COLDWATER MARINE TANK

I have recently setup a Coldwater marine tank to show off some of the spectatular coloured livestock we have here in New Zealand. The water temp is between 15-18deg most of the time so it can get a bit chilly when out searching for stock. Most of the stuff I have in the tank can be found in the rock pools on low tide, but some of the inverts are collected by a buddy of mine that dives.

The Tank

The tank itself is 120x60x50cm (about 360ltrs) with a 90x45x45cm sump made of 10mm glass

Filtration

The system is fairly basic, the tank drain to the sump through a 25mm drain down into the sump which gravity feeds the Deltec APF600 protein skimmer, i find having the skimmer fed directly from the overflow minimizes detritus ending up in the sump. The return pump is a trusty Eheim 1060 that runs a 20mm return pipe back into the display tank and thats it. I also run a 1/2hp chiller to keep the tank at a constant 17deg (which gives me a reason not to put my hands in the tank)

Lighting

Lighting is very basic as the livestock do require light to grow, so I have a single Mh unit running at the moment but will change to a 4bulb t5 unit in the near future

Equipment

Tank - 120x60x50cm
Sump - 90x45x40cm
Return Pump - Eheim 1060
Skimmer - Deltec APF600
Lighting - single MH Unit
Chiller - 1/2 Hp Resun C0500