Tank Thread Tank reached 38 years old...in 2009!

[Paul B]

I wasn't bored today, I had a flood. Now that's entertaining. At least something different happened. A nice, Noah flood. I thought the tank was leaking but my final DI filter on the tank from the auto fill. The tube filled with seaweed. I usually check that but with my wife in the hospital and all. I forgot. But it got me excited so all is well. I love it when something happens. I hope, when I look out my window, I see Godzilla.
I got my shop vac out and sucked up the water. Now I see my leak barrier does not work so I can crawl under there and re design the thing.

 

[rhdoug]

I have never in my life seen anyone so happy over a flood from tank related stuff. I am so happy that you get to fix something. When your wife starts feeling better and wants to get rid of you I have plenty of things to fix/design. You would be ecstatic up here in Dutchess county for a day of tinkering with my reef and "jungle tank" stuff that needs to get done. I'll even let you play with my aiptasia zapper. It's a thing that some guy invented...

Best of thoughts to you and your wife Paul,
Randy

 

[Paul B]

I don't get upset much. I think it was a war thing. The water on my floor was fresh water and the carpet is indoor/outdoor so it won't hurt it. I built a barrier around the inside of that closet to keep the water contained but there is a leak someplace so the water got out
and now I can re design that. I already re designed the water intake so it doesn't happen again but I didn't have time to impliment it yet. If no problems ever happened, what a boreing hobby this would be.

My wife can walk a few steps without the walker so she is improving every day and should not have to use the walker in a week or two. Where they took the bone to do a graft hurts more than the spine fusion.
Thanks.

 

[ohana888]

glad to know she's doing better...

 

[Paul B]

This is the part of my tank that was leaking. It is the final DI chamber and it comes just before the water enters the tank from the DIY ATO. I just added an overflow tube to it that hopefully will not clog.

 

[Paul B]

I just got back from the south shore where I was at my friends house on the water. I picked up a load of amphipod infested seaweeds which I just put in a live bearer trap hanging in my reef. In a couple of days I will remove most of the seaweed which will die in the tank. I just want the bacteria and amphipods along with anything else that is alive.
Tomorrow I will go to my boat which is on the north shore and collect again.
You can't have to much life in a tank and you have to take advantage of it if you can

 

[Paul B]

One of my clown gobies disappeared which is a relief. She probably died of old age or just retired as she laid eggs every week for a couple of years and between her and her boy friend killed a large acropora by covering it with eggs. I think that was their intention all along.
I am not going to replace her as I still got her boyfriend and he looks like he is also getting on in years. They don't have a very long lifespan, maybe 5 years or so. The rest of the fish are doing great and many of them are still spawning. I don't know exactly hao many fish I have as some of them hide for weeks and I rarely get a glimps of them. The pistol shrimp are still digging up the tank and making things fall.
A large montipora was overgrown by an encrusting gorgonian that grew faster and it killed it. But that is a good thing as it is normal (but expensive)
It is perfectly normal for corals to out grow neighboring corals and kill them, that is what they are supposed to do. I didn't put the montipora or gorgonian there, they just grew there so it was not up to me to move them. Survival of the fittest happens in the sea and in a mature, healthy tank.

 

[Reef lover24]

The tank alone is older then me! lol. That's crazy but awesome.

 

[Paul B]

My hermit crabs have canker sores older than many on this forum. :tongue1:

 

[Paul B]

My fish all seem to be doing very well except for the two bananafish. It is weird but they both have eye problems. One had pop eye in the left eye and one has it in the right eye. Fish can get along just fine with one eye and I could easily cure it if I could catch them, but that isn't going to happen. Their eye problems seemed to remedy itself but then they developed huge bubbles over their affected eye. Again, easily remedied if I could catch them but they refuse to come in for treatment. I am not sure what initially causes pop eye as it is a condition of either gas or fluid behind the eye. I usually cure it with a hypodermic needle in a few seconds. I am not sure why these bubbles keep inflating in these two fish but I guess they are not real good at navigating in between coral branches in tight quarters. I think they are both males as they fight all the time and one chases the other through the tank. Now with each one only having one eye, they keep injuring the same eye and it is causing these bubbles which can't heal because they keep injuring it. I just find it interesting as it is one fish behavior that I find odd. They will keep fighting and getting injured until one finally dies. It is just another reason I find this so awe inspiring. That and the girls, as this hobby is a chick magnet.

 

[Paul B]

Pump died, I think it needs an impeller. I repaired it numerous times and re grooved the angles so it doesn't start in reverse, rebuilded the (stupid) plastic bearings but I think it is now beyond repair. Of course if I could get an impeller I will again fix the thing. If anyone has something similar they want to sell, I want it. I went on here on the buying forum but I don't even know what that stuff is that is selling as I almost never buy equipment as mine is all older than most people on here and was built before they invented names for things like Turbelle 660 or Harerjabber whatever. I just want a pump.

