I live in Santa Monica. I find kelp in the ocean all the time... I want to create a kelp biotope sort of thing. Can I use wild kelp in my aquarium? Or is this a horrible idea? Thanks!
Follow along with the video below to see how to install our site as a web app on your home screen.
Note: This feature currently requires accessing the site using the built-in Safari browser.
If i know kelp like i think i know kelp - i dont at all but it seems like it would depend on the type of kelp. What is the water temp?I live in Santa Monica. I find kelp in the ocean all the time... I want to create a kelp biotope sort of thing. Can I use wild kelp in my aquarium? Or is this a horrible idea? Thanks!
I mean those gigantic long brownish yellowish ones. I don't know the temp rn but I will look it up tonight. Sorry I'm just headed out hahaIf i know kelp like i think i know kelp - i dont at all but it seems like it would depend on the type of kelp. What is the water temp?
I known it was quite an undertaking for monterey bay aquarium to grow and maintain their kelp forest.I mean those gigantic long brownish yellowish ones. I don't know the temp rn but I will look it up tonight. Sorry I'm just headed out haha
They use natural light, wave generators and natural sea water - more like a little bay than a closed system.I known it was quite an undertaking for monterey bay aquarium to grow and maintain their kelp forest.
You need kelp with the holdfasts intact, not just the stipes that have broken off. You likely need permits for it as well.I live in Santa Monica. I find kelp in the ocean all the time... I want to create a kelp biotope sort of thing. Can I use wild kelp in my aquarium? Or is this a horrible idea? Thanks!
I was just about to tag you Jay! When we toured (maybe 3-4 years ago) we were told that they struggled initially with the kelp. Or at least i couldve sworn we were told that.They use natural light, wave generators and natural sea water - more like a little bay than a closed system.
Jay
I recall that they’ve had to restock fairly often. California Science Center also tried giant kelp, but they are inland and had even more trouble with it.I was just about to tag you Jay! When we toured (maybe 3-4 years ago) we were told that they struggled initially with the kelp. Or at least i couldve sworn we were told that.
Probably not the greatest idea for several reasons:I live in Santa Monica. I find kelp in the ocean all the time... I want to create a kelp biotope sort of thing. Can I use wild kelp in my aquarium? Or is this a horrible idea? Thanks!
I tried Florida seaweed and it fell apart.I live in Santa Monica. I find kelp in the ocean all the time... I want to create a kelp biotope sort of thing. Can I use wild kelp in my aquarium? Or is this a horrible idea? Thanks!
Great call on the hitchhikers. Picked up a few pieces the last time i was in california - actually that same monterey trip - pretty gnarly clingers on there as i remember.Probably not the greatest idea for several reasons:
1. Brown macroalgae (like kelp (Laminariales)) are generally much more difficult to keep alive than their green and red macroalgae counterparts. For instance, giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera), one of the most common and famous kelps of the North Pacific Coast where you and I are, dies when separated from its holdfast, which is common in washed-up individuals. In addition, brown macroalgae prefer very intense lighting and intense, surge-like flow; the only place I know that grows live Macrocystis pyrifera in captivity is the Monterey Bay Aquarium using a massive surge machine and direct sunlight (though this helps the kelp grow about 4 inches per day, requiring frequent pruning; trimmings end up in the touch tanks alongside locally collected algae).
2. Our local marine life is highly regulated; recreational harvesting of macroalgae in California is limited at 10 pounds a day for recreational harvesters, at least outside of marine protected areas. Sea palm (Postelsia palmaeformis) is the only illegal brown macroalgae to collect.
https://wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Marine/Kelp/Recreational-Harvest
3. A California coastal biotope would be a coldwater/temperate setup, likely requiring a chiller. The temperate range of Macrocystis pyrifera is 50 °F to 68 °F which should probably be suitable for most other native species.
4. Cleanliness of the algae (unwanted hitchhikers, pollution, etc.) might also be an issue, though I have not looked into this much.
There still are a few brown macroalgae, including some that grow in California, that might to well in our tropical tanks, though of course with care taken to choose appropriate lighting, flow, etc. Dictyota quickly comes to mind, in addition to others like Padina, blue scroll algae, Lobophora, and Sargassum muticum (invasive in California, tolerates warmer temperatures) which I grew for a time before I let my water quality slip. However, as these do not belong to the order Laminariales, they are not technically kelps.
https://www.marineplantbook.com/marineplantbookbrownalgae.htm
https://www.live-plants.com/
https://www.carolina.com/algae/dictyota-living/153354.pr
+1. I once had a pretty amusing experience shaking a piece of Sargassum muticum at Monterey Bay in a water-filled bucket to release a shower of brown and green idoteid isopods (harmless herbivores). Elsewhere, I have had nasty “sand piranhas” (Excirolana chiltoni) crawl out of kelp to bite me .Great call on the hitchhikers. Picked up a few pieces the last time i was in california - actually that same monterey trip - pretty gnarly clingers on there as i remember.
Yes!!! Those lil buggers are gnarly! And where there is 1 there seems to be a ton!+1. I once had a pretty amusing experience shaking a piece of Sargassum muticum at Monterey Bay in a water-filled bucket to release a shower of brown and green idoteid isopods (harmless herbivores). Elsewhere, I have had nasty “sand piranhas” (Excirolana chiltoni) crawl out of kelp to bite me .
OMG, CSC has many troubles, the least of, is the fact they are 15 miles inland. Their view of husbandry is in the stone age. The only reason their big tank works is because of it is naturally lit and has a big surge pump. All of their smaller DT's are a wreck! The word "flow" is not in their vocabulary.California Science Center also tried giant kelp, but they are inland and had even more trouble with it.
Jay