Why does nobody keep temperate tanks?

[BristleWormHater]

For those who aren’t familiar with temperate tanks and clicked on this thread; temperate tanks are tanks based around the colder regions of the ocean ie. Northern Atlantic, with different fish, inverts, etc… that are not suited for a typical reef tank. I’ve always wanted to set up one of these, but it seemed to complicated for my first attempt at saltwater, so I settled on a typical reef instead. I still plan on setting up one of these down the road, maybe a year or two from now, but so few people have them it is very hard to find information. Are these tanks really that much harder, or are they just an untouched area of the hobby?

 

[reeftivo]

have you checked the site "temperate reef" ?

Temperate Reef

Information Center, Forums, FAQ's, and Marine Livestock center on the temperate marine biome and aquarium

temperatereef.forumotion.com

 

[Fish_Fry]

I don't have direct experience to comment on the difficulties, but investing in chillers to keep the water temp low can be very expensive.

I'm sure there are species of small fish from cold water, but as a generalization species from cold water tend to be larger, which in turn means they need larger tanks.

 

[BristleWormHater]

have you checked the site "temperate reef" ?

Temperate Reef

Information Center, Forums, FAQ's, and Marine Livestock center on the temperate marine biome and aquarium

temperatereef.forumotion.com

Nope, just looked through it looks great. Thanks!

 

[BristleWormHater]

have you checked the site "temperate reef" ?

Temperate Reef

Information Center, Forums, FAQ's, and Marine Livestock center on the temperate marine biome and aquarium

temperatereef.forumotion.com

It does seem to be dead though the latest posts are 10+ years old

 

[sturgesz]

They were pretty big back in 2012ish I just think they just lost traction due to equipment needs and not as many shiny things ie corals and fish

 

[BristleWormHater]

They were pretty big back in 2012ish I just think they just lost traction due to equipment needs and not as many shiny things ie corals and fish

Man it's so sad to look around and find nothing more than 10 years old. There is a few ways to get some stunning fish like the squareback butterfly fish, but it has to be imported, and I don't have that kind of money lol. I guess I may have to put this on the back burner until it becomes more relevant and accessible, how ever long that may take

 

[KrisReef]

Man it's so sad to look around and find nothing more than 10 years old. There is a few ways to get some stunning fish like the squareback butterfly fish, but it has to be imported, and I don't have that kind of money lol. I guess I may have to put this on the back burner until it becomes more relevant and accessible, how ever long that may take

Explore condensation.

 

[steveweast]

I kept one for years when I could collect my own livestock out of Puget Sound. The reason why there are not any temperate tanks is really a chicken and egg thing….there are no temperate tanks since there are no livestock suppliers…and there are livestock suppliers since there are no temperate tanks.

If you are in a temperate region, it’s quite easy to set up and run…..much easier and forgiving than tropical I found. Here’s a video of my old temperate system.

400 gal temperate reef

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Yeah, like everyone has said, the equipment (chiller), condensation, and the relative lack of colorful fish/corals are probably the main reasons.

That said, some people do still keep them, and there are a ton of really cool species (especially on the invert side of things, but also on the fish side) - they're just not as common.

There are few places still open (though many have gone private or closed over the past few years) for temperate/coldwater livestock - notably Matsu Collections (West Coast USA - temperate) and Gulf of Maine Inc. (Northeast USA - coldwater).

Personally, I'm hoping to see coldwater/temperate tanks become more popular in the coming years - I know chiller tech has a ways to go before it stops breaking the bank for most people (I'm hoping to prototype a chiller at some point that would theoretically be more effective and efficient, but I'm a long ways away from a workable chiller at this point), but I could see some of the unique critters and bioluminescence bringing more people to the cold side.

 

[KrisReef]

Yeah, like everyone has said, the equipment (chiller), condensation, and the relative lack of colorful fish/corals are probably the main reasons.

That said, some people do still keep them, and there are a ton of really cool species (especially on the invert side of things, but also on the fish side) - they're just not as common.

There are few places still open (though many have gone private or closed over the past few years) for temperate/coldwater livestock - notably Matsu Collections (West Coast USA - temperate) and Gulf of Maine Inc. (Northeast USA - coldwater).

