Region-themed reef tanks

[BAMslam93]

Hi all,

I’m curious if anyone keeps a reef tank with species outside the Indo-Pacific? I’ve always wondered about Gulf of California, Red Sea, and Caribbean-themed tanks and if anyone has dabbled with them. Maybe cold water too?

I’d love to see your tanks! :D

 

[CBonito]

Hi all,

I’m curious if anyone keeps a reef tank with species outside the Indo-Pacific? I’ve always wondered about Gulf of California, Red Sea, and Caribbean-themed tanks and if anyone has dabbled with them. Maybe cold water too?

I’d love to see your tanks! :D

There is definitely a guy on here who has a cold water reef, but the name eludes me.

If you look in the tank build threads, there are a few people doing really cool fringe-type stuff.

 

[BAMslam93]

There is definitely a guy on here who has a cold water reef, but the name eludes me.

If you look in the tank build threads, there are a few people doing really cool fringe-type stuff.

I feel like I’ve seen a video someone posted of their PNW reef tank, either on this forum or another.

 

[coralboi56]

Hi all,

I’m curious if anyone keeps a reef tank with species outside the Indo-Pacific? I’ve always wondered about Gulf of California, Red Sea, and Caribbean-themed tanks and if anyone has dabbled with them. Maybe cold water too?

I’d love to see your tanks! :D

1. I personally believe this is how reef tanks should be. That being said, many common place aquarium species come from outside the Indo-pacific
Rock Flower Anemones (Caribbean)
Royal Grammas (Caribbean)

2. My next tank build is actually gonna be a Red Sea biotope :)

3. Research tanks are (for the most part) all region specific. In my current coral internship, we are dealing with deep water non photosynthetic Gorgonians from the Gulf of Mexico

 

[littlefoxx]

Im partial to red sea fish, they always attract my eye! Ive got 2 from the red sea. Most of my other fish are indo-pacific and Indian ocean fish. I guess you could say that because most of my fish are pacific and Indian ocean oriented since red sea fish are expensive!!! I guess that that would be my region tank if I had to classify it! lol but I really just pick fish I like.

 

[vlangel]

Kevin (@Chasmodes), your chesapeake oyster cluster biotope should be featured in this thread.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

I know a lot of people do run regionally themed tanks, but I don't recall everyone off hand. I know @Nman does a coldwater, UK rock pools tank; @TangerineSpeedo runs some temperate tanks - I don't recall at the moment if they're region specific though; @Reefkeepers Archive is trying for an Australia specific one; lots of people aim for Caribbean-themed tanks, and a few others aim for different biotopes like Atlantic-themed, Great Barrier Reef, Okinawa/the East China Sea (I know @Zionas was thinking of doing this biotope, but I don't know if he ended up doing it or not), Puget Sound (some really cool stuff like Grunt Sculpins from here), Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay (an oyster reef), Hawaii, etc.

I know a lot more people keep cold/temperate tanks, but I've found it hard to find pics of the tanks.

Personally, I really like the Puget Sound stuff, and I'd love to see some Japanese biotope tanks, as Japan has a lot of cool sea critters.

Some examples:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/carribean-biotope-style-im-20.984743/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/puget-sound-biotope.806998/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/chesapeake-bay-oyster-reef-biotope-tank.303105/vlangel beat me to the oyster reef one.

 

[Reefkeepers Archive]

I know a lot of people do run regionally themed tanks, but I don't recall everyone off hand. I know @Nman does a coldwater, UK rock pools tank; @TangerineSpeedo runs some temperate tanks - I don't recall at the moment if they're region specific though; @Reefkeepers Archive is trying for an Australia specific one; lots of people aim for Caribbean-themed tanks, and a few others aim for different biotopes like Atlantic-themed, Great Barrier Reef, Okinawa/the East China Sea (I know @Zionas was thinking of doing this biotope, but I don't know if he ended up doing it or not), Puget Sound (some really cool stuff like Grunt Sculpins from here), Long Island Sound, Chesapeake Bay (an oyster reef), Hawaii, etc.

I know a lot more people keep cold/temperate tanks, but I've found it hard to find pics of the tanks.

Personally, I really like the Puget Sound stuff, and I'd love to see some Japanese biotope tanks, as Japan has a lot of cool sea critters.

Some examples:
https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/carribean-biotope-style-im-20.984743/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/puget-sound-biotope.806998/https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/chesapeake-bay-oyster-reef-biotope-tank.303105/vlangel beat me to the oyster reef one.

Aussie corals, aussie/melanesian fish, so far working out, though it's really hard to find good fish from that region, wild caught aussie corals are extremely easy to get ahold of though, but then there's the pests that come with them.....

