My coldwater marine tank (Norway)

[NoahLikesFish]

I was thinking of getting a sole. How can I source a warm water marine dwarf sole

 

[bullfrog]

Thanks for all the feedback everyone! Makes it fun to do little updates knowing someone is interested!

Wait there’s jellyfish that don’t need like a round sphere to live?

Thanks for your feedback Noah! This one doesn't swim around at all. It just sticks to a surface and stays there most of the time, but it does move around too if it doesn't like the location. Reminds me more of an anemone then a jellyfish tbh, but it's not..

Does anyone know if theres tropical versions of any of these things. I don’t think I can maintain coldwater yet but I eventually want a coldwater tank

I'm not very familiar with warmwater tanks, and what's available there, but I would be surprised if the options doesn't exist! If you're really into coldwater tanks, and you're on facebook, I recommend you check out "Coldwater Marine Aquarium Owners" though. Lots of people there into this. I'm there myself, but after joining here, I can feel that I've missed the internet forums after spending a lot of time on Facebook...

congrats on a great tank.
thanks for sharing.

Thanks man!

What is the gar looking fish?

Hmm, sorry, I'm not sure which you are referring to?

This is absolutely incredible! There are so many cool things in the ocean, finding awesome stuff in your backyard and biotoping is the coolest way to do aquariums imo. Too bad I’m not by the coast...

Thanks! Finding all the stuff, and learning about it is a big part of the fun to me. I'm lucky to have the ocean within walking distance for sure!

Incredible! Is that a pycnogonid in the 4th to last picture?

It is! Really cool creature! I have a nice video of that one swimming that I will share at some point. Sadly, that one eventually ended up as a snack too, this time for one of my crabs...

Very cool tank!

Thanks for the feedback!

 

[LegalReefer]

I was thinking of getting a sole. How can I source a warm water marine dwarf sole

Look up hogchokers, tonguefish, and small flatfish. There’s gotta be something out there for you!

 

[theocorals537]

Coming from someone who stuffs their tanks full to the brim with high end corals, there is something I love about this tank. I think it’s how natural it looks. I could watch that tank all night

 

[bullfrog]

Look up hogchokers, tonguefish, and small flatfish. There’s gotta be something out there for you!

Never really noticed many/any flatfish in the saltwater tanks I've seen, but they might be more usual then I thought!? Never heard of any of those fish, but those hogchokers look really cool!!

 

[bullfrog]

Coming from someone who stuffs their tanks full to the brim with high end corals, there is something I love about this tank. I think it’s how natural it looks. I could watch that tank all night

Thanks a lot for the kind feedback! Much appreciated!

 

[kaylajoy]

It is! Really cool creature! I have a nice video of that one swimming that I will share at some point. Sadly, that one eventually ended up as a snack too, this time for one of my crabs...

Still very cool! Yours is the first sea spider I've seen in captivity besides the zoa spiders.

 

[rusty hannon]

Thanks for the warm welcome! Seems like a great forum this!

Anyways, introducing my 180L (47 gallon) Juwel glass tank. Have no sump, so it looks a bit of a mess. It's been up and running for about 1,5 years now. My first ever saltwater tank, and my first tank at all for about 25 years... It's a coldwater tank exclusively filled with creatures from my own area (Hitra, Norway) that I've caught and picked myself. (I work as a crabfisherman, so I get a lot of interesting stuff in my traps during the season.) Here's a picture of the tank from a while ago.

I ran the thing without a chiller for a long time, and that worked fine enough for the most part, but got a TECO TK 500 chiller eventually that I'm very happy with. Now able to keep the temperature at 15-16C (59-61F), which is good enough.

Made a short video a while ago about the setup that you can see here:


Also made some videos of some of the inhabitants if you're interested in seeing that. They're posted below.

Think I'll keep it relatively short here.. If there's any questions, I'm happy to reply.

There's been a lot of stuff in (and out) of the tank since I first started it, so I'll finish up with a few (lot) of pictures.

Thank you very much for that rare treat. What we consider cold would b tropical to you, and enjoyed your stock. I really hope you'll become a regular here so we can follow you more on you're reefing journey. And welcome aboard

 

[Young@Heart]

Wow - Nice Tank. Different from the Normal Saltwater Tank. I have thought about a Arctic Style Tank, but never got beyond the thought process - probably because I no longer live in Alaska, but live in Arizona.

