My Cold Water Marine Rockpool Tank(North Wales Coast)

[kizno1]

Yeah agreed brilliant idea I would love to be in a position one day to do a properly researched freshwater UK tank and get the best ornamental fish from our rivers they must exist! Other than sticklebacks I dont know where to start....

Wills

My dad had a really nice huge tank when I was little, we took a fry net to a large river and scooped up 20 or so mixed fry and put them in it, watched them grow up into rudd, roach, gudgeon, carp, barbel, bream, all sorts! Had a freshwater eel in there as well at one point, as well as some stickleback (but we couldn't get them to feed so we took them back).

I'm fairly sure it's illegal to do that though...


Oh and Roy I really like the tank, I'd love to do something like that one day. Was it hard work getting all the marine life?

I think it is. Although Pretty much every time i go fishing down the river theres polish people that catch a load of pike kill them and take them home to eat them.

 

[kizno1]

Many thanks for your nice comments! The tank has been running about 13 months now, I change about 10 ltrs of water every 6-8 weeks, I go down to the beach to collect it with my container and best of all it's free!!

I had read a lot about our sea fish and inverts prior to keeping them. I have kept tropical marine in the past for about 10 years and freshwater tropical before and after them too, and also worked in an aquatic shop for 13 years so I wanted something different for a change! I haven't looked back since!

Thanks,
Roy.

Sounds great
Have you got any pics of the fish?

 

[Roy 2593]

No, its quite easy to get the stock for it, im lucky as there are a few fantastic rockpools on our beach, and my son is a DABB hand with his net! No punn intended! The anenomes are prised off with a flat object,i use a wallpaper scrapper, its ideal and does not harm them!! They are very hardy!

The oly pics i have of the fish are the blennies, the goby doesn't stay still long enough to take a photo!!

 

[kizno1]

They good great.
I wish there was a descent beach around here.

 

[Roy 2593]

Im very lucky to be honest, im going this Saturday to see if I can get something different, my son wants a starfish!

I had a muscle in there at one time, now this was an amazing creature, it would open up and this long orange tongue would come out about 3 inches and sift the sand for food, it was so interesting, but the crab ate it, i was left with an empty shell!!

 

[kizno1]

That must have been great to watch. Have you had a star fish in there before? what do you feed them?

 

[simonas]

brilliant!!!

one of the best threads I;ve seen for a while. I love the anenomes!!

what beach is that in North Wales that you use?

Simon

 

[Roy 2593]

brilliant!!!

one of the best threads I've seen for a while. I love the anenomes!!

what beach is that in North Wales that you use?

Simon

Hi Simon,

Thanks mate, the beach is called DINAS DINLLE near Caernarfon. The anenomes are fantastic, they are so much hardier than tropical marine ones.

I feed them all on mackerel and Prawn. I've minced the mackerel and flattened it in a freezer bag to freeze, then i just tear a piece off when i want to feed them.
I didn't expect this thread to have so much interest!!

Thanks,
Roy.

 

[stevereade]

This is the first cold water marine tank I've seen and I love this tank, its honestly amazing, I never thought you'd get stuff like that from our beaches, there's a beach about 30 mins from me with a massive concrete rock pool so I think I may buy a net and head down there lol.
Do you need all the specialist equipment you need for reef tanks? I don't know much about salt water but like protein skimmers and all that or is it set up with just a filter?

 

[elisew]

Looks brilliant

It's amazing what's on our own doorsteps and we never even realise it. I think you've done a brilliant job and I hope your son manages to get his starfish

 

[ian]

great tank!

You should email PFK with this one...

 

[Littlemonkey]

What a cracking idea, well done you. I'll just have to move to the coast now.

 

[rlhirth]

i have never kept a marine tank but when you say "coldwater" how cold is it compared to a normal setup?

 

[ZoddyZod]

great tank!

You should email PFK with this one...

I think that's a good shout. These types of tanks can't be very common and I reckon they' be interested in a write-up & interview. Worth a go if you fancy a few moments of 'fame'

 

[blodhi74]

Very nice.