 

[coralboi56]

Im partial to red sea fish, they always attract my eye! Ive got 2 from the red sea. Most of my other fish are indo-pacific and Indian ocean fish. I guess you could say that because most of my fish are pacific and Indian ocean oriented since red sea fish are expensive!!! I guess that that would be my region tank if I had to classify it! lol but I really just pick fish I like.
Technically, most people consider the Red Sea part of the info pacific

 

[littlefoxx]

Im partial to red sea fish, they always attract my eye! Ive got 2 from the red sea. Most of my other fish are indo-pacific and Indian ocean fish. I guess you could say that because most of my fish are pacific and Indian ocean oriented since red sea fish are expensive!!! I guess that that would be my region tank if I had to classify it! lol but I really just pick fish I like.
Technically, most people consider the Red Sea part of the info pacific

Yes true, but it seems theres a difference in red sea fish that set them apart color wise! But yeah looking at how I worded it makes it seem like I didnt know that lol I promise Im not that dumb :)

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

There is more than one I think.

 

[RWhitt907]

Hi all,

I’m curious if anyone keeps a reef tank with species outside the Indo-Pacific? I’ve always wondered about Gulf of California, Red Sea, and Caribbean-themed tanks and if anyone has dabbled with them. Maybe cold water too?

I’d love to see your tanks! :D

Define cold water... lol. I'm in Alaska and our water is a bit chilly to say the least.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Im partial to red sea fish, they always attract my eye! Ive got 2 from the red sea. Most of my other fish are indo-pacific and Indian ocean fish. I guess you could say that because most of my fish are pacific and Indian ocean oriented since red sea fish are expensive!!! I guess that that would be my region tank if I had to classify it! lol but I really just pick fish I like.
Technically, most people consider the Red Sea part of the info pacific

How is the Red Sea part of the indo-pacific? Not arguing, just curious? You have to go thru the Arabian sea to get to the Indian ocean and after that there is still a long way to go before you get to where most of the stuff we have is collected. Unless I am missing something.

 

[coralboi56]

How is the Red Sea part of the indo-pacific? Not arguing, just curious? You have to go thru the Arabian sea to get to the Indian ocean and after that there is still a long way to go before you get to where most of the stuff we have is collected. Unless I am missing something.

The Indo-Pacific is a GINORMOUS region encompassing as far North as southern Japan, as far East as The Coral Sea, and as far West as Madagascar and the Red Sea. Tbh, when a fish is “Indo-pacific” region, they really should narrow it down. Few fish are truly scattered throughout the entire region.

 

[coralboi56]

How is the Red Sea part of the indo-pacific? Not arguing, just curious? You have to go thru the Arabian sea to get to the Indian ocean and after that there is still a long way to go before you get to where most of the stuff we have is collected. Unless I am missing something.

You might be thinking of the coral triangle. The coral triangle is a MUCH smaller area (really it’s only the Philippians and Indonesia) within the info pacific region, and it’s the Mecca for coral biodiversity. It’s also where most of the “Indo-Pacific” specimens of corals and fish are collected.

 

[Nano_Man]

Here’s mine

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

You might be thinking of the coral triangle. The coral triangle is a MUCH smaller area (really it’s only the Philippians and Indonesia) within the info pacific region, and it’s the Mecca for coral biodiversity. It’s also where most of the “Indo-Pacific” specimens of corals and fish are collected.

Yes, your probably right there. Because when I hear Indo, I think of Indonesia and Pacific, I think of Hawaii/Australia.

 

[BAMslam93]

1. I personally believe this is how reef tanks should be. That being said, many common place aquarium species come from outside the Indo-pacific
Rock Flower Anemones (Caribbean)
Royal Grammas (Caribbean)

2. My next tank build is actually gonna be a Red Sea biotope :)

3. Research tanks are (for the most part) all region specific. In my current coral internship, we are dealing with deep water non photosynthetic Gorgonians from the Gulf of Mexico

Awesome, I'll definitely follow your build! Yeah, our local marine species in SoCal are most often found in public aquariums since the majority of them are just too big for home tanks and thrive in colder water (65-72 degrees).

 

[BAMslam93]

Im partial to red sea fish, they always attract my eye! Ive got 2 from the red sea. Most of my other fish are indo-pacific and Indian ocean fish. I guess you could say that because most of my fish are pacific and Indian ocean oriented since red sea fish are expensive!!! I guess that that would be my region tank if I had to classify it! lol but I really just pick fish I like.

What kind of fish are they?

 

[littlefoxx]

What kind of fish are they?

My red sea fish? I have an orange belly regal angel and a red sea purple tang, HLLE rescue!