tpallas March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 Does anyone have a coldwater tank? I've been pondering a coldwater nano for some time.
madweazl March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 There are some cool things you can do with cold water tanks. Not sure a cold water nano is a good way to go about it though; temps can change pretty quick in smaller bodies of water.
tpallas March 16, 2015 Author March 16, 2015 There are some cool things you can do with cold water tanks. Not sure a cold water nano is a good way to go about it though; temps can change pretty quick in smaller bodies of water. With a chiller?? My apartment doesnt get that cold
lutz123 March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 I've seen some really cool ones on reefcentral I think. There were a few nanos belonging to people who live on the west coast and just collect locally - anemones and local fish and such. I don't remember anyone ever saying it was particularly difficult to maintain.
madweazl March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 With a chiller?? My apartment doesnt get that cold I'm just pointing out that smaller bodies of water change much more quickly than larger. I think this is amplified when you're trying to keep a tank chilled and makes it more difficult to keep stable. I dont have anything to base this on other than my own experience of trying to keep tanks at 77-78° in a typical home (I like to keep the house around 72°).
tpallas March 16, 2015 Author March 16, 2015 I'm not too concerned about that. I'd build out of 1" acrylic and have a big enough chiller to ensure no issues. There are lots of nice coldwater nanos.
madweazl March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 Not sure the size of the acrylic is going to make much of a difference in that regard. I think it's an awesome project; I've always wanted to have a Garibaldi and there are a number of other awesome critters off the pacific coast. I'm new to the area and dont know much about how stable the power is here, is that a concern here?
WilRams March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 I haven't even finished my current setup and I already thought about this . I would love to have a Gulf Signal/Sailfin Blenny nano.
arwndsh March 16, 2015 March 16, 2015 We had a 40g coldwater tank till the chiller went up in smoke. We already have a plan for a new one when we get the funds. A 60g 2ft cube isn't cheap made out of 1" acryllic. The acrylic will help maintain the temperature but it will also reduce the sweat factor on the outside of the tank. Another nice thing now is that there are cold water suppliers. Here is a link to the build thread for our old tank http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/176894-dshnarw-coldwater/
tpallas March 16, 2015 Author March 16, 2015 Nice setup! Found a pretty gangster one: http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_coldwater.htm
tpallas March 16, 2015 Author March 16, 2015 Not sure the size of the acrylic is going to make much of a difference in that regard. I think it's an awesome project; I've always wanted to have a Garibaldi and there are a number of other awesome critters off the pacific coast. I'm new to the area and dont know much about how stable the power is here, is that a concern here? I think it depends on locality. I'm in Ballston so our power is rock solid. Other areas aren't so consistent.
smallreef March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 LOVE cold water tanks... When I move back out to WA I will be setting one up. With a blue spot
Squishie89 March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 I also love from afar coldwater tanks. There is a pretty great group on facebook dedicated to CW SW https://www.facebook.com/groups/ColdwaterOwners/ Stu Wobbe is the main guy in there who also owns and operates http://www.coldwatermarineaquatics.com/
YHSublime March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 I think it depends on locality. I'm in Ballston so our power is rock solid. Other areas aren't so consistent. Lost power once for less than an hour in 4 years.
dshnarw March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 While power outages aren't a huge concern in your area, I'd still recommend having a couple of bottles with ice in the freezer at all times, just in case. Your biggest concern will always be temperature, so that will at least buy you time in the event and, if you don't already keep your freezer full all the time, it'll save you money on the energy bill anyway. Nice setup! Found a pretty gangster one: http://www.oregonreef.com/sub_coldwater.htm Steve's tank was always incredible...though I think his advice was often a bit "alarmist", so I'd take some of his concerns with a grain of salt. I'd be happy to help out however I can, if you have questions. It's a good time to get into coldwater stuff - the info is out there, and the livestock is becoming somewhat available.
tpallas March 17, 2015 Author March 17, 2015 (edited) Lost power once for less than an hour in 4 years.The power of the bros is undeniable Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Edited March 17, 2015 by tpallas
tpallas March 17, 2015 Author March 17, 2015 I'd be happy to help out however I can, if you have questions. It's a good time to get into coldwater stuff - the info is out there, and the livestock is becoming somewhat available. Thanks! I think I will be hitting you up soon. Where did you get your rock from? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
dshnarw March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 Thanks! I think I will be hitting you up soon. Where did you get your rock from? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk I used quartz boulders that I pulled from a local creek and washed off as a base, then covered them with granite cobbles that I collected from beaches in Maine. Most landscaping places should have similar river rock.
dante411x March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 We had a 40g coldwater tank till the chiller went up in smoke. We already have a plan for a new one when we get the funds. A 60g 2ft cube isn't cheap made out of 1" acryllic. The acrylic will help maintain the temperature but it will also reduce the sweat factor on the outside of the tank. Another nice thing now is that there are cold water suppliers. Here is a link to the build thread for our old tank http://www.nano-reef.com/topic/176894-dshnarw-coldwater/ the bold underlined above! you want the THICKEST acrylic you can find. ideally 2" thick, which is ridiculously expensive. As far as anything else, I'd have a chiller running at all times with a backup chiller also hooked up that's set to come on if the first one fails (temp rises above certain degree). So also a controller. They're great tanks though. And being able to actually collect for it around here... good stuff.
DuffyGeos March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 Catalina Goby......one of my top favorite fish. You can keep them in schools. Garibaldi's are cool, the 15" length is the problem.
John Ford March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 Catalina Goby......one of my top favorite fish. You can keep them in schools. Garibaldi's are cool, the 15" length is the problem. Guess its time to upgrade to a 12' tank Duff, HA!
DuffyGeos March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 John- I would if I could, I put in the largest tank that would fit down the stairs! I think a cold water tank would be cool, if you are not trying to grow corals, or if you were growing deep water corals they would not need much light. This would cut down on the heat. If you think about it we all heat our tanks to get them in the 76-79 range. my RODI water sitting in a trashcan right now in the dark is at 65. If you were able to pull the water away from the lights to a sump, and let the air hit it with out a heater you would probably not need a chiller running all the time. A heater is only there in case it just got too darn cold as a back up.
arwndsh March 17, 2015 March 17, 2015 How cold are you planning on running your tank? Catalina's need around mid 60s if I remember correctly. We ran ours at 50...
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