Puget Sound Biotope

[1guydude]

Ive attempted a coldwater biotope. Lmk if you need any help/info/advice. I met up with stew and his partner josh i think it was on a low tide day in oregon and collected that day.
Tank needs to be thick acrylic. Your chiller needs to be reliable and quiet. Plumbed to exhaust outside imo.

You can catch grunt sculpins here right off the dock. Pinch the barb. There is not catch size requirment for bottom dwelling fish or their wasnt when i was collecting.
Hths
D

 

[steveweast]

You start a neat little biotope and get excited, then Bill Gates comes in with a 400g Hollywood feature film of his tank crushing your soul, smashing the backboard to pieces

I actually almost didn’t post in this thread for that very reason but there are so few reefers with temperate experience that I thought it best to give the OP a source for temperate reefkeeping experience which is very different from warm water reefkeeping. He has already gotten over the hardest hurdle.....he lives near the livestock source.

 

[Viva'sReef]

A local reefer buddy from way back Austin Lefevre ran a coldwater tank many years ago. It was pretty bad butt from what I remember. He had some pretty cool corals, Dendros and Rhizotrochus dominated. Not sure if he's on the forums anymore. He left Michigan and moved to Cali and works at Tenji aquarium and design now.

 

[1guydude]

Tenjis a ba company. Been awhile since i seen anything on them
D

 

[eatyourpeas]

I actually almost didn’t post in this thread for that very reason but there are so few reefers with temperate experience that I thought it best to give the OP a source for temperate reefkeeping experience which is very different from warm water reefkeeping. He has already gotten over the hardest hurdle.....he lives near the livestock source.

I am glad you decided to post. I am grateful for any advice I can get since this will be my first salt water tank. Someone who can be inspiring would never be a soul crusher in my book.

 

[Silver Dollar]

This is a really good start! I am a big fan of macro algae and its a big challange.
If I'm allowed to come with some of my experience I would say that lighting is one of the key ingredients. My previous 200 litre tank had 4 pieces of T5HO 54W. Go for daylight (about 6300K). Do not use lighting for tropical aquariums.

You have to dose some nutrition on a weekly basis:
Iron and iodine

The weekly water changes are important to maintain the level of potassium, manganese and other trace elements. Start with 20% and increase if you need to.

When you have so much light regular hair algae starts to grow in a alarming level, so if there are some algae eaters in Pudget sound - Go and find them.
If that doesn't help, you need to have hard laminar water flow that shifts direction often (every 30 seconds). When I say hard I mean storm.

Some of the macro algae makes the water yellow and it can lower the pH. Ozone can help. Activated carbon will not help in my opinion.

I dont want to spook you, but its a challenge to keep macro algae. But the reward when it grows is fantastic! Dont forget to post more pictures and your progress.
Good luck and enjoy this fantastic hobby!

(Sorry for my bad English, Im from Sweden)

 

[1guydude]

This is a coldwater tank. She wont get hair algae. The nutrient levels in a coldwater are nothing to worry about.
Everything is dormant and cold and slow moving almost. The fastest things were the crabs and gunnel.
D

 

[Silver Dollar]

I have had cold water tanks for 10 years, so I have some experience with growing macro algae. The hair algae and the macro algae consumes the same nutrition, so there will be competition. And the hair algae has the upper hand.
At 55F / 12.8C, as it is in this tank the biological life is still high.
You need to dose the nutrition, otherwise the macro will start to die.

This is my previous 200 litre if I didn't scrape the front glass for a week. The temperature is 9 C

 

[1guydude]

To each their own. Kool tanks.
D

 

[Mawlbec]

It has begun. Currently a very small tank since I am new to salt water, but here it is. Still cloudy, but settling in. Just a few specimens of seaweed and a few inverts. I will post a list soon and include parameters as well.

Seriously considering diving our sound and this just makes it more so!!!’ Thank you

 

[Mawlbec]

You are off to an interesting world in temperate reef keeping.....especially if you can collect yourself. What you are doing though is quite challenging since algae tends to dominate everything with even medium lighting (just like in Puget Sound). That's why I eventually migrated to the lower depths with non-photosynthetic inhabitants.

Crazy this type of reef keeping exists...opening my eyes!

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Is there a giant squid under the narrows bridge?

 

[1guydude]

Its a giant octopus yes.
D

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Its a giant octopus yes.
D

How big is giant? I drive over it every day and my son was asking. He's only 2 1/2 but he asked "how bihhhgg"? Lol

 

[1guydude]

Idk i think its just 5-6ft. Hopefully someone who frequents will chime in. I know its been their forever. I worked and volunteered at the poulsbo marine science aquarium before uw took over and we had a good 4ft one for months till we released for spawning. That was 4 yrs ago at least.
D

 

[1guydude]

Gpos! Thats what they r! Giant pacific octopus. You could prob google are local famous guy at the narrows bridge. Lol. I think they even named him.
D

 

[1guydude]

Our*

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Gpos! Thats what they r! Giant pacific octopus. You could prob google are local famous guy at the narrows bridge. Lol. I think they even named him.
D

That is BIG!

I dont think nano will hold him!

 

[Mywifeisgunnakillme]

Found video!!

 

[eatyourpeas]

Seriously considering diving our sound and this just makes it more so!!!’ Thank you

You won't regret it. It is a beautiful place to go diving.