 

[Subnautica]

SEE? THAT'S WHY I LOVE NORWAY AND THE NORWEGIAN.

 

[Subnautica]

Wow - Nice Tank. Different from the Normal Saltwater Tank. I have thought about a Arctic Style Tank, but never got beyond the thought process - probably because I no longer live in Alaska, but live in Arizona.

Phoenix resident here. Cold marine tank is something alien and too luxurious for us.

 

[Subnautica]

@bullfrog where do I buy that freaking awesome background? It seems better than the typical black one.

 

[DancingWind]

@bullfrog where do I buy that freaking awesome background? It seems better than the typical black one.

I'm pretty sure you can get it in any freshwater fish store - just ask. they usually come in DIY kit. Or you should be able to order a tank with it applied/ buy a service.

 

[bullfrog]

Still very cool! Yours is the first sea spider I've seen in captivity besides the zoa spiders.

Yeah, I've only ever heard of them as pests in aquariums before, but they are incredibly cool I think.. Would love to try them again, but I am a bit unsure about how easy it is to find food for them. Have to do a bit more research before I try again at least.

Thank you very much for that rare treat. What we consider cold would b tropical to you, and enjoyed your stock. I really hope you'll become a regular here so we can follow you more on you're reefing journey. And welcome aboard

Thank you for the kind feedback! As long as there's any interest, I'll keep updating from time to time!

Wow - Nice Tank. Different from the Normal Saltwater Tank. I have thought about a Arctic Style Tank, but never got beyond the thought process - probably because I no longer live in Alaska, but live in Arizona.

Thanks! Hehe, can still have cold saltwater in warmer climates, but it's more of a challenge/hassle I'm sure.. Need a good chiller, and a glass tank won't cut it I would think.. More difficult to get stock too I'd imagine, so..

where do I buy that freaking awesome background? It seems better than the typical black one.

I'm not sure.. I bought the tank second hand, and it was included. I did a search though, and came up with very similar posters. Link (scroll down for several options).

Thanks again for the feedback everyone! I appreciate it!

 

[McPuff]

Wow, that is very cool!! Such great diversity you've collected. Very pretty too!

 

[G Santana]

Love your tank but those hermits are really cool!!!

 

[NoahLikesFish]

I like how you keep all the ’ugly fish’ in your tank, it shows you value. The fish and the biodiversity over the pretty colors. This tank makes me drool, keep up the good work.

 

[NoahLikesFish]

Also o have a question, is the dwarf flatfish a marine fish? I really like flatfish but idk if its possible to source the Hawaii dwarf sole

 

[bullfrog]

Wow, that is very cool!! Such great diversity you've collected. Very pretty too!

Thanks for the feedback! Much appreciated!

Love your tank but those hermits are really cool!!!

I'm guessing you mean the anemone-hermits? I agree! Really fascinating symbiotic relationship there! Cool the way the anemone protects the hermit with the stingy threads. Also entertaining seeing them "fight" for food, the hermit trying it's best to yank it from the anemone, so they're not always on the same page.. Thanks for the feedback!

I like how you keep all the ’ugly fish’ in your tank, it shows you value. The fish and the biodiversity over the pretty colors. This tank makes me drool, keep up the good work.

Thanks man! All fish are interesting, but the "weirder looking", the cooler they are to me.. There is so much cool stuff though.. My tank just isn't big enough... I need more, and bigger tanks... I have a dream fish that I have to get at some point. The "hooknose". I've never seen it alive, but I know where to get it, so one day! About the flatfish, do you mean the flatfish I have videos of from my tank? If so, yes, those are solely marine fish. I have never heard of "Hawaii dwarf sole", so can't help you there, but after doing a google search, I can say they look really cool!!

 

[Cetus]

Beautiful tank! Have a few questions myself.

1.) Since most things are collected from the wild, have you had any issues with the introduction of parasites or problematic invaders? In reef tanks you can get ich, aiptasia, asterina starfish, or a whole other host of pests.

2.) How is the long term husbandry of these creatures? It seems that it's mostly luck of the draw for whatever gets put into the tank and I assume because of that, some last longer than others. Are there creatures you just cannot keep consistently while others last for the a long time? What animal has been in your tank the longest?

3.) Do you ever have compatibility issues? Do some invertebrates like the crabs ever target mollusks or have your anemones proved problematic with fish? Or are you sure to pick out what you know to be compatible at least?