Tide Simulator?

I am going to set up a 6.5g tank that I want to tie into my 29g reef/10g sump system. This new pico will be a tide pool tank - dimensions are 20" X 15" X 5".

I was wondering if there would be a way I could simulate the tide? I know people use controllers to automate powerheads for water movement. But what about water depth? In a natural tide pool...water depth is low and then high each day. Could this same thing be simulated in a tank? I had thought of possibly doing something (like a pump on a timer?) that would routinely add and remove the same amount of water (exact % is not determined yet) each day.

What are others' thoughts about this?

 

I have sand and rocks. As of now, inhabitants will be hermit crabs and nerite(sp?) snails. I don't know if I will have any fish. Coral will be added sometime later on...

 

you have the PH(s) on a timer so at low tide. I recommend shore crabs and algae species. Sargassum is nice to.
coral-Zoanthid
Palythoa tuberculosa

Montipora capitata

Porites lobata


Pocillopora damicorni

inverts-
spaghetti worms

rock boring urchin

sea hare

banded coral shrimp

swimming crab

brittle star

hermit crab


Mantis shrimp(then no fish if spearer. if its a smasher no inverts)

fish-
Zebra blenny
Istiblennius zebra

Brown tidepool goby
Bathygobius cocosensis

got this stuff from http://hawaii.gov/dlnr/dar/pdf/tidepool.pdf HTH

 

I think any thing is possible if you got money! $$$$

 

...maybe something along the lines of this...on a smaller scale of course.
‪Monterey Bay Aquarium Tide Pool‬‏ - YouTube

 

This is going to be an open top so I think I mantas may be out of question (with such a shallow tank?).

 

The sand I have available is also sugar-fine sand - so...I'm not sure if I want a sand storm in the tank. lol. But the shore line would generally be foggy/messy anyway. I guess it's not such a big deal.

 

It would be kinda cool to see! I would make almost an identical sketch before you do anything! I actually want to see this tide aquarium sketch cause you are really good at most of those aquarium and stand sketches!

 

haha. Thanks. Right now I am thinking about a small pump with a separate resevior for reserve water (SW, duh!) for the tide. The pump return would probably be a spray bar? How does that sound?

 

I am not quite sure how to have the return pump (from sump) so that when I turn it off, all the water (if at high tide) drains into the reserve tank and not into the sump....?

My only idea would be to have the return at the high tide water line. When at low tide, I'll have a trickling sound from the return though...