Northeast Pacific Coldwater Marine Tanks.

I was referred to this site from one of the members of the local marine aquarium club, seems like what I'm doing may be more in line with you all than any reef keepers site.

Anyways, I keep a 200 gallon display a 110 gallon sump/backup tank, and a 15 gallon flow through tank all plumbed together. All the creatures with the exception of the catalina gobies were either collected by me here in Oregon or for me from along the northeast pacific. The 200 gallon holds the majority of the livestock, everything from gunnels, cockscombs, sticklebacks, sculpins, greenlings, pricklebacks, etc. The 15 gallon was setup to hold a couple of the more fragile critters and has a juvenile giant pacific octopus and a few bay pipefish in it as well as some of the cooler shrimp I have found.

I have so many threads going about these tanks on other websites that I wont bore you all with beginning to end of it all, but if there is anyone here who collects their own saltwater species please chime in.

Also, if anyone is interested in keeping a temperate/coldwater marine aquarium I would be more than happy to field questions here on this thread. Or for the people that are ready to do it, or already are doing it, checkout my collecting business' facebook site listed below:

Coldwater Marine Aquatics

Here's a few of my favorite pics from my tanks, last one is a quick video of my octopus

Edited by AquaticEngineer, 03 January 2012 - 07:24 PM.

More photos

Awesome!

How do you keep the octopus from moving between tanks through the plumbing?

Are those seaweeds sustainable in the tank? Every saltwater guy on here has complained about the difficulties of keeping those macroalgaes.

Stunning. Thanks for sharing.

Awesome!

How do you keep the octopus from moving between tanks through the plumbing?

Are those seaweeds sustainable in the tank? Every saltwater guy on here has complained about the difficulties of keeping those macroalgaes.

I use small plastic mesh over the drain and return along with a solid 1 piece acrylic top.


I've actually tried several types of kelp and algae with no luck. The only type of algae I can keep growing is a type I collected in thee upper splash zone above the tide line where I found my tigriopus californicus and its been growing with them in stagnant room temperate water. I actually setup a tide pool eco-sphere type bowl about a week ago that has a couple type of algae and shrimps in it. Ill get pics of that up when I get home.

Thought I'd share the video I took of my Giant Pacific Octopus (E. Dofleini)

Link to video, or click on the picture below.

Aww, it's so tiny. Ever since I heard how intelligent octopus are, I've been thinking they would make a great pet. Have you trained it to do any tricks, like opening a jar to get food?

Edit:
I just looked up the species. Isn't the giant pacific octopus arguably the fastest growing and largest of all of the octopus species? Why did you choose this species as a pet and what are you going to do when it outgrows this tank?

Edited by EricaWieser, 08 January 2012 - 09:18 PM.

Aww, it's so tiny. Ever since I heard how intelligent octopus are, I've been thinking they would make a great pet. Have you trained it to do any tricks, like opening a jar to get food?

Havn't taught him anything specifically, he does recognize me as the source of his food though finally.

Edit:
I just looked up the species. Isn't the giant pacific octopus arguably the fastest growing and largest of all of the octopus species? Why did you choose this species as a pet and what are you going to do when it outgrows this tank?

It is the largest octopus species for sure, they are the longest lived also living about 4+ years. From what I've read, and seen thus far they definately do grow fast. I imagine he'll need a larger home within the next year for certain. I honestly was hoping he was the other octopus species commonly found in the same areas, the Pacific Red Rock Octopus (O. Rubescens) which maxes out around 6lbs. (There is a small chance it may be, but it looks more and more everyday like it is a GPO)

I didnt really choose him, he kinda chose me

I was out collecting gunnels and pipefish at night and when I lifted up a rock he darted out. I told my collecting partner to freeze because I had thought I had seen a small octopus, which he was like "yeah right...." So I scanned the immediate area with my flashlight and I saw him just sitting on the sand in front of my feet. I put my hand down in the water and he climbed right into it. I dont know if it was curiosity, or that he was so young (about 2 months old is what I've estimated based on size when I got him) but he didnt try to escape, or ink, or anything.

Just sat there in my hand until my buddy could bring me over a bucket

I have a couple plans for him as he grows.
A) Sell him before he gets that big (kind of the idea of having a marine species collection business)
B) Let him rule the roost in my 200 gallon for a while after everything I want to keep has been moved to my indoor tank.
C) Plumb into the existing sytem a large plastic bin used for transporting live crab, and octopus proof it.

Okay, well, that's kind of cute. And it sounds like you're going to take good care of it.