RS170 Tide Pool Temperate tank

[TangerineSpeedo]

This is a couple pics of my Temperate tank. Based on the tide pools of SoCal. Starting out with one rock and a six gallon AIO, turned in to two nano tanks. I recently combined both of my small tanks into the RS170. The average temp is 63deg F.

 

[i cant think]

This is a couple pics of my Temperate tank. Based on the tide pools of SoCal. Starting out with one rock and a six gallon AIO, turned in to two nano tanks. I recently combined both of my small tanks into the RS170. The average temp is 63deg F.

Was that gorgonian just found in a rockpool? It’s gorgeous!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Was that gorgonian just found in a rockpool? It’s gorgeous!

Actually, in the spring we had a storm with some big surges and there was a bunch washed up on the shore. I brought a couple home to see if they would survive and they have come back fantastically.
Here Is a morning shot, lit by the morning sun. They are ;

Brown gorgonian
Muricea fruticosa​

 

[Nano_Man]

Actually, in the spring we had a storm with some big surges and there was a bunch washed up on the shore. I brought a couple home to see if they would survive and they have come back fantastically.
Here Is a morning shot, lit by the morning sun. They are ;

Brown gorgonian​

Muricea fruticosa​

Stunning photo

 

[i cant think]

Actually, in the spring we had a storm with some big surges and there was a bunch washed up on the shore. I brought a couple home to see if they would survive and they have come back fantastically.
Here Is a morning shot, lit by the morning sun. They are ;

Brown gorgonian​

Muricea fruticosa​

I wish we got gorgonians round here, but instead I have to have a warm tank to keep them as we don’t get cold water/temperate gorgonians that I know of for sale.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I wish we got gorgonians round here, but instead I have to have a warm tank to keep them as we don’t get cold water/temperate gorgonians that I know of for sale.

While my temperate tank is my easiest tank to keep, I can’t imagine trying to keep one away from the ocean. I guess it would be like keeping a tropical tank. Most of my inhabitants are from zooplankton from kelp or kelp holdfasts that have washed up on shore. (including the bat star) While my tank is full of life, it is a accumulated menagerie. Everyday, twice a day actually, life is washed up on shore only to be doomed to the food chain process. It is only a small representation of what would be food to birds, crabs and Isopods. The tanks life cycle is continuous, in a catch 22 fashion because weekly I have to get fresh kelp to feed my Wavy tops and Top Norris snails, which in turn bring in new life. Some of that new life will establish itself, some becomes part of the food chain in my tank. Couple that with the fact that I am able to get NSW for water changes a few blocks away, which also adds to the biodiversity.

 

[C-Rad]

Very nice. I kept a similar tank years ago (gorgonians, corynactis californica, bat stars and a bimac octopus.)
I learned the hard way not to keep cowries with a predator. Cowries produce huge quantities of filter clogging slime/gel when threatened.
What do you feed your gorgonians and corynactis?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

I feed Phyto twice a day (Cheato, Tet and Iso), a bit of thawed frozen (mysis, plankton, etc.) TM's Zooplankton, and Reef Chili. Oh then there is my swamp mix, which is Phyto, copepods, rotifers, etc. I basically try to fill up the water column with what they are used to in nature. Interesting note: most of the time only one sea fan is open during the day at a time, it is either one or the other. At night they are both open. The strawberries I think I started with one or two that came in on some kelp or maybe a hold fast. Now there are a bunch of them. Mine tend to not like a lot of light so they are in the shade mostly. But at Cabrillo aquarium, they have a tank with 4 or 5 shades of pink that are under a Radion G3, also the feed them pretty heavy there. But given the choice they avoid a bright light.

 

[MAH]

Any chance you could post updated photos? The ones you have posted so far are fantastic.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Any chance you could post updated photos? The ones you have posted so far are fantastic.

I see what I can do in the next few days

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Any chance you could post updated photos? The ones you have posted so far are fantastic.

Well here is a quick shot I took today. StarLA was hungry so she came out for some food. She is getting really big now considering when I found that she was in my tank she was about 10mm.

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Here is another with a better color rendition of StarLA. Plus another anemone who is slightly deflated because one of the hermit crabs was making it close up to look for scraps.

 

[littlefoxx]

Here is another with a better color rendition of StarLA. Plus another anemone who is slightly deflated because one of the hermit crabs was making it close up to look for scraps.

Wow this is super cool!! Beautiful

 

[Seancj]

Beautiful! Can we get a full tank shot please?

 

[Lowell Lemon]

I feed Phyto twice a day (Cheato, Tet and Iso), a bit of thawed frozen (mysis, plankton, etc.) TM's Zooplankton, and Reef Chili. Oh then there is my swamp mix, which is Phyto, copepods, rotifers, etc. I basically try to fill up the water column with what they are used to in nature. Interesting note: most of the time only one sea fan is open during the day at a time, it is either one or the other. At night they are both open. The strawberries I think I started with one or two that came in on some kelp or maybe a hold fast. Now there are a bunch of them. Mine tend to not like a lot of light so they are in the shade mostly. But at Cabrillo aquarium, they have a tank with 4 or 5 shades of pink that are under a Radion G3, also the feed them pretty heavy there. But given the choice they avoid a bright light.

Cabrillo aquarium. That is a name I have not heard for about twenty years. That is the one in the high school or started out there right?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Cabrillo aquarium. That is a name I have not heard for about twenty years. That is the one in the high school or started out there right?

I am not sure about the history of the current building. They just went through a big AZA upgrade to stay current. But it is across the parking lot from the beach on the inner harbor.

 

[Fish Fan]

Really nice looking tank! Did I miss what temp this "temperate" tank is running at?

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Really nice looking tank! Did I miss what temp this "temperate" tank is running at?

I run it at 63 degrees. The majority of it's inhabitants are tide pool life, so it is kept at their average temp. it gets a bit cooler in winter time.

 

[Fish Fan]

I run it at 63 degrees. The majority of it's inhabitants are tide pool life, so it is kept at their average temp. it gets a bit cooler in winter time.

Thank you, that's very cool! I cannot believe you can keep such colorful life at 63 degrees. Great tank and pics!

 

[TangerineSpeedo]

Side project attached to the temperate tank, "raising Grunion" from eggs.