[morgan]

for everyones information u can keep those feather star starfish in tropical tanks

 

[steveweast]

do u keep many nudibranchs?

I try not to keep nudibranchs since feeding them can be a problem. I do have this one guy though....must be just feeding off the life on the rocks.

My tank is really set up to mimic Puget Sound....with a few Australian fish.

A western blue devil from Australia

A grunt sculpin from Puget Sound

 

[tamarindthai]

for everyones information u can keep those feather star starfish in tropical tanks

do you have any info for acclumateing time and toxin release problem.

 

[morgan]

the feather stars are sold quiet frequently in my lfs and i dont belive there any toxin they noramlly find a spot sit there and filter feed there are sum good food supplemnt locally made that u should try and get off simon he is the best dealer in australia and has more knowledge of corals then any one i have met anywhere he knows his stuff and have seen him ban people for mistreatment of there fish and corals, imo he wouldnt sell it to people if they couldnt handle and by all account thet are quiet easy to care for

 

[KRG]

Beautiful! Simply...WOW!

 

[dragoneggs]

Steve... simply outstanding! Thanks for sharing. I would never imagined this is all in our 'backyard' here in the PNW!

 

[tamarindthai]

Mark ,i do have chiller and double insulated glass tank already,actually this set up i had used to be puget soud water display tank at one time,,what you think

 

[IAP Brian]

Very nice set-up! Looks good. Every summer when we have low tides between 10am and 3pm I am very tempted to set one up as well. I noticed your star fish look to be native. Those ones get REALLY BIG! but that is a nice part of living here, just take them back and get new smaller ones! :lol: Good luck with the tank.

 

[dragoneggs]

Dang... I think you should go for it. We all know your capabilities! The tank and chiller sound like the ticket.

 

[matts125]

Steve,
That is simply amazing!!!

Matt

 

[addicted_2_reef]

I've got to ask....whats the pricing difference between Warm and cold tanks?
fish, lights, corals etc....I work in a Seafood restarant and we had a lobster tank. It seemed that they really didn't do too much execpt keep it cold. They checked the salt once in a while.

-Brian

 

[brady816]

wow wow wow wow thats all i can say keeps the pics coming

 

[burning2nd]

evap is probly less right?

 

[class clown]

Steve - i remember talking with you and your wife, Tiffy, at the first PSAS event this year. You were telling me how beautiful cold saltwater tanks can be and not so difficult to setup, but honestly, I really just didn't beleive it till I saw it here. Pictures speak a thousand words and I'm truely amazed. I had no idea. Nice work!

Ohh.. and I recognize lots of good stuff in there from Puget Sound.. those white nudibranchs are my favorite!!! They are so delecate looking.

nice work!

Ben

 

[steveweast]

I've got to ask....whats the pricing difference between Warm and cold tanks?
fish, lights, corals etc....I work in a Seafood restarant and we had a lobster tank. It seemed that they really didn't do too much execpt keep it cold. They checked the salt once in a while.

-Brian

In general....cold tanks are similar in costs to a fish only warm water set up.....but cheaper than an sps system. Some particulars to cold water setups are...

1) They need only enough light for the viewer since most critters are non-photosynthetic.....unless you want to grow kelp or seagrasses....then a bank of T5's will be needed.

2) maintenance is less.....with less algae

3) fish disease is near non existant

4) No reactors or Ca additions are necessary....minimal alk additions are needed.

5) Flow requirements are the same as a fish only system....but, far less than an sps system.

6) you do need a chiller....which is the only real cost addition over a warm system.

7) stock is hard to get unless you live near a coast....but, more and more cold water fish, anemones, snails, etc are coming through the warm water trade.

8) the tank MUST be acrylic to prevent sweating....and thicker than 1/2" to avoid the sweating issue.

9) the fish need to be fed less than a warm water tank....but, the inverts need to be fed ALOT more since most are non-photosynthetic

10) pretty much all you need is a tank, sump, skimmer, chiller, and a return pump.

 

[steveweast]

evap is probly less right?

Evaporation is very small compared with warm tanks. My total volume....say...150 gals evaporates about 1/2 gal per day. I actually top it off with kalk from my warm system. The kalk helps keep the pH up which , in a cold tank, tends to be on the low side since minimal photosynthesis is occurring.

 

[hooked82]

Thanks for all the info. Has really got me thinking about setting one up. I've got a 1/2hp chiller just laying around too