 

[Paul B]

I put in one of my 40 year old pumps with a homemade strainer on it and it managed to eat one of my favorite multibanded pipefish. I hate when that happens. Now I screened the thing and tomorrow I will see if I can get another multibanded pipe. They are not easy to come buy and you have to get them just as they arrive at the store before they put them in their tank as they don't have the capacity to feed them.
Andy, I hope you are getting me one asap

 

[ohana888]

again??? that sux....

 

[wildcrazyjoker81]

Wander in the shadows of the joys and sorrows Akiba always real drama staged in the bleak season. Some long years , a mourner Juelian , I heard the call of family , friendship cup blend , life , experiencing sorrow how many how many joy ; Cup bow candle shadows of Gong Choujiao measures , Xiaoyue Fei crossing where magic is also true , fence walls unstoppable , especially pity I see life , lingering resentment lingering disputes ; way tread Gesang faithful stick , lavender scratches heal after tearful embrace convergence of starlight bright sunflowers , listen Fragrant leaves whisper Sunset, nostalgic look back , life , passionate reading endless variety . Rain, gifted with many nostalgic , repeated repeated worry Sophie , filet mignon, somewhat spiritual . Smallish clinic and / or perplexed not to mention wanted to know: inches Of which Hsiao Chiu? inches yql2014

What it the heck is this? Don't worry Paul. The DC pumps mentioned on the other site are great. I run a DC Return and 3 different sized DC powerheads and have no complaints. The hard part is determining which one best suites your needs since you have pipefish.

 

[Paul B]

I have no idea what that is. Now I have to many powerheads as I opened my mouth and some people gave them to me and I bought two of them. My tank is swirling so much that it has a head on it like a good beer on tap.
Soon I will be going on a trip for a few days so I am working on an automatic brine shrimp hatchery to feed the pipes while I am gone. I have two designs I am working on and will use the best one, or both of them if they both work. The rest of the fish will be fine as they know how to open the freezer and feed themselves but the pipefish are a little slow so I need to build something for them.
I also need another shoulder surgery. I think I had 5 of them between the two shoulders but if you have led an active life and worked construction all your life, you wear things out. If you don't wear out your joints, you were not working hard enough or you had a Sissy job. :joke:
I just had a shoulder surgery last year but the staples holding the muscle to the bone came off. I have to tell the Dr. to stop using these wooden parts, or at least use a good wood.
I don't mind surgeries and rather enjoy the good sleep (and nice looking nurses) I don't enjoy not having the use of that arm for a few months so I will try to do it after boating season as it is not an emergency and I can still lift a shrimp.

 

[TUSI]

Paul u r making me hungry my favorite dinner

 

[LongIslandAndy]

I put in one of my 40 year old pumps with a homemade strainer on it and it managed to eat one of my favorite multibanded pipefish. I hate when that happens. Now I screened the thing and tomorrow I will see if I can get another multibanded pipe. They are not easy to come buy and you have to get them just as they arrive at the store before they put them in their tank as they don't have the capacity to feed them.
Andy, I hope you are getting me one asap

Hi Paul

We have 10 of those pipefish coming in tomorrow, 7-24-14
Andy

 

[Paul B]

I called and they told me they didn't get any. Duh

To update my tank, all is well. The mandarins are still spawning, the 2 pipefish are doing nicely as is the possum wrasse. I would like to get a mate for him (or her) the copperband is gorgeous if not a little big. 2 bananafish are well but one has a little pop eye which I could cure in a minute if I could catch him. Clown gobi is fine. I think the pistol shrimp are spawning but I can't tell as they spend most of their time undergravel. Bangai cardinals are old enough to spawn now so I am waiting for that to happen. There is only 1 watchman gobi that is old enough to spawn so that aint happening for a while. There are also a few fish that I have no idea what they are and I forgot when and where I got them. They may have come in as tiny babies and grew up or I could have bought them this morning and forgot. All the corals seem happy and extended, nothing is croaking. The acropora's are getting overshadowed by just about everything so they have to grow in weird designs. That's about it. Nothing is changed so far.

 

[Paul B]

Andy I ran over to Aquarium Village and picked up another multi banded pipefish. I also pipefish safetied my 3 powerheads . I asked him why he told me he didn't have any pipefish and he said he thought I was looking for bluestripes. I am also looking for them but they are hard to come by so if you get a pair, I want to know. I am also looking for a mate to my dragon face pipe.

The one I just got ate baby brine in the bag and he is eating in my tank with his buddy. They are already intertwining so I assume I got one of each sex but with the multibanded it is hard to tell as I can't see their eyelashes.

 

[Paul B]

My bangai cardinals finally grew enough to do the mating dance but that is not an accomplishment with bangai's as they spawn like guppies and it is hard to have a pair of them not spawn. I will probably not try to raise the fry as I am never able to catch them.
I built a new baby brine feeder that automatically adds eggs twice a day, hatches them and allows the fish to eat the shrimp all day. I will use them when I go on vacation because the rest of the fish will be fine but pipefish will croak if they even think they won't get fed for a day.