I was just wondering if anyone has ever owned or done a cold water salt aquarium and if it was possible?
cold salt tank
- Thread starter cudamaster13
- Start date
Tried a cold lobster tank to raise larval walkers (post-free-floating larvae). Grew the lobsters for 2 years to barely 3/4lb each before I had to break the system down to move. Cost a ton of $ in utilities, foods, and maintenance.
If I try lobsters again it'll be with the much faster growing P. ornatus tropical spiny lobster.
If I try lobsters again it'll be with the much faster growing P. ornatus tropical spiny lobster.
Forgot to mention that I used commercial lobster tanks.
Keeping cold stars and urchins would mean alot of feeding and maintenance. Urchins will reabsorb their gametes if feedings are late or missed. They will also cannibalize each other. Urchins feed on kelp and broad-leaf algaes. In aquaria, they can be fed on potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peas. That's where the maintenance comes into play. In public aquaria, urchins are indicator animals in that their suffering or death indicates that the tank parameters are starting to fail. In small aquaria, a single urchin death can spell disaster for the entire population since it's hard to recognize a dead urchin before it has a chance to decay and poison the tank. If an ailing urchin dies from water quality, not starvation, the death knell will likely trigger a spawning episode and the urchin will release it's eggs or milt which will also cause chemistry spikes in small aquaria.
Starfish are less problematical. Although whether healthy or sick, stars will tunnel into the substrate. The problem with that is that dying stars will die out of sight and cause surprise ammonia spikes.
Keeping cold stars and urchins would mean alot of feeding and maintenance. Urchins will reabsorb their gametes if feedings are late or missed. They will also cannibalize each other. Urchins feed on kelp and broad-leaf algaes. In aquaria, they can be fed on potatoes, carrots, green beans, and peas. That's where the maintenance comes into play. In public aquaria, urchins are indicator animals in that their suffering or death indicates that the tank parameters are starting to fail. In small aquaria, a single urchin death can spell disaster for the entire population since it's hard to recognize a dead urchin before it has a chance to decay and poison the tank. If an ailing urchin dies from water quality, not starvation, the death knell will likely trigger a spawning episode and the urchin will release it's eggs or milt which will also cause chemistry spikes in small aquaria.
Starfish are less problematical. Although whether healthy or sick, stars will tunnel into the substrate. The problem with that is that dying stars will die out of sight and cause surprise ammonia spikes.
I keep a large cold water tank. I find it is easier to deal with than my reef. However, equipment needs to usually be oversized compared to tropical setups due to all the processes working slower in the cold water. One of the few online sources for cold water specimens is cold water marine aquatics.
Keep in mind cold water is typically 60 degrees and lower. Things like acrylic tanks and sumps, insulating plumbing, and led lighting help to minimize how hard a chiller has to work in cold water setups.
Keep in mind cold water is typically 60 degrees and lower. Things like acrylic tanks and sumps, insulating plumbing, and led lighting help to minimize how hard a chiller has to work in cold water setups.
