cold water reef pics

[Anonymous]

Okay, after receiving a couple PMs I see that Steve-O is in Oregon. Holy smokes that is a nice tank. 8O

Hey Steve, ever consider getting some hulafish (Trachinops spp.)? They would fit in with your ultra rare Australian cool water fish.

 

[steveweast]

Actually, Matt....that is a cool fish....can you tell me something about it ? I'll have to check my sources about it.

The corynactis, aka strawberry anemones, are pita to get. I've contacted the collectors for Monterey and Long Beach aquariums and they can't help me due to permitting issues. They exist up here.....but, are not that accessible or (where they are accessible) occur in sparse colonies....but, I'm still trying. I think a carpet of these guys, which do well in captivity, would make for a stunning display......better than any of our warm water ricordias. I might have to plan a dive trip to the bay area myself.....it's just that it is a 10 hr drive for me.

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, Matt....that is a cool fish....can you tell me something about it ? I'll have to check my sources about it.

The corynactis, aka strawberry anemones, are pita to get. I've contacted the collectors for Monterey and Long Beach aquariums and they can't help me due to permitting issues. They exist up here.....but, are not that accessible or (where they are accessible) occur in sparse colonies....but, I'm still trying. I think a carpet of these guys, which do well in captivity, would make for a stunning display......better than any of our warm water ricordias. I might have to plan a dive trip to the bay area myself.....it's just that it is a 10 hr drive for me.

That sucks. They aren't common up there huh? They do grow like gangbusters! If I was still at the Bodega Bay Lab I would grab you some; they have a tank in there with them growing on cords, pumps, the glass, even abalones.

Re the hulafish...Scott Michael has a little blurb about them in "Basslets Dottybacks and Hawkfishes" page 176. He groups them in with the assessors, comets, and Paraplesiops spp. Doesn't say much about them, other than that they are hardy, stay less than 4", should be kept in aggregations, and at a water temp of less than 70F. Two Australian sites say they are zooplanktivores. Fishbase.org says that at least one of the species is "A carnivore that feeds on crabs, fishes, and larvae." I don't know how accurate this is, since these things don't get any bigger than firefish. :lol: Good luck finding some!

 

[Anonymous]

Here's another one...

 

[steveweast]

Thanks Matt....my source in Tasmania (where I got my boxfish) actually had them on their availability list....but, their pics were so bad that it didn't look like anything interesting.....my bad, I guess. I'll have to include some on my next order as they are native to southern Australia.

 

[mane3215]

Wow, thats an incredible tank! I have wanted a white bar boxfish for my reef tnak for some time, but here you have to keep the temp at the very highest at like 70. Is this true?

Very nice!

 

[ReefRex]

WOW! That tank looks great, it is by far one of the most unique and coolest looking tanks I have ever seen. Keep up the good work and give us some more pics if you have them.

 

[jusreefin]

WOW, I always thought the cold water tanks at Monterey Aquarium had way more color then Warm water tanks. You are a pioneer in more ways then one

 

[padra]

... only equipment is a single seq 3000 gph return pump, a Deltec 701 skimmer, a PCI 1/2 hp chiller.

...These tanks have been the easiest tanks to maintain that I've ever had. Minimal algae growth from the low lights.....no Ca additions required..........and no fish disease. I keep the temperature between 58 - 60 F.

hey steve.. nice pix. im setting up an Urchin tank, it in the 'new reefers' section: http://www.reefs.org/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=98524&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
i read your post with great joy because there is very little information on cold water tank specific gear. the low temp 17C/62F conditions make for slow growth of everything thats true..

so you dont use a filter? you have live rock instead or the cold water just dosent need it? the skimmer removes enough? do you change the water often[more often than a regular]?

lots of waterflow, skimmer, chiller. sounds simple.

cheers

 

[steveweast]

I have some bioballs in the overflow for biological....I also have some local cold liverock; but, it is very dense. It's the skimmer that really removes most of the waste from the heavy feedings. I do a 50% water change one a month to keep the nitrates below 10ppm.