Sculpins abound!

I'm lucky enough to live somewhere with access to tidepools not even a 10 minute walk away, and the very good tidepooling is a 10 minute drive at most. Last night, I went out to the site that has what I consider to be the best tidepooling in the area. I've been many, many times, but never at night. Well, apparently, with darkness comes sculpins! So many sculpins! I had never seen so many, nor such variety or size. Most sculpins seen during the day are the generic (albeit charming) "tidepool sculpin" Oligocottus maculosus. Last night, I saw at least 10-15 different species. Unfortunately, I can't identify all of them right now. There's a great field guide that I have access to, but I need to get my hands on it and sit down with it for a few minutes.

Most of these in the photos I can identify though. In order of appearance, we have:
-Two smoothhead sculpin (Artedius lateralis)
-Two unidentified sculpins and possibly a small greenling
-Fluffy sculpin (Oligocottus snyderi) — look at how GREEN it is!! It's like someone dunked the critter in fluorescein dye
-Shrimp just for fun I love the way their eyes shine in the headlamp light. It's a little spooky

Wow, those are amazing. I haven't seen @eatyourpeas around for a while, but you should get in touch with her. She has a Puget Sound biotope that is just wonderful. That green one is amazing! Not very fluffy, though.

WhistlingBadger said:

Wow, those are amazing. I haven't seen @eatyourpeas around for a while, but you should get in touch with her. She has a Puget Sound biotope that is just wonderful. That green one is amazing! Not very fluffy, though.

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Yeah, I've seen her thread! It's an incredible tank. I'd really love to create something like it. I have literally everything I'd need at my doorstep. I wouldn't need to mix up saltwater and balance minerals because the ocean could just provide that for me. The only thing holding me back is that it would be challenging trying to keep the water cold enough. Typical temperatures, even in the summer, are 50-55°F. Intertidal species would fare alright in slightly warmer water, but still. I know you can insulate the sides of the tank, but I'm not sure if that would be enough to keep things where I need them to be, and chillers are expensive... I might try reaching out to her at some point though

Seisage said:

Yeah, I've seen her thread! It's an incredible tank. I'd really love to create something like it. I have literally everything I'd need at my doorstep. I wouldn't need to mix up saltwater and balance minerals because the ocean could just provide that for me. The only thing holding me back is that it would be challenging trying to keep the water cold enough. Typical temperatures, even in the summer, are 50-55°F. Intertidal species would fare alright in slightly warmer water, but still. I know you can insulate the sides of the tank, but I'm not sure if that would be enough to keep things where I need them to be, and chillers are expensive... I might try reaching out to her at some point though

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They make poor-man's chillers that are basically little fans that blow across the surface. I've never used one but I hear they're surprisingly effective, if you're only trying to lower a few degrees.

Either way, tide pools are wonderful. Thanks for sharing yours. We are markedly lacking in them in Wyoming...