Personally, I'm hoping to see coldwater/temperate tanks become more popular in the coming years - I know chiller tech has a ways to go before it stops breaking the bank for most people (I'm hoping to prototype a chiller at some point that would theoretically be more effective and efficient, but I'm a long ways away from a workable chiller at this point), but I could see some of the unique critters and bioluminescence bringing more people to the cold side.

Especially if a person lives closer to the Poles and its cold outside much of the year.

 

[Seansea]

One reason. Not as colorful or beautiful. Just facts

 

[BristleWormHater]

One reason. Not as colorful or beautiful. Just facts

It's an acquired taste

 

[BristleWormHater]

Yeah, like everyone has said, the equipment (chiller), condensation, and the relative lack of colorful fish/corals are probably the main reasons.

That said, some people do still keep them, and there are a ton of really cool species (especially on the invert side of things, but also on the fish side) - they're just not as common.

There are few places still open (though many have gone private or closed over the past few years) for temperate/coldwater livestock - notably Matsu Collections (West Coast USA - temperate) and Gulf of Maine Inc. (Northeast USA - coldwater).

Personally, I'm hoping to see coldwater/temperate tanks become more popular in the coming years - I know chiller tech has a ways to go before it stops breaking the bank for most people (I'm hoping to prototype a chiller at some point that would theoretically be more effective and efficient, but I'm a long ways away from a workable chiller at this point), but I could see some of the unique critters and bioluminescence bringing more people to the cold side.

Gulf of Maine inc has some great stuff, thanks for that recommendation.

 

[fish farmer]

I want to maybe, at some point, again. I used to pick up stuff from the beach (North Shore Mass) when I was in my early teens. There are some interesting critters, but from that area would likely need a chiller. Then there is the issues of "Do you need a permit?" Things like bivalves may have size restrictions. I believe if you have a saltwater license, collecting bait species would be fine and probably certain crabs/shrimp. The southern shore of New England/Long Island sound is where it gets interesting, tropical fish come up the Gulf Stream and fry will settle in places like Rhode Island. There are actual clubs that go out and collect young butterfly fish and angelfish.

I would likely look into doing a clam flats tank, mummichogs or sheepshead minnows, hermits and shrimp. It would likely need a chiller or put in the basement.

 

[Campbell Robertson]

I kept temperate tanks in the 1970s with fish and invertebrates from the inter-tidal zone in the North Sea. Some fascinating species and a lot of pleasure gained and a lot learned from seeking them out yourself. Biggest problem was keeping the water at low enough temperatures as no water chillers were around at the time. If you don't live near a rocky coastline then its very difficult to get specimens. I did use natural seawater, collected locally, for both my temperate and tropical tanks. We called them native marines by the way as opposed to tropical marines.

 

[BristleWormHater]

I kept temperate tanks in the 1970s with fish and invertebrates from the inter-tidal zone in the North Sea. Some fascinating species and a lot of pleasure gained and a lot learned from seeking them out yourself. Biggest problem was keeping the water at low enough temperatures as no water chillers were around at the time. If you don't live near a rocky coastline then its very difficult to get specimens. I did use natural seawater, collected locally, for both my temperate and tropical tanks. We called them native marines by the way as opposed to tropical marines.

How did you keep the water cool?

 

[Tamberav]

For those who aren’t familiar with temperate tanks and clicked on this thread; temperate tanks are tanks based around the colder regions of the ocean ie. Northern Atlantic, with different fish, inverts, etc… that are not suited for a typical reef tank. I’ve always wanted to set up one of these, but it seemed to complicated for my first attempt at saltwater, so I settled on a typical reef instead. I still plan on setting up one of these down the road, maybe a year or two from now, but so few people have them it is very hard to find information. Are these tanks really that much harder, or are they just an untouched area of the hobby?

Depending what you plan to keep, they are super easy.

You need a powerful chiller to keep the water cold.

There is a cold water marine facebook group and a bunch of temperate tanks on there.

The reason you don't see more of them is because it is difficult to get stuff to put in it if you can't collect it yourself.

 

[BristleWormHater]

You need a powerful chiller to keep the water cold.

This is my issue. Chillers are too expensive

 

[Tamberav]

This is my issue. Chillers are too expensive

Used ones don't hold value well so they sell for cheap.