Any starter tips for a Coldwater marine aquarium

Jackdavdal

New Member
View Badges
Joined
Aug 12, 2022
Messages
8
Reaction score
1
Location
USA
What state or country do you live in
New Jersey
Rating - 0%
0   0   0
I want to make one soon but I don’t know know what temperature I need and where to get my animals and also what are some good starter animals please tell me + other tips
 
I want to make one soon but I don’t know know what temperature I need and where to get my animals and also what are some good starter animals please tell me + other tips
What temperature you need to keep the tank at depends on the livestock - some coldwater species like more room temperature levels, others like substantially colder water (think of it like subtropical vs arctic temperatures). I'd personally say to pick what livestock you want and figure out what temperature works best for those critters.

Here's a great list of places you can get coldwater specimens (as I mentioned in your other thread - Matsu Collections [listed below] also offers the sarcastic fringehead you asked about in another thread too):
IMG_27892.jpg

Considering the (somewhat) recent closure of Coldwater Marine Aquatics, I must ask the question: Where can you still find Coldwater Marine Livestock?
Perhaps I should start a list of sources. Here it goes:

In the States:
Carolina
Gulf of Maine
Gulf Specimen Marine Laboratories
Matsu Collections
MBL Aquaculture
Oceans, Reefs & Aquariums: ORA
Quality Marine
Shark Supply LLC
Shark & Reef International

Outside the U.S.:
Charm
De Jong Marinelife
elasmobranch Inc.
Flying Sharks

Kind of a source:
LiveAquaria

Please feel free to leave suggestions and I will add them to the list!
 
What temperature you need to keep the tank at depends on the livestock - some coldwater species like more room temperature levels, others like substantially colder water (think of it like subtropical vs arctic temperatures). I'd personally say to pick what livestock you want and figure out what temperature works best for those critters.

Here's a great list of places you can get coldwater specimens (as I mentioned in your other thread - Matsu Collections [listed below] also offers the sarcastic fringehead you asked about in another thread too):
Im planning to keep Lumpfish, Topknot’s, common Grey sea slugs and more.
 
Looking at the native ranges of the lumpfish, topknot, common grey sea slug, and sarcastic fringehead (which seems to prefer slightly warmer and more moderate temperatures), it looks like average temps range (for the southernmost part of the range where they're still commonly found) from ~45-55F in the cold months and 55-65F in the hot months.

Assuming you're not looking to replicate a cold season and warm season, I'd guess you would probably want to keep the tank around 55-60F. Personally, I'd aim for 57-58F. If you are looking to replicate a cold season and warm season, I'd personally aim for 52-53F from December through May and 58-60F from June through November, probably taking four weeks to transition between the two temps (i.e. take the last two weeks of Nov. and the first two weeks of Dec. to drop the temp from 58F to 53F, and take the last two weeks of May and the first two weeks of June to raise it back from 53F to 58F).

If you don't end up keeping the sarcastic fringehead, I'd personally do probably 48-50F for the cold season and 59-61F for the warm season. That said, from what I can find, all of the fish should do fine with the temps listed in the paragraph above this one.

I'm not sure on the stalked jellyfish (taxonomic class Staurozoa), as the needs depend on the species.

All of this said, though, you want to make sure that all of your tank's inhabitants to be can get along with each other and not hurt each other (I have no idea if the stalked jellyfish would sting and hurt your fish or not, but that's something you would want to look into). Additionally, with the common grey sea slugs (assuming you're meaning Aeolidia papillosa), you need to keep in mind that these guys eat sea anemones as their primary food source, so to really keep these guys for any length of time you'll need to either regularly buy more anemones, or you'll need to culture your own (probably in a separate tank).
 
Looking at the native ranges of the lumpfish, topknot, common grey sea slug, and sarcastic fringehead (which seems to prefer slightly warmer and more moderate temperatures), it looks like average temps range (for the southernmost part of the range where they're still commonly found) from ~45-55F in the cold months and 55-65F in the hot months.

Assuming you're not looking to replicate a cold season and warm season, I'd guess you would probably want to keep the tank around 55-60F. Personally, I'd aim for 57-58F. If you are looking to replicate a cold season and warm season, I'd personally aim for 52-53F from December through May and 58-60F from June through November, probably taking four weeks to transition between the two temps (i.e. take the last two weeks of Nov. and the first two weeks of Dec. to drop the temp from 58F to 53F, and take the last two weeks of May and the first two weeks of June to raise it back from 53F to 58F).

If you don't end up keeping the sarcastic fringehead, I'd personally do probably 48-50F for the cold season and 59-61F for the warm season. That said, from what I can find, all of the fish should do fine with the temps listed in the paragraph above this one.

I'm not sure on the stalked jellyfish (taxonomic class Staurozoa), as the needs depend on the species.

All of this said, though, you want to make sure that all of your tank's inhabitants to be can get along with each other and not hurt each other (I have no idea if the stalked jellyfish would sting and hurt your fish or not, but that's something you would want to look into). Additionally, with the common grey sea slugs (assuming you're meaning Aeolidia papillosa), you need to keep in mind that these guys eat sea anemones as their primary food source, so to really keep these guys for any length of time you'll need to either regularly buy more anemones, or you'll need to culture your own (probably in a separate tank).
I am keeping the sarcastic fringe head in a different coldwater tank
 
Im planning to keep Lumpfish, Topknot’s, common Grey sea slugs and more.
Where would you be getting the lumpfish from? I’ve been looking around and can’t find any online. TIA
 
I run my Temperate tanks at 63-65. They are tide pool based, which tends to be more on the warmer side in my area. I could run them cooler but that would kill me on electric. Tide pool inverts/fish are going to be the best to start off with. They tend to have large tolerances because their environment changes drastically through out the day, from temperature to salinity.
 
I've kept coldwater systems in the past from crabs, fish, snails etc. that I collected locally here in SoCal. Shallow water animals I would note the surface temp, the deeper fish say from 50 to 100 feet deep and I would lower a temp gauge and get a reading at the depth they were in. Depending on the season they lived from 50 degrees in the winter to 70 in the summer. I would keep it at a constant 60-65 degrees. A few of the fish species I was able to acclimate slowly over months and add them to my regular tanks at 78. When I had that tank it was a perfect ecosystem replicating the animals that live in tidepools down to 100 feet. I even had kelp growing but had to get rid of it as it would grow like a foot or 2 a week so it was to much. I'm actually in the process of deliberating with another Coldwater system or a freshwater South American Cichlid
tank.
 
I've kept coldwater systems in the past from crabs, fish, snails etc. that I collected locally here in SoCal. Shallow water animals I would note the surface temp, the deeper fish say from 50 to 100 feet deep and I would lower a temp gauge and get a reading at the depth they were in. Depending on the season they lived from 50 degrees in the winter to 70 in the summer. I would keep it at a constant 60-65 degrees. A few of the fish species I was able to acclimate slowly over months and add them to my regular tanks at 78. When I had that tank it was a perfect ecosystem replicating the animals that live in tidepools down to 100 feet. I even had kelp growing but had to get rid of it as it would grow like a foot or 2 a week so it was to much. I'm actually in the process of deliberating with another Coldwater system or a freshwater South American Cichlid
tank.
sounds amazing. I’d love to see some pics if you have any :)
 

IF YOU HAD TO TAKE A REEFING EXAM, WOULD YOU PASS?

  • Yes!

    Votes: 32 45.7%
  • Not yet, but I have one that I want to buy in mind!

    Votes: 9 12.9%
  • No.

    Votes: 26 37.1%
  • Other (please explain).

    Votes: 3 4.3%
Back
Top