So Cal specific tank

[RexBrown]

I went to the tide pools yesterday and saw some pretty awesome stuff. It got me thinking about what it would take to do a So Cal species tank. Does anyone know someone who has done this? It's not the first time I've thought of the possibility. I was inspired before by the Cabrillo Aquarium in San Pedro. They have all So Cal specific displays. There are some amazing things off our coast.
I don't know about the possibility of this kind of livestock being for sale or the legality of collection.
What temperature would be suitable? Would one need to constantly run a chiller?

Here's a pic of an anemone I saw yesterday:

 

[Solus]

If anyone has one of those anemones please let me know!

 

[furfeet26]

I got some small ones... Lol

 

[furfeet26]

Is it illegal to just take those from the beach?

 

[danagui]

As long as it's not an endangered species I dont believe so...just have ur fishing liscense handy lol

 

[happaman]

The Cali habitat is not tropical tho the tide pools get pretty warm in an afternoon sun. There are some hobbyists who've set up amazing tanks with strawberry anemones, fish, etc. all from the pacific coast. I think you do need some kind of special collectors license (ie research related) or you'll get busted but not positive. Can't collect fromthe parks and state owned land like Cabrillo. We've got some pretty amzing, interesting stuff off the coast. Do a build thread if you decide to do it.

 

[RexBrown]

The Cali habitat is not tropical tho the tide pools get pretty warm in an afternoon sun. There are some hobbyists who've set up amazing tanks with strawberry anemones, fish, etc. all from the pacific coast. I think you do need some kind of special collectors license (ie research related) or you'll get busted but not positive. Can't collect fromthe parks and state owned land like Cabrillo. We've got some pretty amzing, interesting stuff off the coast. Do a build thread if you decide to do it.

Just checked out our water temperatures (http://www.beachcalifornia.com/beach/california-ocean-temperature.html).
It looks like the aquarium would need to be 60-72 degrees(depending on the location in So Cal).
I think that is doable for me most of the year, but in the summer a chiller would likely be required for a time, especially if using halides. LED lighting might make a chiller unnecessary.

I wonder what, if any, areas animals may be legally collected. I'm going to look this up. If I ever did do a build, I would definitely post it.

 

[Octoman4]

i worked at a aquafarm in SD a while ago and we had a so cal local "reef" tank, there was bimacs octo, bunch of kelp fish, peppermint shrimp nudibranchs and all sorts of cool stuff but you have a to have a special collection permit to do it legally. OCC college in orange county also has a marine bio program and they have a local reef on campus

 

[rayray]

then you need to get one of these...

 

[Octoman4]

then you need to get one of these...

hipsypops rubicundi(garibhaldi)... spelling completly illegal to collect but you can find them at the whole sellers.... catalina gobies are beautiful, lets not forget peacock mantis shrimp

 

[ajn81]

There are some hobbyists who've set up amazing tanks with strawberry anemones, fish, etc. all from the pacific coast.

You should do it! Strawberry anemones are pretty cool, here is a pic of a bunch of them taken at the birch aquarium in San Diego:

 

[gumbii]

strawberry colonial anemones...

i would want to do one of these tanks... i know ATAfish has some of those green anemones in their tanks... i was there when they were acclimating them... i'm surprised they doing alright in they tank... they been having they for they months already...


i would want a tank with strawberry nems, and those coldwater ricordeas... man, i forgot what they were called...

 

[wickedfish]

A reef/aquarium maintenance guy ( Randy folds) was doing a local setup. He has a thread in RC about it.

For sure it's a chiller set up. You have a list of inhabitants? Sounds a lil tricky, but doable. What aspect intrigues you about our local dwellers?

I think the Garibaldi fish is really beautiful. GL on this.

 

[gumbii]

garibaldi get GIGANTOR!!... a local tank would be easier if it was tiny like a nano... also, protein skimmers work different on cold water... or so i heard...

 

[rayray]

if I did a coldwater Socal reef build it would have to have a girabaldi fish because it is our state saltwater fish. 180g would be the min. They are mean fish and I see them in LFS all the time eating NLS pellet.

 

[RexBrown]

A reef/aquarium maintenance guy ( Randy folds) was doing a local setup. He has a thread in RC about it.

For sure it's a chiller set up. You have a list of inhabitants? Sounds a lil tricky, but doable. What aspect intrigues you about our local dwellers?

I think the Garibaldi fish is really beautiful. GL on this.

I found the thread and have been going over it. Interesting stuff.
What intrigues me about our local dwellers? Well I was sitting here in California looking at my fish from Fiji and I wondered if at that moment there was some guy in Fiji looking at his fish from California? But seriously, we have a diverse and amazing ecosystem off our coast and I'd like to explore it(by cramming it into a glass box my living room - lol).

garibaldi get GIGANTOR!!... a local tank would be easier if it was tiny like a nano... also, protein skimmers work different on cold water... or so i heard...

If I did this, the tank would have to be modest sized(maybe a max of 25 or 30 gallons). I already have a 180 gallon beast. LED lighting would keep the heat down. Also using an Algae Turf Scrubber for filtration would double as temperature control. If the ATS isn't covered, it will promote evaporative cooling. I think I may be able to do it without a chiller.


It's mainly a matter of where to obtain the livestock. I'm going to go to the CADFG website to check for info on legal ways to collect or purchase. If I find a way to do this, then I'm going to have to go for it.

 

[AquaticEngineer]

Dont know if you guys made it to Reefapalooza this year but I was one of the guys that was showing off the Coldwater livestock. If any of you all are interested in doing a coldwater tank still let me know, I can supply livestock from both California and Oregon coast lines 100% legally as well as temperate/coldwater animals from other parts of the world.

 

[thresher]

Check out the end of the Mahattan Beach pier. They have a free public marinelife learning center there. I take my niece and nephew there at least once a summer. The hours are somewhat odd, but they have tanks with the local marinelife. Very cool place and the best part is that its free but they do have a donation box to help keep the place up and running.

 

[tangreefkeeper]

you can get those anenomes form the tide pools in Laguna..lol

 

[LotsaFishies]

hipsypops rubicundi(garibhaldi)... spelling completly illegal to collect but you can find them at the whole sellers.... catalina gobies are beautiful, lets not forget peacock mantis shrimp

The ones that are available at the wholesalers were collected from Mexican waters.