jrpark22000
Premium member
Here it is, a work in progress. Just tag me or in some way let me know you've got some info to share on coldwater reefs. I'll sticky the info into one of the top posts.
Info we need;
Places to buy livestock
Equipment needed to keep cold tanks
and so much more
Most importantly, let's see pics of cold water tanks that you've had, have, or have seen and loved!
A very informative link;
http://www.coldwatermarineaquatics.com
Some of the info from the site;
A very good magazine article on cold water reefs by Stu.
http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com./magazine-tiled-q1-2015-14.html
A couple sample videos;
[video=youtube;n3IW8Z7eBPI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3IW8Z7eBPI[/video]
[video=youtube;RlUD3jqBcUM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlUD3jqBcUM[/video]
[video=youtube;7AB1a0YBdO4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AB1a0YBdO4[/video]
Some good Q and A;
Q: What temperature should I keep my tank at?
A: It depends.
Are you keeping a very specific biotope? Like just deepwater corals? Are you keeping only tidal fish and invertebrates? Do you want to keep your options open for a wide variety of animals from around the world?
Your best bet is to do research on the animals you want to keep before you try to keep them. Something as simple as finding out the scientific name of the fish you want to keep and Googling it will usually get you all the information you will need.
We've found that a temperature range between 55F and 60F is a good middle ground for both deeper water animals as well as tidal animals.
Q: Do I need a chiller?
A: Yes.
If you want to keep temperate species long term a cooling device of some variety is a must have. Either a Thermal Electric Cooling device such as an Ice-Probe for smaller systems or a conventional compressor based chiller will be needed to maintain a steady temperature.
Q: Do I need to have thick acrylic for the tank?
A: Not always.
Go with as thick of acrylic on the tank as you can afford, you wont regret it. It will help to insulate your tank and prolong the life of your chiller as well as prevent condensation by creating a greater thermal variance between the outside of the tank and the inside of the tank. But down to 1/2" or even 3/8" you can get away with in some cases. Ideally 3/4" or 1" would be the most bullet proof (no pun intended) solution.
Check out www.dpcalc.org to figure out the temperature and humidity levels necessary in the air to make water condensate on your tank.
Q: Do I need "Live Rock" for my coldwater tank?
A: No.
Live rock in coldwater tanks is not the same as its tropical counter parts. The rock itself is dense granite for the most part unlike the porous coral based live rock from the tropics. So bacteria do not really do anything in the rock per say. However, the more surface area you can provide, the more bacteria you can get going. So ceramic balls, or even submersed bio balls work well. On larger systems you can chunk up old tropical base rock and toss it in the sump to add porosity and additional calcium (coldwater tanks don't need hardly any calcium). Focus on mechanical and chemical filtration to do the bulk of the work since bacterial processes take a bit longer in cooler temperatures.
Q: How much light do I need?
A: Depends on what you are keeping.
Lighting depends on the animals you want to have. An LED with medium output would be ideal if you plan on any tide pool photosynthetic anemones like the Green Surfs or Aggregating. Basically the same amount of light you would put over a low lit reef tank, perhaps for soft corals or the like.
LED or T5 lights tend to put out the least amount of heat with the most equivalent light for your dollar so they are ideal for use in a coldwater system where every degree of heat makes a difference.
Info we need;
Places to buy livestock
Equipment needed to keep cold tanks
and so much more
Most importantly, let's see pics of cold water tanks that you've had, have, or have seen and loved!
A very informative link;
http://www.coldwatermarineaquatics.com
Some of the info from the site;
A very good magazine article on cold water reefs by Stu.
http://www.reefhobbyistmagazine.com./magazine-tiled-q1-2015-14.html
A couple sample videos;
[video=youtube;n3IW8Z7eBPI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3IW8Z7eBPI[/video]
[video=youtube;RlUD3jqBcUM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlUD3jqBcUM[/video]
[video=youtube;7AB1a0YBdO4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AB1a0YBdO4[/video]
Some good Q and A;
Q: What temperature should I keep my tank at?
A: It depends.
Are you keeping a very specific biotope? Like just deepwater corals? Are you keeping only tidal fish and invertebrates? Do you want to keep your options open for a wide variety of animals from around the world?
Your best bet is to do research on the animals you want to keep before you try to keep them. Something as simple as finding out the scientific name of the fish you want to keep and Googling it will usually get you all the information you will need.
We've found that a temperature range between 55F and 60F is a good middle ground for both deeper water animals as well as tidal animals.
Q: Do I need a chiller?
A: Yes.
If you want to keep temperate species long term a cooling device of some variety is a must have. Either a Thermal Electric Cooling device such as an Ice-Probe for smaller systems or a conventional compressor based chiller will be needed to maintain a steady temperature.
Q: Do I need to have thick acrylic for the tank?
A: Not always.
Go with as thick of acrylic on the tank as you can afford, you wont regret it. It will help to insulate your tank and prolong the life of your chiller as well as prevent condensation by creating a greater thermal variance between the outside of the tank and the inside of the tank. But down to 1/2" or even 3/8" you can get away with in some cases. Ideally 3/4" or 1" would be the most bullet proof (no pun intended) solution.
Check out www.dpcalc.org to figure out the temperature and humidity levels necessary in the air to make water condensate on your tank.
Q: Do I need "Live Rock" for my coldwater tank?
A: No.
Live rock in coldwater tanks is not the same as its tropical counter parts. The rock itself is dense granite for the most part unlike the porous coral based live rock from the tropics. So bacteria do not really do anything in the rock per say. However, the more surface area you can provide, the more bacteria you can get going. So ceramic balls, or even submersed bio balls work well. On larger systems you can chunk up old tropical base rock and toss it in the sump to add porosity and additional calcium (coldwater tanks don't need hardly any calcium). Focus on mechanical and chemical filtration to do the bulk of the work since bacterial processes take a bit longer in cooler temperatures.
Q: How much light do I need?
A: Depends on what you are keeping.
Lighting depends on the animals you want to have. An LED with medium output would be ideal if you plan on any tide pool photosynthetic anemones like the Green Surfs or Aggregating. Basically the same amount of light you would put over a low lit reef tank, perhaps for soft corals or the like.
LED or T5 lights tend to put out the least amount of heat with the most equivalent light for your dollar so they are ideal for use in a coldwater system where every degree of heat makes a difference.
At least swing by for the live crab feedings and so you can grill them with any questions you may have about coldwater aquariums in person 
