- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
OK, if you say so
Tank Thread Tank reached 38 years old...in 2009!
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
- Location
- Huntington
You were the one that told me that...
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Oh, then it must be wrong, I don't know what I told my wife five minutes ago. But she is still talking to me so I guess it wasn't something stupid. :smokin:
- Location
- Huntington
Lol
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I just found out I am getting another one of these in January. This one will be 18 months old then.
- Location
- Sound Beach,LI
Awesome! Congratulations!
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Thanks, I can get them both certified for SCUBA diving at the same time.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
My reef is packed with rock and 2/3rds of the tank is against a wall as it is in a closet under stairs so I can't see what is going on in the back of most of the tank. But there is a large mound of gravel about 6" high back there and it is screwing up my aquascape. I know what it is from and I think I made a mistake putting them in there. I have two pistal shrimp that are hosting watchman gobies. One of them was always in the front but now I think they are either both right next to each other or mating. I am not sure how that happens when they are living with fish or even if it happens. Those two fish won't mate because they are two different species but the shrimp are the same. I also ordered another one but I am going to try to cancel that shrimp as they dig to much.
You can see in this picture the mound one shrimp made on the left side of the tank. It was interesting there as I could watch the shrimp and gobies, but now I never see them as they are in the back and covering much of the rock with gravel. The new mound is behind where you see the copperband in this picture. Last year I raised the entire reef structure and supported it on artificial rock pylons and I got good circulation under the structure. Now the shrimps screwed up my plan. Hopefully soon they will get bored with looking at that blank wall back there and will again move to the front. If they are spawning, I would also like to see that as I am a shrimp perve.
You can see in this picture the mound one shrimp made on the left side of the tank. It was interesting there as I could watch the shrimp and gobies, but now I never see them as they are in the back and covering much of the rock with gravel. The new mound is behind where you see the copperband in this picture. Last year I raised the entire reef structure and supported it on artificial rock pylons and I got good circulation under the structure. Now the shrimps screwed up my plan. Hopefully soon they will get bored with looking at that blank wall back there and will again move to the front. If they are spawning, I would also like to see that as I am a shrimp perve.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Today I had to put in new tubing for my auto top up. I use a gravity system where there is a 7 gallon bucket hanging in my workshop about 25' from my tank and a 1/4" tube goes over the ceiling to a float valve on my tank. The water flow would stop every few days and I just found the problem. This system has been running for many years and if water stands for a long time, even if it is RO/DI water, a bacterial film forms on all the surfaces. The bacteria filled the tubing and also exuded bubbles that would block the water from flowing. I removed and installed a new tube and filled the old tubing with bleach to clean it out and I will use it in my garden. I also filled the 7 gallon bucket with a bleach solution for the same reason. It should be as good as new now and every year now I will flush the system with bleach.
The blue bucket is my top off water, it automatically fills from a RO and a home made DI system. I normally never have to touch the system except to change resins once or twice a year
The blue bucket is my top off water, it automatically fills from a RO and a home made DI system. I normally never have to touch the system except to change resins once or twice a year
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I took a couple of pictures. There are no problems but being this thread is supposed to be about pictures, I got some.
This is my very pregnant mandarin
This is my very pregnant mandarin
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
As you may know I raise white worms as well as blackworms. (I am an equal opportunity worm keeper)
The problem with white worms is that eventually the dirt they are in becomes more worm poop than dirt and it has to be changed. To do that I scoop up the dirt on one side of their enclosure and throw it out, then I add more dirt. The problem with that is that I also throw out half the worms so I experimented with a few things to separate the worms from the dirt.
I tried electric current. AC and DC but it did not allow me to collect worms so I tried adding a net over the worms after I flooded them.
But now I think I have the worm extraction thing figured out but it needs a little tweeking. The electric thing does not work. It definitely annoys the worms to where they scratch curses at me on the inside of their enclosure and I can't stand their screaming, but I still can't get them out of the dirt like that. The experiment where I put a clod of worm infused dirt in a container and cover it with water works. I cover the dirt with about 1/2" of water and lay a net over it so that some of the net is above the water. Eventually many of the worms, I am assuming the smarter ones, climb up the net to get out of the water. Now I am left with a worm infested net. I take the net and put it in my tank and the fish eat the worms from the net. It needs tweeking because many of the fish are afraid of the net, rightly so, so I will build something with net material that does not look exactly like a net. Maybe I will make it resemble a 1955 Oldsmobile or a shoe so they don't see it as a net. Or maybe I will just use a piece of net material.
So right now, the fish that are not afraid of the net (the stupid ones) are in the net eating the worms while fish like the copperband are hiding from the bad net.
