Large coldwater marine aquarium.

[Nick32]

I am planning on making a 400 gallon "touch tank" style aquarium. I live in New Brunswick, Canada (east coast) and plan on collecting sea anemones, crabs, starfish and other various inverts to keep in it. I have kept a reef tank for awhile but do not know the implications of keeping a large coldwater system...Does anyone have any experience keeping these types of systems and would be willing to help me out?
-Nick Hawkins :)

[hijiwii]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=890751&perpage=25&pagenumber=1

http://oregonreef.com/sub_coldwater.htm

That should help, you could try contacting steve weast, he seems like a cool guy.

[Nick32]

whats steve weast's user name?

[hijiwii]

steveweast

[epiphanus]

If you get an appropriately sized chiller (over-sized), virtually everything else is a cakewalk. I am amazed at how adaptable most intertidal stuff is to aquarium life, especially compared to tropical reef creatures. The reason for this is fairly straightforward-- the former creatures are adapted to a oftentimes harsh and everchanging natural environment, while the latter are certainly not.
I'd be happy to help you out with any questions you might have, if I can. Please send private messages, as the search function for RC is almost always down and I can never seem to remember which stuff is on which thread on my own. Anyway, as mentioned earlier, Steve Weast is certainly qualified to help you out (judging from his own successes) if you can get a hold of him. Check out this month's Freshwater and Marine Aquarium Magazine for the article on temperate marine aquariums. You can find husbandry tips and some systems info at www.foreshores.net.
That's a big coldwater tank, I hope you go for it.

[boomsticks]

What is the temperature range for the Green Anemones? It says tropical to temperate. I was wondering if it would surrvive in my reef tank. I keep my temp around 78 steady night and day. Well try to sometimes it falls to about 76 on cold nights.

Thanks!

Mike

[epiphanus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12605332#post12605332 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boomsticks
What is the temperature range for the Green Anemones? It says tropical to temperate. I was wondering if it would surrvive in my reef tank. I keep my temp around 78 steady night and day. Well try to sometimes it falls to about 76 on cold nights.

Thanks!

Mike

From my own experience, they close up and show signs of discomfort as temps climb into the early 60's. They would likely die if left in these "high" temps for long.
Anthopleura xanthogrammica is absent as one approaches Baja, the beginning of a subtropical zone. They are best maintained in a temperate aquaria (that is, one with an appropriately sized chiller). They seem to love strong water movement. If they are fed often, they will not require bright lighting; however, as their intense pimentation imparted by zooxanthellae, at least a couple of PC's are necessary to maintain their wonderful colors. Kept in a cool tank, these are among the most hardy, beautiful and interesting anemones you will find.

[boomsticks]

So if I converted my 40 gal freshwater "frog" tank without a heater do you think they would be okay?

[epiphanus]

If you provide reasonable water quality (they are more tolerant than most of the many tropical varieties I have dealt with, but do try to be kind to them), water movement (strong) and lighting (a couple of PC's, if you want to preserve their color). They pack more of a punch than most tropical anemones, so be careful of all fish and inverts you place in that small tank. The tank size is would be fine for the anemones (one or two, maybe three) themselves. Hope that helps...

[epiphanus]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=12629445#post12629445 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by boomsticks
So if I converted my 40 gal freshwater "frog" tank without a heater do you think they would be okay?
Oh, most importantly... I strongly suggest getting a small chiller (they're not that expensive as of late) if the water temp doesn't STAY between 55-60F.

[boomsticks]

You got a good point there epiphanus. I went on Foreshores.net and saw a "white spotted rose anemone" the thing was like two hundred dollars!! I can't believe that some of the temperate species go for more than the tropical ones!

[epiphanus]

Yeah, foreshores.net pays all shipping, and that's a massive (and extremely attractive) anemone species. Of course, old-fashioned laws of supply and demand probably apply as well.
Maybe someone else can help me out with the name of that chiller, I still can't remember it, but there is a good unit out there for nano tanks that wouldn't cost you too much...

[coolwaves]

Did you go ahead with this project? I recently saw a system like this that was very impressive, more like looking down into a tide pool than into the side of a "tank"... it was constructed very cheaply out of a large plastic tub (Rubbermaid type). I'm considering something like this myself, perhaps with a stand pipe overflowing into a smaller tub below.

[CadetMKultra]

Make sure to get sculpins. They should be easy to find and are incredibly entertaining and hardy fish that you will be able to hand feed. They will occupy the same tide pool in the heat of the summer and the freezing cold winter. I used to have several in my NYC East River tanks back when my college room mate and I kept those. I'm pretty sure they go that far north. I think the type we had was a small sculpin. Also, consider getting this book. It's a bit far south for you, but I guarantee it's the best guide for anything on the east coast. Marine Animals of Southern New England and New York It's got everything from humans to barnacles keyed out to the species. AWESOME! It costs about 25 bucks and you can order it from the state of Connecticut. http://dep.state/ct/us 860-424-3555 Oh, another thing. If you live that close to the water's edge, don't pay for food. Bust open a mussel every few days and chuck it in, or go net grass shrimp from under a floating dock. If you want to stock your tank with cool stuff, consider buying a couple of minnow traps. Mostly you'll get a ton of crabs, but I had at least ten species of fish eventually and a mantis shrimp that would make grown men weep. I had star fish and anemonies. You name it.

[coolwaves]

I love sculpins, it's amazing that they can make up for their ugliness and then some on account of their personality alone.
Ever get pics of that tank?

[AquaticEngineer]

Did this tank ever happen?

I'm planning a couple different large coldwater tanks to go along with my 325 gallon coldwater garage system. One is going to be an outdoor tidepool style pond using a disguised and refurbished hot tub from craigslist, the other will be a surge style tank with a 1" thick from viewing panel and the rest constructed using plywood/fiberglass.

Curious to see how yours did.