Re: tank or pool
 

If I deside to start, I'm going to start off setting up a 46 gallon standard aquarium. This will be my learning tank so to speak. That said, in 1.5 years when we buy a house, I'd love to consider a tidal pool pond in an enclosed atrium type setting with a viewing window at the deep end and ebbing and flowing tides over the rocks. I think that would be quite the display.

Got an old beer fridge and coils of flexible line???? If so, you got a chiller. Ummm....errr... well so I've read quite a bit online. :confused:

You let us know how the fridge thing works out, k? :razz:

I've been reading for years about how this doesn't work and fridges burn out. I've never seen one successfully built and used long term. The money you don't spend on lighting might be best put towards a real chiller if that's the type of tank you want. Although you'd need a decent chiller for any larger size tank.

I have a distant relitive whom had a Pacific Ocean tank many years ago. He lived in Pender Harbor on the Sunshine Coast and was an avid diver so colecting was just plain fun for him. The tank was full of bright green and Orange anenomies and many other amazing sea floor inhabitants. He bought an old chiller from a super market that they were using for there crab tanks. It kept the water nice and cold. I dont know any stats on it as it was a few years ago when I was a wee chap.

Rob

Actually chilling is the reason I am considering tidal and inter tidal species. They seem to thrive in many different temps. The only concern I have is whether or not they need those temps swings or if a steady middle temp will suffice. The mo....... Darn had to answer the door and forgot where I was going with this. :rolleyes:

I would rethink the temp swings.

The oxygen concentration will drop with higher temps, this might not be an issue in a sparsely populated tidepool but it might pose problems in an aquarium.

chiller
 

I'm not sure Brad but I think Jipartle (I doubt that's how you spell his name... Sorry Jipartle) has one in his store. He was the one who told me about using them for that purpose and pointed to one he had near his counter, behind his small display tank. It might be for frozen food however.

This sounds really interesting. It is interesting how something in your own backyard is "dull" and gets ignored. There sure is some weird stuff underwater here - which draws people from all over the world for diving. But, then I go to Cozumel to dive - and I have the Pacific 2 blocks to the south, or 3 blocks to the east, and hardly ever dive here. (too much gear).

But, it would certainly be interesting to look at them from a nice warm room.

I'm not sure how much you have to worry about supplying warm-up swings in temperature - here where I live the water gets up to about 8 or 9 degrees when it is really warm, and goes down to about 6 - but shallower areas like Brentwood Bay get pretty warm.

Some things should be easy to collect if you dive - it is interesting to see the rock cod just sitting there in front of you when you are diving - if you go off the breakwater in Victoria, you see all sorts of people fishing, with their lines all over the place being completely ignored by the cod. They are so docile you could just stick a fork into them and start eating. But maybe they know they are protected there (no spear fishing allowed but line and hook fishing is OK??? go figure)

How big a tank are you looking at?

John

Just wondering since reading this quote. Do you guys/gals think this sort of thing would apply to our change water? I used to use my dirty water from the tank as water for our flower garden, then thought the salt might harm them so I stopped (btw, never noticed a problem in fact the roses grew like crazy). Anyone have an idea on this?

Thanks

I asked a proffessor at uvic about a cold tank. She thought that anenomes and such could survive without a chiller, but the fish would not. They can take an increase in temp for a bit but not a steady diet, she felt a tropical tank would be easier to maintain. Rachel