Help me design my indoor coldwater azoox(nps) display tank

I was thinking about keeping one in one of my lobster tanks out in the garage, wouldnt risk it in the display tank with all the strawberry nems and other stuff. It all depends on if I can find one small enough to take home ( or get off the rocks, lol)

I do keep a pair of ochre stars in my current system and feed them live snails I get by the pound from a local seafood market.
 
I was thinking about keeping one in one of my lobster tanks out in the garage, wouldnt risk it in the display tank with all the strawberry nems and other stuff. It all depends on if I can find one small enough to take home ( or get off the rocks, lol)

I do keep a pair of ochre stars in my current system and feed them live snails I get by the pound from a local seafood market.
 
Here's the two tanks side by side in my garage

IMG_20110306_134854.jpg
 
victor_c3 said:
I didn't realize that you were planning on setting up a tank with a temperature in the high 50's...

If you're worried about the metabolism of the bacteria that would break down the waste at that temperature, I'd just make your remoted deep sand beds a little bigger. If there is enough food and habitat to support them, the bacteria populations will grow until either of the two isn't available anymore (if that makes sense).

As far as plankton goes, I'd be carefull to select species that would thrive in those temperatures if you were going to cultivate them yourself. Fortunately Nannochloropsis oculata (the strain that is used the most in aquaculture and in plankton food supplements) will thrive between 60 and 86 degrees (according to the article linked below):

http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/aug2002/breeder.htm

I don't have the link on my home computer, but at work I found a university that sells samples of live planktons from all over the world and they have quite an extensive and searchable catalog. If I remember to do so, I'll post the link tomorrow when I'm at work. So, if you were looking to recreate the environment off the coast of Oregon, then you'd be able to purchase the strains of plankton that are present in that environment. They sort the strains by location and even tell you which strains are bioluminescent - which would make your tank look freaky in the dark!! Do a google immage search for bioluminescent plankton for some ideas. After looking at the pictures, I don't think thats what I'd do with my aquarium...

Going through some of the links I've come up with an saved over the years, below is a link for an aquaculture supply company. They have quite a large selection of large and inexspensive holding containers which you might find useful for your sumps or various storage containers.

http://www.aquaticeco.com/
Click to expand...
Seems at least once a year for the past decade I have had to reply to a post like this :)


One huge factor most gloss over when suggesting growing a phytoplankton in aquaria is their actual requirements are not inline with the other stuff you want to keep. You culture it in non aquaria and add it as a feed, but thinking it'll be able to grow and be maintained in aquaria is a pipe dream *if* you want to keep any other life.

Also, just because you can buy if from CCMP does not mean you'll have any success at all culturing it.
 
What do you the rest of you that run NPS tanks use for water clarity? I have noticed recently that my tank water is beginning to get a bit of a haze to it.

I run a large bag of carbon that is changed regularly, standard filter floss pad that also gets changed regularly that catches all the big stuff. Below that is a 12"x5" chunk of poly pad that goes until it changes color. I also have a UV sterilizer and skimmer running at all times.

I have lots of places I could plumb in more things, just wanted to know what you all would suggest?
 
I swear ae I see you on all the forums hahaha hey if you're still going with the pillars route you should use them for all your plumbing as well that way it gives off a cleaner look. One could be for your overflow another for the return and the rest you could try to stuff in some wave makers.
 
LOL, yeah I try and be on any forum that may have temperate/coldwater tank keepers.

The pylons are going to have the closed loop plumbed into them that runs through the auto feeder.

The main return and overflow are going to be plumbed in the upper left side of the tank. It will be ran as an external overflow through the closet under my stairs and then out into the garage where they will be plumbed into the 2 lobster tanks for chilling and filtration.
 
Nice. I think you got the whole design part down. You should get some rockcod and lingcods in there hahahaha maybe a mated pair of wolf eels.
 
I've had a LONG time to think about how I would do this tank. I've had about 5 different design ideas based on the footprint I have to work with, the budget I have, and the requirements of the tank itself to be inside the house.

Wolf Eels is a possibility........;) j/k My friend Ken at the Hatfield Marine Science Center showed me a small female they were nursing back to health last time I was there. But I doubt I could keep one. I'm going to try and keep fish that can all be housed together, instead of all being housed in the stomach of one of them :D lol

I'll see what I can catch off the Jetty on this upcoming trip, but other than maybe a kelp greenling,which I can get live at the local market, I dont think I will have any really large fish.

When Spot Prawns will be available in the next month or so and I will definitely have a few of those........like 10.......or more.......
 
Thought I would share some pics of my current livestock, all the starfish and the gorgonians in here I have had since November of last year. Most of the anemones and the Corynactis I've had since July of last year.

Here's a couple pics of my orange Ochre Star eating snails from the market.
IMG_20110331_135433.jpg

IMG_20110331_135419.jpg


Picture to show you the size of the Bat Stars and Ochre Stars, I got big hands too.
IMG_20110331_152117.jpg


My abalone with my finger in the shot for size reference.
IMG_20110331_135522.jpg


My slowly growing strawberry fields :D
IMG_20110331_135643.jpg
 
Been a while since I updated this, but I have been working on a 66x20x36 acrylic tank made of 3/4" thick acrylic that I got for free :D

Pics of when I got it, it had a few holes I had to patch. LOL.
IMG_20110604_185411.jpg


IMG_20110604_185358.jpg
 
My two existing lobster tank systems are getting pretty packed with livestock, so it'll be nice to fill that bad boy up and be able see everything again :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

wvned
My weir
Replies
6
Views
472
SantaMonica
S
S
Why do oversized protein skimmers not adequately remove protein from a tank?
Replies
12
Views
220
Paul B
Paul B
S
Sump at Same Level as DT
Replies
9
Views
531
wvned
wvned
L
Equipment help
Replies
8
Views
110
lilredwuck
L
P
DIY Hang on back Sump Tank
Replies
14
Views
549
kharmaguru
kharmaguru
Back
Top