How to make a tank last over forty years with few problems

[Brew12]

I don't really have a refugium. I do have a trough that is about 4' by 4" along the top rear of my tank that used to be filled with algae. Now it is all encrusting corals and an amphipod condo. I don't want to remove it because it shades the back glass of my tank and I like the look but I doubt it does much.

Nice! For some reason I thought that was a separate tank.

What are the odds that this is the first HOB fuge ever used?

 

[Paul B]

I do too. For some reason people tend to laugh when they realize I have a UG filter. Of course most of them are the same people that started threads like "Getting out of the hobby, everything for sale"

 

[truepercs]

Hello Paul... I wanted to thank you for the great thread... After reading the thread I decided to see if I can find some black worms. I took a half hour drive to a store that I found to carry them. I bought a couple ounces and read about a bit more on culturing them. So I now have a small container with batch of black worms with brown paper bag strips that I keep with an air stone in a small container and per your comments been using my RO waste water to rinse the water. I'll see how that goes.

One comment that I would like to make... There should be some research on these worms I believe that it may have the same affect as crack cocaine. Now when I sit near the fish tank every fish in my tank immediately is near the glass starring at me with the shakes wanting me to drop in a few hits of the worms... Even my shy small Cherub Angel is out just frantically waiting. I plan to keep the worms in their diet. I am excited to see if my Clown fish will begin spawning.

Thanks again!

 

[Paul B]

Truepercs. First of all, thank you for visiting this kind of old school thread. I appreciate it.
Now that you have those worms, and you didn't build a worm keeper you may need to put them in a refrigerator because your small worm container was not cycled so the worms will turn to snot by tomorrow.
They need live bacteria as they poop and sneeze a lot and really foul up the water. You also don't need RO water, tap water is fine.
But put them in your fridge and I don't know if you are married but if you are, hide them behind the cream cheese or your spouse will get the horrors and throw you out and you can't live with me. Unless of course you are a girl and a supermodel but I think you are a guy. If so, you and your worms are on your own.
But, yes, your clowns will spawn if you get a couple of worms into them every day.

 

[truepercs]

Paul,

It's been about a week now. They are at room temperature in the basement... it's not a large bin but not a small container either. I have ran the ro each day for a while each day and the waste water has basically exchanged the "snotty" water.

I gave my brother a scoop yesterday in a small container and he was going to put them in the refrigerator but he decided against it and.... the worms started dying off.

I have a larger container that I will improve upon my current set up. In hope to keep them alive.

 

[truepercs]

If needed I could possibly use the refrigerator in the basement.
Yes... my wife is not excited about the worms.

 

[Paul B]

You need a cycled container. Your container is cycling now but I think you need a larger container with more surface area and some circulation like the worm keeper I designed. It took me many decades to design that. OK, Many weeks, but it works great and the worms only die of old age.

 

[David_Ewen]

You need a cycled container. Your container is cycling now but I think you need a larger container with more surface area and some circulation like the worm keeper I designed. It took me many decades to design that. OK, Many weeks, but it works great and the worms only die of old age.

Paul,
Will you post some photos of your worm container?

 

[Paul B]

I have that posted along with instructions in many places on here. As soon as I get time I will find it unless someone already knows where they are.

 

[truepercs]

You need a cycled container. Your container is cycling now but I think you need a larger container with more surface area and some circulation like the worm keeper I designed. It took me many decades to design that. OK, Many weeks, but it works great and the worms only die of old age.

Ok Thanks, I will search the forms to take a look at the design for your worm keeper.

 

[mcarroll]

Post #29 in the current thread. Here's the link: How to make a tank last over forty years with few problems

 

[mcarroll]

BTW, search isn't 100% intuitive...here's how I located that link (note the checkbox):

 

[truepercs]

Well I think the set up has been working regarding the black worms...
I have been feeding my fish a small ball of black worms every day since may and I still have the same amount of worms if not more.
The clown fish have not yet spawned but have have shown signs and continue to do so.