Start of a new tank

I have decided to take a departure from my comfort zone with warm water reef systems and try something that I have wanted to do for years and try my hand at a coldwater system. I began diving in the waters off the coast of Maine and New Brunswick about three years ago, the same year I graduated from my undergrad in Biology. I had been into reef tanks for several years at this time and I was truly amazed at what I saw and started planning out what I wanted in a coldwater reef.

I plan on using this small setup as a learning experience to help plan for a larger coldwater system in the future, since the literature out there on this style of tank setup is sparse I’m also hoping that others can learn from my experience (and mistakes) and hopefully try a coldwater tank of their own.

If anyone out there knows of any other good Northwest Atlantic reef tanks please let me know, as I would love to see what type of setup they are running.

I am going to use a custom tank / stand and canopy for this setup, and the tank will be approximately 40 gallons. The tank and stand I made and setup as a freshwater system until I was able to purchase my chiller. The canopy I am starting this week and will post pics as I get them.

The goal is to mimic the environment in my area, and so I will try to maintain my water temperature in the 50°F to 55°F range. The water where I do most of my diving ranges from 34°F to 51°F seasonally and I will do most of my specimen collecting in the summer to minimize the acclimatization required.

I am still in the preliminary stages of this setup, so I will post more information as I progress.