Going Bold with Coldwater Marine Aquatics

Discussion in 'General Reef Topics' started by Matt Rogers, Sep 24, 2014.

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  1. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    If you want the psychedelic colors and awe factor of a reef aquarium without the intense lights and intense maintenance routine, step into the world of Coldwater Marine Aquatics. You will be dazzled by colorful crustaceans and fluorescent anemones you may not have thought existed outside of the tropics. Coldwater Marine Aquatics is bringing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest to the hobbyist. Stu Wobbe and Josh Groves have created a market that wasn't there by working with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife to become one of the only suppliers of cold water marine livestock. Symbolic of this achievement was their stunning display open-top tank at MACNA shown below. Hats off to these guys.

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    Endless admirers pressed up to this 1" thick aquarium to see the set of gorgeous Green Surf Anemones within. I had to get a look and my mind reeled the whole time. One of the guys told me the maintenance was much easier too. Average LEDs or T5 will do for lighting, a nice chiller to keep the tank at 55 - 60 degrees and the thickest tank you can find for better insulation covers the basics of hardware. No dosing or reactors needed. Water changes are the heavy lifting. It makes you think.

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    Some ten years ago now I attempted to create a little cold water world with a 20 gallon hex, some rock weed and a big sand flea of all things. There is an old thread about it here on 3reef. It was a fumbling attempt to recreate the beautiful life I saw just under the surface off the coast here north of San Francisco. A rock covered with strawberry anemones is something to behold and it got to me. And I think it got to Stu Wobbe and Josh Groves. These are the guys that made it happen. Their vision is powerful and persuasive when seen in person. I imagine there was more than one convert after MACNA and many more to come.

    Time to buy a chiller.


    matt


    Coldwater Marine Aquatics:
    http://www.coldwatermarineaquatics.com/pages/about-us


    Also check out 3reefer coldmarineguy's amazing aquarium:
    http://www.3reef.com/threads/check-out-my-coldwater-marine-tank.66600/
    (great videos)


    And this video:


    Are you getting cold?
     
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  3. oldfishkeeper

    oldfishkeeper Giant Squid

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    love the color and variety of the anemones!
     
  4. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    Don't you? Me too. I wonder if they are easier to care for? Might ask about that..
     
  5. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    That does look looks a good idea for a specialty tank, though I'm not too thrilled with having to run a chiller.
     
  6. Va Reef

    Va Reef Giant Squid

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    Considering the amount of money ne would put in equipment for a typical reef tank, a chiller isn't that bad.

    Matt, perhaps a link to that thread about the guy who collected his own stuff for his coldwater tank on 3reef might help your case too.
     
  7. Billme

    Billme Eyelash Blennie

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    I'm less concerned about the initial cost of the chiller. More about the on going expense of running it. I'm trying to keep electricity bills under $500 in the summer. I'd rather spend my money at the LFS than the vacuum of the utility companies.
     
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  9. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    That's already in the first post. :)
     
  10. nemcrazy

    nemcrazy Plankton

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    I wanted to chime in on this subject. I've kept several coldwater setups and absolutely love them! And the colors are just amazing to me. The ease of maintenance makes simple seem hard:) It's really a cooler side to reefing and if you like anemones you'll love coldwater. Here is a pic of my nearly two year old 140 gallon coldwater setup. I've had 7 setup but this one is my favorite:) 2014020295010745.jpg
     
    Matt Rogers and Corailline like this.
  11. Corailline

    Corailline Super Moderator

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    Welcome Nemcrazy to 3reef,

    I would love to see some of your past or current cold water systems. Curious about your collection methods as well.
     
  12. Matt Rogers

    Matt Rogers Kingfish

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    Aye welcome to 3reef nemcrazy- what a great tank. I'd love to know more about your maintenance routine.