I see a new mandarin feeding station coming soon
The problem with white worms is that eventually the dirt they are in becomes more worm poop than dirt and it has to be changed. To do that I scoop up the dirt on one side of their enclosure and throw it out, then I add more dirt. The problem with that is that I also throw out half the worms so I experimented with a few things to separate the worms from the dirt.
I tried electric current. AC and DC but it did not allow me to collect worms so I tried adding a net over the worms after I flooded them.
But now I think I have the worm extraction thing figured out but it needs a little tweeking. The electric thing does not work. It definitely annoys the worms to where they scratch curses at me on the inside of their enclosure and I can't stand their screaming, but I still can't get them out of the dirt like that. The experiment where I put a clod of worm infused dirt in a container and cover it with water works. I cover the dirt with about 1/2" of water and lay a net over it so that some of the net is above the water. Eventually many of the worms, I am assuming the smarter ones, climb up the net to get out of the water. Now I am left with a worm infested net. I take the net and put it in my tank and the fish eat the worms from the net. It needs tweeking because many of the fish are afraid of the net, rightly so, so I will build something with net material that does not look exactly like a net. Maybe I will make it resemble a 1955 Oldsmobile or a shoe so they don't see it as a net. Or maybe I will just use a piece of net material.
So right now, the fish that are not afraid of the net (the stupid ones) are in the net eating the worms while fish like the copperband are hiding from the bad net.
I see a new mandarin feeding station coming soon
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
My shrimp/Gobi's re shrimpnapped their shrimp and they dug a tunnel at the front of the tank so I can see them in their condo.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I am going to build a bio-pellet reactor. I don't need one but I think they look so cool. I may even build a large one for my living room that just because it looks so cool. But that one will have colored spheres in it just for looks. The one for my tank will be plumbed into my large skimmer so I won't need any additional pumps. It will just be an experiment like most things I do and I think I already have all the parts laying around. :scratchch
My surface skimmer feeds the protein skimmer but I will add the bio reactor into that circuit and the protein skimmer feeds the algae trough that feeds some of the water to the reverse UG filter, all with one pump.
My surface skimmer feeds the protein skimmer but I will add the bio reactor into that circuit and the protein skimmer feeds the algae trough that feeds some of the water to the reverse UG filter, all with one pump.
Last edited:
- Location
- Suffolk county, NY
Hey Paul, sounds very interesting. I was wondering where I can buy live blackworms to feed my fish. I have 2 clowns, 1 barletts anthias, and a hippo tang. Will these fish eat the blackworms? How much do you feed (is it like mysis feeding?) I wanted your advice, as an experienced hobbyist.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
How far out in Suffolk are you? I feed them enough so that each fish gets a few worms. I supplement them with clams and live white worms that are easy to grow.
White worms
And here is a video of them eating black worms. I have about 25 fish so many of them are not shown in this video, but that is about how many worms I feed every day.
Video
White worms
And here is a video of them eating black worms. I have about 25 fish so many of them are not shown in this video, but that is about how many worms I feed every day.
Video
- Location
- Suffolk county, NY
I'm in Kings Park
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I get them in Franklin Square but I think that may be far for you. I am sure they sell blackworms out in Suffolk but I am not sure where. Some Petco's sell them.
- Location
- Suffolk county, NY
I'll have to keep an eye out next time I wonder to a LFS. Thanks, Paul. Happy reefing!
Hey Paul, thank you for the sponges
. I placed one high and one low just to see how they react to the light. BTW your setup is amazing. Love the shrimp, those little tunnel diggers. I love that you literally built the equipment yourself and your tank has a genuine under the sea look. I know that sounded weird. But you get the point. Thanks again.
. I placed one high and one low just to see how they react to the light. BTW your setup is amazing. Love the shrimp, those little tunnel diggers. I love that you literally built the equipment yourself and your tank has a genuine under the sea look. I know that sounded weird. But you get the point. Thanks again.Attachments
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Vinny, they look better in your tank than mine. You glued them on perfectly and they look like they grew there.
You can't really see it much in my tank because it is growing on top of a high rock so from the front it is out of view and I forget about it. It is all the way to the left and above the organ pipe coral and you can just get a slight glimpse of light blue. There is a diagonal line coming out of it in the picture.
This is what the entire thing looks like but it was growing a little to much and covering one of my oldest SPS so I cut some off. It's about 10 inches across
You can't really see it much in my tank because it is growing on top of a high rock so from the front it is out of view and I forget about it. It is all the way to the left and above the organ pipe coral and you can just get a slight glimpse of light blue. There is a diagonal line coming out of it in the picture.
This is what the entire thing looks like but it was growing a little to much and covering one of my oldest SPS so I cut some off. It's about 10 inches across
Last edited:
Sponsor Reefs
We're a FREE website, and we exist because of hobbyists like YOU who help us run this community.
Click here to sponsor $10:
