Tank Thread Tank reached 38 years old...in 2009!
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
- Location
- New Jersey
Hey Paul what's up buddy how's everything? How's the power head I sold you?
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I took apart the venture and looked through it so I didn't have to blow through it. I knew it was clear because big bubbles came through it fine, but they were not tiny as they needed to be.
Angelo, that powerhead is great and is my most powerful powerhead I have. The fish still appreciate it.
I fixed my skimmer pump. It must have been partially clogged for many months as it is putting out more bubbles than it ever has. The intake is a small opening because the support for the rotor runs through it. Stupid design. It was clogged with those useless bio pellets. I need to either throw out the pellets or build a strainer that prevents the pellets from going through the pump. Another project but it will be an easy one.
The pump was not in bad shape. The bearings are a little worn and the shaft is rusty. But being in saltwater for 20+ years will do that. I don't need a new pump.
Angelo, that powerhead is great and is my most powerful powerhead I have. The fish still appreciate it.
I fixed my skimmer pump. It must have been partially clogged for many months as it is putting out more bubbles than it ever has. The intake is a small opening because the support for the rotor runs through it. Stupid design. It was clogged with those useless bio pellets. I need to either throw out the pellets or build a strainer that prevents the pellets from going through the pump. Another project but it will be an easy one.
The pump was not in bad shape. The bearings are a little worn and the shaft is rusty. But being in saltwater for 20+ years will do that. I don't need a new pump.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
The tank is 42 I think. In March it will be 43. I have had mandarins since the 70s. Nice looking fish and no maintenance.
Of this pair I first had the male, then I got a very young, very skinny female that I nursed back to health and eventually they started spawning.
Of this pair I first had the male, then I got a very young, very skinny female that I nursed back to health and eventually they started spawning.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I also had to repair the lights over my algae trough. There are 3 different types of LEDs in that home made fixture. All 3 croaked while I was in Hawaii. The "waterproof" LEDs are not as water proof as advertised. I had to rip it all apart and solder new wires acros the rotten parts. I need to design a new light as this one is not to bright. Kind of reminds me of a girl I used to date, But brightness was not her best asset. She had a great personality, why? what were you thinking?
I noticed I lost a few heads on one large torch coral. It fell over and some of it was buried. No big deal, I will get over it, actually I already have.
My little female mandarin must have either laid her eggs or lost them. Maybe she missed me, but she spawns all the time and soon she will again be filled with eggs. She is a cutie.
Now I also have two separate ATOs on this tank as there are air bubble problems. It works well but will probably cause a flood. All good new designs initially cause a flood, I have learned that the hard way. But some tweeking will fix anything.
I also think I removed to much rock from my tank and some parts seem a little bare. I gave away the rock so I will have to build some new pieces. I love it when I am forced to do stuff like that.
I noticed I lost a few heads on one large torch coral. It fell over and some of it was buried. No big deal, I will get over it, actually I already have.
My little female mandarin must have either laid her eggs or lost them. Maybe she missed me, but she spawns all the time and soon she will again be filled with eggs. She is a cutie.
Now I also have two separate ATOs on this tank as there are air bubble problems. It works well but will probably cause a flood. All good new designs initially cause a flood, I have learned that the hard way. But some tweeking will fix anything.
I also think I removed to much rock from my tank and some parts seem a little bare. I gave away the rock so I will have to build some new pieces. I love it when I am forced to do stuff like that.
- Location
- bronx
congrats
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I just changed some water in my tank and I know most people say that when they change water their fish are so happy that they sit around the heater and sing Koom-bai-Ah but my fish look at me as if they want to say, "What the heck are you doing? You just changed water like 2 months ago, go away and read a book or something and stop bothering us"
- Location
- East Meadow
Wow great tank! Wish I knew about it when I lived in New Hyde park would have love to see it in person. Congrats on it and keep it going
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Where do you live now?
- Location
- East Meadow
East meadow not far
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
Not far at all. I went past there yesterday
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
The tank doesn't look as good as it did before I built and added the stupid bio pellet reactor and as soon as the pellets get a little smaller I will remove the thing and re make it into something else, maybe a toaster, coffee pot or vacuum cleaner. It worked, the nitrates went from about 40 to about 10, but I want to get them back to about 20 or 30 as that is when everything looked the best. My favorite coral, my organ pipe looks like I left Paris Hilton to take care of it. It used to be my largest coral, not I have more hairs on my head than that thing has polyp's. I know many people strive to keep nitrates down, but many people also think a cleaner shrimp will cure ich or garlic is the best thing since sliced bread. I am not the God of corals so don't go by what I say. (maybe they should just feed garlic to their cleaner shrimp and forget about everything else)
My SPS corals seem to be doing OK except one where my clown gobies keep spawning. After the eggs hatch, that part of the coral dies and quickly becomes a patch of algae.
The clown gobies don't seem to care one way or the other but I am happy they keep killing that acropora and don't start on another one. The 4 other pieces I have are doing fine so I think it is from the clown gobies.
Although the corals may have a problem with whatever the bio pellet reactor is doing to the water, the fish seem to love it as everyone of my fish are spawning except of course my copperband butterfly. I was going to say that one is also spawning but I didn't think I could get away with it.
My pair of pistol shrimp are still happy to dig tunnels all over the tank and overturn rocks. My possum wrasse is still happy to stay hidden although he does come out to say hello when I feed the tank.
My batch of whiteworms have a new issue now. Before I went to Hawaii I would feed them some Cheerios and in a couple of hours, I would collect the worms swarming all over the Cheerios. Now they don't eat Cheerios any more or anything else that I can tell but they all got much larger and now are larger than the blackworms and I have more of them than Justin Beeber has groupies. I am doing some experiments on how to collect them but my workshop is to crowded for me to work rignt now.
I was in Vermont last week for a few days and I bought, for $3.00 a tree that was sliced in a sawmill to about an inch thick. The piece I have is very rough on the sides because the bark is still on it. I built a shelf out of it about 8' long for my living room and just now poured that liquid glass on it and I am waiting for it to cure so I can't go in my shop and make any dust. The worms are happy about that.
My SPS corals seem to be doing OK except one where my clown gobies keep spawning. After the eggs hatch, that part of the coral dies and quickly becomes a patch of algae.
The clown gobies don't seem to care one way or the other but I am happy they keep killing that acropora and don't start on another one. The 4 other pieces I have are doing fine so I think it is from the clown gobies.
Although the corals may have a problem with whatever the bio pellet reactor is doing to the water, the fish seem to love it as everyone of my fish are spawning except of course my copperband butterfly. I was going to say that one is also spawning but I didn't think I could get away with it.
My pair of pistol shrimp are still happy to dig tunnels all over the tank and overturn rocks. My possum wrasse is still happy to stay hidden although he does come out to say hello when I feed the tank.
My batch of whiteworms have a new issue now. Before I went to Hawaii I would feed them some Cheerios and in a couple of hours, I would collect the worms swarming all over the Cheerios. Now they don't eat Cheerios any more or anything else that I can tell but they all got much larger and now are larger than the blackworms and I have more of them than Justin Beeber has groupies. I am doing some experiments on how to collect them but my workshop is to crowded for me to work rignt now.
I was in Vermont last week for a few days and I bought, for $3.00 a tree that was sliced in a sawmill to about an inch thick. The piece I have is very rough on the sides because the bark is still on it. I built a shelf out of it about 8' long for my living room and just now poured that liquid glass on it and I am waiting for it to cure so I can't go in my shop and make any dust. The worms are happy about that.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
The store got in 3 Janss pipefish yesterday so I went there today. (I have ben trying to get one for 2 years) Two of them died before I got to the store and the third is swimming up side down. Not a really good sign for any fish except maybe for an upside down catfish. The pipefish was selling for $29.00 but they gave him to me as it was in such bad shape. I tested the water it was in and it was so weak I could have kept kissing gouramies in it.
I have the pipefish in a 2 gallon tank with water and gravel from my reef. I also added a quantity of new born brine shrimp. I doubt this fish will make it as it was probably not fed in a long time. If it does live, I will go back to the store and pay for it but I don't see that happening. Once a fish starts swimming in that fashion it is usually a lost cause but I will try anyway. If it dies I won't be pounding on it's chest or giving it mouth to snout respiration or anything like that but I hope he makes it. To me, they are the most beautiful pipefish there is and I am fairly sure that if it was in decent condition I could save it.
I have the pipefish in a 2 gallon tank with water and gravel from my reef. I also added a quantity of new born brine shrimp. I doubt this fish will make it as it was probably not fed in a long time. If it does live, I will go back to the store and pay for it but I don't see that happening. Once a fish starts swimming in that fashion it is usually a lost cause but I will try anyway. If it dies I won't be pounding on it's chest or giving it mouth to snout respiration or anything like that but I hope he makes it. To me, they are the most beautiful pipefish there is and I am fairly sure that if it was in decent condition I could save it.
- Location
- Suffolk county, NY
Def a nice fish. Good luck! hope it pulls through
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I am very happy to get this picture of this clown gobi fry just before being born. I scraped an egg off the acropora and put it under my vintage microscope.
As I probably mentioned, virtually all of my fish, except the copperband is spawning. To me, that is a sign of ultimate fish health and they can't get any healthier. It takes an enormous amount of energy for a fish to spawn as the roe could be a third of the weight of the adult fish. My clown gobies spawned three times in the last two weeks and even though the last batch of eggs didn't even hatch yet, she looks like she will again spawn tonight. Of course she is destroying the acropora she is spawning on as where the eggs attach, the coral dies and algae grows there, then they move over and lay more eggs. They don't seem to care how much that coral costs. Luckily, acropora grows fast. I would rather have spawning fish, that a good coral as I have a bunch of those acropora.
I have been feeding more white worms lately which could have allowed these fish top spawn more freely but I still feed also feed blackworms every day. Worms now make up probably 3/4s of their diet.
All of my fish eat them including the spawning mandarins.
There is a change in my tank since I came back from Hawaii but I can't figure it out. It is a cycle and I know it will change. Some heads on some of my torch corals died, but I think they fell over while I was away. My skimmer also puts out an awful lot of thick brown effluent and I have to clean the top of the skimmer almost every day, usually I can go a month.
If I get time next week I will go down to the ocean and collect 15 gallons of water and mud. I didn't add much this year but I feel the tank is to clean. I like a little growth of algae or anything on the rocks. If they are very clean, there is a problem. Life doesn't live on clean rocks.
As I probably mentioned, virtually all of my fish, except the copperband is spawning. To me, that is a sign of ultimate fish health and they can't get any healthier. It takes an enormous amount of energy for a fish to spawn as the roe could be a third of the weight of the adult fish. My clown gobies spawned three times in the last two weeks and even though the last batch of eggs didn't even hatch yet, she looks like she will again spawn tonight. Of course she is destroying the acropora she is spawning on as where the eggs attach, the coral dies and algae grows there, then they move over and lay more eggs. They don't seem to care how much that coral costs. Luckily, acropora grows fast. I would rather have spawning fish, that a good coral as I have a bunch of those acropora.
I have been feeding more white worms lately which could have allowed these fish top spawn more freely but I still feed also feed blackworms every day. Worms now make up probably 3/4s of their diet.
All of my fish eat them including the spawning mandarins.
There is a change in my tank since I came back from Hawaii but I can't figure it out. It is a cycle and I know it will change. Some heads on some of my torch corals died, but I think they fell over while I was away. My skimmer also puts out an awful lot of thick brown effluent and I have to clean the top of the skimmer almost every day, usually I can go a month.
If I get time next week I will go down to the ocean and collect 15 gallons of water and mud. I didn't add much this year but I feel the tank is to clean. I like a little growth of algae or anything on the rocks. If they are very clean, there is a problem. Life doesn't live on clean rocks.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I got this guy today, he found the feeder in the first ten minutes.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
My corals seem to be healing nicely since I removed the bio pellet reactor. The LPSs especially like the frogspawns are huge and are interfering with the corals near them, this is a good sign. I don't know what the pellets were doing, but the corals didn't like it.
Most of my fish are still spawning and they were not affected by the pellets. I am in awe at how much the clown gobies can spawn, for such tiny fish they spawn every week and have been for a couple of months, maybe longer as it is hard to see their eggs. You can tell by where they killed the acropora and algae grows in that place.
I added a few small corals as I get them for free, I trade some electrical or inventing services for livestock. I get a lot of dinners like that also and a few restaurants owe me free dinners which come in handy this time of the year. I am babysitting my 17 month old Grand Daughter this week as my Daughter is 8 months pregnant and is having a hard time taking care of her and going to the Dr. and all. My tank needs some maintenance like cleaning the glass and picking up some corals that fell but I have no time now. Maybe in Feburary I will be able to have some time for tank stuff. The fish are used to it and take care of themselves. They are just to lazy to clean the glass.
Most of my fish are still spawning and they were not affected by the pellets. I am in awe at how much the clown gobies can spawn, for such tiny fish they spawn every week and have been for a couple of months, maybe longer as it is hard to see their eggs. You can tell by where they killed the acropora and algae grows in that place.
I added a few small corals as I get them for free, I trade some electrical or inventing services for livestock. I get a lot of dinners like that also and a few restaurants owe me free dinners which come in handy this time of the year. I am babysitting my 17 month old Grand Daughter this week as my Daughter is 8 months pregnant and is having a hard time taking care of her and going to the Dr. and all. My tank needs some maintenance like cleaning the glass and picking up some corals that fell but I have no time now. Maybe in Feburary I will be able to have some time for tank stuff. The fish are used to it and take care of themselves. They are just to lazy to clean the glass.
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
My tank seems to like it better when I don't go near it or bother the fish for anything. The water is crystal clear and all seems well. Of course they are scratching curses at me on the inside of the glass but I make believe I don't see it. My possum wrasse is still shy but comes out quite a lot just to look around to see if I am there. The pair of pistol shrimp are still making 8" high mountains and toppling rocks. They think that is funny. I think they are spawning but I can't see inside their tunnels as they keep the light off when I am close. The copperband grew a little larger than I would have liked, but I won't give him away for that as he is a good fish and always out in the front and digging around for stray amphipods which there are quite a few. I need to go out and get some worms today or they will really start a riot and I hate those little burn spots on my carpet from when they throw those molotoff cocktails.
I also need to get some clams, some for me and some for the fish. I have two different pairs of cardinals that keep spawning but I can't see their eggs as they always spawn in the back someplace. My tank is in a wall and most of the back, I can't see. Of course the clown gobies spawn on the acropora and kill it. They really don't care how much those things cost.
When I get to the LFS to buy worms I will probably also buy a fish. I just can't help it. Sometimes you can look at my tank and not see anything more than the coppperband as most of my fish like to hide. I don't care about that as I don't keep them to see them, I keep them to see if I can keep them and as long as I occasionally see them and know they are happy, I am happy. This hobby keeps me happy unlike most people who seem to have nothing but problems. I have no idea why you would want to keep doing this if you just keep spending money and keep having problems. I feel that people make their own problems by throwing money at this for all sorts of reactors, pellets, dosers and chemicals that IMO are not needed. I like the natural approach and I think my fish like it also. If your fish are dying in 2 or 3 years, you are doing something wrong as virtually all fish live longer than that, many live over 20 years.
So many threads start out with: I just bought a ribbon eel and don't know what to feed it. Or I have a copperband but it is skinny even though I tried to feed it everything. Then you find out that "everything" is flakes, pellets, seaweed, or angel formula #42. Mandarins get the most ink. To me, they are a small, peaceful, diesease resistant, self supporting, no maintenance fish, but for some reason, they are considered hard. They are accident prone, I will give you that, but they take care of themselves very nicely and are arguably the nicest looking fish there is. I remember the first time I got one in the early seventies. They were called physidelic fish then and I couldn't believe how beautiful they were. Unlike one of my girlfriends I had when I was stationed in Colorado, she looked like a flounder. I think that's what drew me to her.
I just read a thread on another forum (yes I occasionally do that, but only for research to see which forum is better, this one of course) anyway someone mentioned my tank with the reverse UG filter and they were saying that twice a year I have to remove everything from my tank, stir it up, remove the UG plates and then put everything back. Could you imagine removing everything from such an old tank twice a year. Where do people get this stuff from?
My tank requires almost no maintenance. No testing, no quarantining, very little water changes, no vacuuming, no dosing, except some ice melter and baking soda, just glass cleanings and once or twice a year I stir up the gravel and suck out any detritus.
People talk about dosing, adding Phosban, GAC, AARP, GMC and all sort of initials. There is testing, quarantining, cleaning of probes, vacuuming and an entire plethora of things that I don't even know what they are. I assume all of that stuff is needed for something, I just worry that I am doing something wrong as I don't seem to need to do any of it. Maybe I will re think my maintenance procedures which are every day I put my finger on the glass to see if the temp is correct, I smile at my fish and see if they smile back, clean the glass occasionally and throw in some worms.
Yes I also do clean the top of the skimmer every month or so and glue in a coral that my pistol shrimp broke, every few months I do take apart one of the Korilias as those stupid things, for some reason need cleanings. My 30 year old powerheads require nothing. And maybe 5 times a year I change 15 or 20 gallons of water. So I do some maintenance. But that's about it. If I think of anything else, I will post it. Have a great day
I also need to get some clams, some for me and some for the fish. I have two different pairs of cardinals that keep spawning but I can't see their eggs as they always spawn in the back someplace. My tank is in a wall and most of the back, I can't see. Of course the clown gobies spawn on the acropora and kill it. They really don't care how much those things cost.
When I get to the LFS to buy worms I will probably also buy a fish. I just can't help it. Sometimes you can look at my tank and not see anything more than the coppperband as most of my fish like to hide. I don't care about that as I don't keep them to see them, I keep them to see if I can keep them and as long as I occasionally see them and know they are happy, I am happy. This hobby keeps me happy unlike most people who seem to have nothing but problems. I have no idea why you would want to keep doing this if you just keep spending money and keep having problems. I feel that people make their own problems by throwing money at this for all sorts of reactors, pellets, dosers and chemicals that IMO are not needed. I like the natural approach and I think my fish like it also. If your fish are dying in 2 or 3 years, you are doing something wrong as virtually all fish live longer than that, many live over 20 years.
So many threads start out with: I just bought a ribbon eel and don't know what to feed it. Or I have a copperband but it is skinny even though I tried to feed it everything. Then you find out that "everything" is flakes, pellets, seaweed, or angel formula #42. Mandarins get the most ink. To me, they are a small, peaceful, diesease resistant, self supporting, no maintenance fish, but for some reason, they are considered hard. They are accident prone, I will give you that, but they take care of themselves very nicely and are arguably the nicest looking fish there is. I remember the first time I got one in the early seventies. They were called physidelic fish then and I couldn't believe how beautiful they were. Unlike one of my girlfriends I had when I was stationed in Colorado, she looked like a flounder. I think that's what drew me to her.
I just read a thread on another forum (yes I occasionally do that, but only for research to see which forum is better, this one of course) anyway someone mentioned my tank with the reverse UG filter and they were saying that twice a year I have to remove everything from my tank, stir it up, remove the UG plates and then put everything back. Could you imagine removing everything from such an old tank twice a year. Where do people get this stuff from?
My tank requires almost no maintenance. No testing, no quarantining, very little water changes, no vacuuming, no dosing, except some ice melter and baking soda, just glass cleanings and once or twice a year I stir up the gravel and suck out any detritus.
People talk about dosing, adding Phosban, GAC, AARP, GMC and all sort of initials. There is testing, quarantining, cleaning of probes, vacuuming and an entire plethora of things that I don't even know what they are. I assume all of that stuff is needed for something, I just worry that I am doing something wrong as I don't seem to need to do any of it. Maybe I will re think my maintenance procedures which are every day I put my finger on the glass to see if the temp is correct, I smile at my fish and see if they smile back, clean the glass occasionally and throw in some worms.
Yes I also do clean the top of the skimmer every month or so and glue in a coral that my pistol shrimp broke, every few months I do take apart one of the Korilias as those stupid things, for some reason need cleanings. My 30 year old powerheads require nothing. And maybe 5 times a year I change 15 or 20 gallons of water. So I do some maintenance. But that's about it. If I think of anything else, I will post it. Have a great day
- Location
- Baiting Hollow Long Island NY
I just got some more news. My Daughter will be having a baby any time now. She isn't due for two more weeks but the Dr. said to be ready any time now.
I got the bassinet ready to go and I am all set. I also have the room almost ready in my house for when they come and visit or when we babysit. I have Great's name on the wall and I am figuring out where to put Teddy's name
I got the bassinet ready to go and I am all set. I also have the room almost ready in my house for when they come and visit or when we babysit. I have Great's name on the wall and I am figuring out where to put Teddy's name
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:
