beaslbob
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on second thought I didn't have aquariums until 1976 LOL
I just realized my reef is 44 years old this month.
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I recently took this in Hawaii and not off Oahu where they are filming "Hawaii 50" and throwing cigarette butts in the water along with Pina Colada's. This was off Kauai or Lanai where it is much cleaner than anyone's reef tank. Yes, it is hair algae. It is there because the tangs disappeared. I am not sure why but the sharks also disappeared and I didn't see any Supermodels like I did the last time I was there in 1974. There is hair all over the place in Hawaii like it is all over the ocean where the fish disappeared. It is normal and natural and if you don't see it, there is something wrong. You may not like it in your tank, but it is supposed to be there unless we artificially eliminate it. I have it in my tank but it is where I want it to grow,in a special place that has better growing conditions than on my corals. Algae = health unless it covers your corals. But it is nice to have it someplace in your system just like it is in Hawaii. I know most people think it is a disease and will tell you your tank will crash. There is a word I like to call those people and that word is "wrong".
I took this last winter in Key Largo Florida on a mangrove Island. See all the algae? There is so much algae there that all the manatees are all very fat, but they can't sing.
These guys can snort a head of lettuce every ten seconds. And they don't get it in the supermarket. Algae grows very luxurious in the Keys in very clean water. I wonder why?
These snails are from the tide pool where I collect amphipods. You don't see algae and the nitrates read zero. But they are eating tiny algae plants and organic matter.
Yes I know, tripple image. I don't know how to delete it, but then again, I don't know a lot of things, like Christie Brinkley's phone number. Not that it would do me any good.
I took this last winter in Key Largo Florida on a mangrove Island. See all the algae? There is so much algae there that all the manatees are all very fat, but they can't sing.
These guys can snort a head of lettuce every ten seconds. And they don't get it in the supermarket. Algae grows very luxurious in the Keys in very clean water. I wonder why?
These snails are from the tide pool where I collect amphipods. You don't see algae and the nitrates read zero. But they are eating tiny algae plants and organic matter.
Yes I know, tripple image. I don't know how to delete it, but then again, I don't know a lot of things, like Christie Brinkley's phone number. Not that it would do me any good.
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Paul B
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My tank seems to be doing pretty good but I think it's time to stir up the gravel and suck everything out with a diatom filter. This is always an adventure because my diatom filters are put together with a little luck, spit and hope. I have one working and have been thinking of building my own model for many years. I just can't find the time, especially in the summer when it is boating weather. The winter we occasionally go to the Caribbean or some other warm place.
Today I went to 3 different places for live blackworms as I am almost out. This is the first time I can remember being almost out of worms. I can go to a place that I know has them but it is 10 miles away and not very important so I am not going. I may just go to my boat and have a nice glass of Merlot as I watch the sunset. The fish will understand.
My SPS corals, while living fine are not growing much at all except for the montipora's. I have way to many fish and they grew to much. Many of them are still spawning so I keep overfeeding. I am on a spawning fish crusade and have been for a couple of years but that is not good for the SPS as the nitrates are very high. I think they are over 40. I really don't care much for the SPS (I like LPS better anyway). I am not sure how many fish I have but I think it is about 25 or 28. Way to many for a 100 gallon mixed reef. People always ask me, how many and how old are your SPS corals and I realize that is many people's measure of success in this hobby. Luckily, I am over that and not in a contest. I am just having fun and love that my fish are spawning. I also have been on this immunity/ bacteria kick lately and am all excited about that. Have fun and a fantastic night.
Today I went to 3 different places for live blackworms as I am almost out. This is the first time I can remember being almost out of worms. I can go to a place that I know has them but it is 10 miles away and not very important so I am not going. I may just go to my boat and have a nice glass of Merlot as I watch the sunset. The fish will understand.
My SPS corals, while living fine are not growing much at all except for the montipora's. I have way to many fish and they grew to much. Many of them are still spawning so I keep overfeeding. I am on a spawning fish crusade and have been for a couple of years but that is not good for the SPS as the nitrates are very high. I think they are over 40. I really don't care much for the SPS (I like LPS better anyway). I am not sure how many fish I have but I think it is about 25 or 28. Way to many for a 100 gallon mixed reef. People always ask me, how many and how old are your SPS corals and I realize that is many people's measure of success in this hobby. Luckily, I am over that and not in a contest. I am just having fun and love that my fish are spawning. I also have been on this immunity/ bacteria kick lately and am all excited about that. Have fun and a fantastic night.
Love it when you share Paul [emoji41]
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Paul B
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NanaReefer, I love it that you love it that I share. I try to share things that I (think) I know just because I have been doing this a while and probably made more mistakes than most people. I probably invented mistakes that some people make. I also am a realist and know I am getting older. Not quite old, but old enough so I will eventually start to forget all the mistakes I made and even some of the acomplishments and advancements I made (if any)
That is the main reason I wrote a book (That I hope will be out before I croak. Hint to my editor and publisher)
I believe I can keep just about any fish now for their normal lifespan, after having killed so many of each one. Sort of like Starkist Tuna. I also think that the biggest piece of information I have figured out is the bacteria connection and how it equates to fish immunity. Soon, there will be no such thing as fish disease because we now know almost all there is to know about immunity. Just as we did for us humans when they invented antibiotics and learned how they work. Human immunity is the one thing that has let us live here and if it were not for that, there would be no Supermodels, or anyone else. Fish have a better immune system than we do and we are just learning how to use that to our advantage. I can't post that on some forums or they would throw long spined sea urchins at me and paint my house pink (I hate pink).
My tank is running just fine and I know everything that is wrong with it, such as the nitrates are to high stunting my SPS. (I don't really care as they have to live with me, I don't have to live with them) The tank is due for a substrait stir up. I can't do that easily because the bluestripe pipefish generally die after that as their tiny gills get clogged. But I will figure out something. I can tell when it is in need for a cleaning by the expression on some of the fishes faces. And it is due. That is the one bit of maintenance that I generally do once a year but lately I just have too many fish and they have to take turns putting their heads underwater as space is limited so I have to do it more often. I can't help it, I like a lot of fish and they grow. My fish never die unless they jump out as they sometimes do. I think I clogged up most of the places where they jump, but they can still get through. When I worked on the Empire State Building people would sometimes jump off. I guess a 6 or 7 story's isn't high enough. So they put up high gates near the top. Now people jump off inside. The Empire State Building was built way before air conditioning so there had to be a way to cool and ventilate the building. The middle of the building has a large shaft about 15' square that runs up 86 floors. So now people jump into there. As a matter of fact, so many people jump in there that they put a net at the bottom because it is the porter's job to clean up those unfortunate people after they jump. Probably many of them lost a lot of corals, I really don't know but it is very sad. Jumpers only make the news if they hit the street but a few people die each year inside that building. The Empire State Building was built to "dock" derigibles like the Hindenburg. The thing crashed before the building was finished so they didn't know what to do with a 86 floor building when the next largest building was like 8 floors. So someone invented television and needed a high place to install the antenna. That is now what you see on top of the building. (I used to eat my lunch up there) It goes up to 106 floors now. If you have seen the original King Kong movie where Kong is on top of the building. There is no antenna there and he is holding on to the top of the 86th floor.
Why am I telling you all this? I have no idea so have a great day and don't jump.
That is the main reason I wrote a book (That I hope will be out before I croak. Hint to my editor and publisher)
I believe I can keep just about any fish now for their normal lifespan, after having killed so many of each one. Sort of like Starkist Tuna. I also think that the biggest piece of information I have figured out is the bacteria connection and how it equates to fish immunity. Soon, there will be no such thing as fish disease because we now know almost all there is to know about immunity. Just as we did for us humans when they invented antibiotics and learned how they work. Human immunity is the one thing that has let us live here and if it were not for that, there would be no Supermodels, or anyone else. Fish have a better immune system than we do and we are just learning how to use that to our advantage. I can't post that on some forums or they would throw long spined sea urchins at me and paint my house pink (I hate pink).
My tank is running just fine and I know everything that is wrong with it, such as the nitrates are to high stunting my SPS. (I don't really care as they have to live with me, I don't have to live with them) The tank is due for a substrait stir up. I can't do that easily because the bluestripe pipefish generally die after that as their tiny gills get clogged. But I will figure out something. I can tell when it is in need for a cleaning by the expression on some of the fishes faces. And it is due. That is the one bit of maintenance that I generally do once a year but lately I just have too many fish and they have to take turns putting their heads underwater as space is limited so I have to do it more often. I can't help it, I like a lot of fish and they grow. My fish never die unless they jump out as they sometimes do. I think I clogged up most of the places where they jump, but they can still get through. When I worked on the Empire State Building people would sometimes jump off. I guess a 6 or 7 story's isn't high enough. So they put up high gates near the top. Now people jump off inside. The Empire State Building was built way before air conditioning so there had to be a way to cool and ventilate the building. The middle of the building has a large shaft about 15' square that runs up 86 floors. So now people jump into there. As a matter of fact, so many people jump in there that they put a net at the bottom because it is the porter's job to clean up those unfortunate people after they jump. Probably many of them lost a lot of corals, I really don't know but it is very sad. Jumpers only make the news if they hit the street but a few people die each year inside that building. The Empire State Building was built to "dock" derigibles like the Hindenburg. The thing crashed before the building was finished so they didn't know what to do with a 86 floor building when the next largest building was like 8 floors. So someone invented television and needed a high place to install the antenna. That is now what you see on top of the building. (I used to eat my lunch up there) It goes up to 106 floors now. If you have seen the original King Kong movie where Kong is on top of the building. There is no antenna there and he is holding on to the top of the 86th floor.
Why am I telling you all this? I have no idea so have a great day and don't jump.
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In case anyone is from Oregon or Wisconsin and has never seen how muscles look at low tide in a tide pool.
This is where I collect amphipods, shrimp, mud, blue claw crabs (for dinner) and other things. But no Supermodels, they don't go there.
This is where I collect amphipods, shrimp, mud, blue claw crabs (for dinner) and other things. But no Supermodels, they don't go there.
moulton1853
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As a newbee to saltwater you are an inspiration and I wish I had the courage to run my tank like you. With all the information out there on what you should do, have to do, and not do it gets so confusing and frustrating for someone coming into the hobby. I totally agree with many of your thoughts that we do to much to the tanks and fish which bring on a lot of the diseases. But as someone who has no experience we read something that tells us we should have quarantined, we should have medicated, we should TTM, we need all the lasted high tech equipment, we conform to what the general populous has to say. Of coarse we need to clean and add water and do some maintenance but the ocean isn't sterile so why should our tanks be. Don't you worry about arguing with people about your theories. You rock for an old dude 
melypr1985
totally addicted
Great show Paul B! I always enjoy listening to you talk.... or well, reading what you say in most cases lol. I would love to build a feeder like you have for your mandarins. I'm tired of buying pods and putting them in my tank just to have most of them eaten by my other fish. I've looked around for it but I can't find a detailed plan on how to build a feeder like yours. Could you please show me how? I'm not too bright and can't figure how to do it. Thanks so much!
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You can find instructions here. I believe you can build the thing in an hour or less as you probably already have the stocking you need for the mesh. I had to cut a hole out of my wife's and put duct tape over the hole so she didn't notice. This, and everything I built is also in my book in more detail. If you need any parts for the thing, I will send them to you. (but don't everyone get crazy, I don't normally do that as I have Supermodels that take care of that sort of thing and I have not seen them in a while)
http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/diy-target-feeder-mandarinfish-pipefish-2804/
Moulton1853, thank you. There are times when you do need to quarantine and a Noob such as yourself may have to as your fish, and any fish in a new tank are not very healthy. Your goal is to get them to the point where they are very healthy and in spawning condition as that is the goal even if you don't want to raise fish. Also "some" of the high tech equipment can make this easier. I use an ozonizer and always have but I think that is about it for my high tech. Auto top offs, controllers, dosers, bio pellets can be useful and time saving depending on how you want to run your tank. I have way to many fish which is why my SPS are so small. My nitrates are around 4o or so which is way to high for SPS. But I am not doing this to see how many sticks I can grow. I did that for years and grew tired of it as I am just more interested in fish health right now. I also prefer LPS as I like the movement. If this was a contest, I would give away half my fish and grow SPS so people would stop making fun of my sticks. But I don't care. The tank is mine to enjoy and that is what I do.
http://www.saltwatersmarts.com/diy-target-feeder-mandarinfish-pipefish-2804/
Moulton1853, thank you. There are times when you do need to quarantine and a Noob such as yourself may have to as your fish, and any fish in a new tank are not very healthy. Your goal is to get them to the point where they are very healthy and in spawning condition as that is the goal even if you don't want to raise fish. Also "some" of the high tech equipment can make this easier. I use an ozonizer and always have but I think that is about it for my high tech. Auto top offs, controllers, dosers, bio pellets can be useful and time saving depending on how you want to run your tank. I have way to many fish which is why my SPS are so small. My nitrates are around 4o or so which is way to high for SPS. But I am not doing this to see how many sticks I can grow. I did that for years and grew tired of it as I am just more interested in fish health right now. I also prefer LPS as I like the movement. If this was a contest, I would give away half my fish and grow SPS so people would stop making fun of my sticks. But I don't care. The tank is mine to enjoy and that is what I do.
melypr1985
totally addicted
THANK YOU!!!! YAY! I don't actually have any nylons but they are cheap so i'll get a pair and cut them up. I'm going to build this this weekend. Then I just need to start a brine shrimp hatchery! Awesome!!!
moulton1853
Active Member
I totally understand that all this new tech is suppose to make life easier but most of it is over my head. I do believe in quarantine to a point and I don't have a QT yet but I have no fish in the DT yet either. I am also a believer that too many people take things to fast, load the new tanks to fast and add a bottle of instant tank and think everything will be fine. Usually it's not. In this fast minded thinking they feed things to them that are not the best as u said the m&ms and twinkies, just whatever is the most convenient at the time. Lots of thought and research need to go into keeping fish, just as keeping any pet but it sometimes seems like we make it to be more difficult than it needs to be. Can't wait for your book.
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Meredith, if you want to keep mandarins, pipefish, ruby red dragonettes or small manta Rays you should build a feeder and brine shrimp hatchery. But remember, you can't just feed those fish occasionally, they need to be fed every day or have a real old, not very sterile tank.
Moulton, Read everything you can then make an educated decision after looking at the success the writer is having with his or her tank. 3 or 4 years for a fish is not success. Success if having the fish live to it's normal lifespan which for "most" but not all fish is about 10 or 12 years. Clowns and some other damsels live over 20 years and pipefish, small gobies and seahorses live under five years, so success is determined by their natural lifespan.
Healthy fish are "always" pregnant, not just sometimes, or on Tuesdays or national holidays, but always. To be in that condition fish need to be fed what they are supposed to eat. Not a variety of food, not food with the most vitamins on the label, not the most expensive food, but what they are supposed to eat. I went over that in my podcast and it is very easy and cheap to do that.
And if it makes you feel better, most of that high tech stuff goes over my head also. I think I just saw some fly over.
If you don't do it right, you may be up Sheets Creek. (where I collect)
Moulton, Read everything you can then make an educated decision after looking at the success the writer is having with his or her tank. 3 or 4 years for a fish is not success. Success if having the fish live to it's normal lifespan which for "most" but not all fish is about 10 or 12 years. Clowns and some other damsels live over 20 years and pipefish, small gobies and seahorses live under five years, so success is determined by their natural lifespan.
Healthy fish are "always" pregnant, not just sometimes, or on Tuesdays or national holidays, but always. To be in that condition fish need to be fed what they are supposed to eat. Not a variety of food, not food with the most vitamins on the label, not the most expensive food, but what they are supposed to eat. I went over that in my podcast and it is very easy and cheap to do that.
And if it makes you feel better, most of that high tech stuff goes over my head also. I think I just saw some fly over.
If you don't do it right, you may be up Sheets Creek. (where I collect)
jasonandsarah
Sticks, sticks and more STICKS
This little paragraph made my day! Thank you Paul B for inventing the mistakes I make everyday and continuing to be a great asset to our reefing community!
Anytime ANYONE try to discredit anything you say just simply say "44YEARS" and walk away! [Or drop the keyboard lol)[emoji3]
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Jasonandsarah, (I guess your names are Bob and Carol) Thank you. I generally don't argue with anyone on a fish site, as to me, it is not a contest.
I was a Sargent in Viet Nam and a General construction foreman in Manhattan for 44 years so I have had a lifetime of arguing with people and I don't do it anymore. If I wanted to argue I would just tell my wife that those shorts make her look fat.
I was a Sargent in Viet Nam and a General construction foreman in Manhattan for 44 years so I have had a lifetime of arguing with people and I don't do it anymore. If I wanted to argue I would just tell my wife that those shorts make her look fat.
jasonandsarah
Sticks, sticks and more STICKS
Jasonandsarah, (I guess your names are Bob and Carol) Thank you. I generally don't argue with anyone on a fish site, as to me, it is not a contest.
I was a Sargent in Viet Nam and a General construction foreman in Manhattan for 44 years so I have had a lifetime of arguing with people and I don't do it anymore. If I wanted to argue I would just tell my wife that those shorts make her look fat.
That's great! Ya know people that don't argue tend to be right most of the time. They already know what there saying is fact so why argue about it? Why should anyone care enough about a system that isn't there's to argue or ridicule people over?
Now people that start arguments for no reason or try to act like something has to be done THIS WAY! Or it just won't work, then act like everyone else is the stupid ones? Haha I just laugh and move on....
Harold Green
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Are you still trying to build a diatom filter? Years back, decades actually, I bought a regular diatom filter that would fit in a house water filter container. Ran a hose over to a submersible pump and instant diatom filter. I think they still make those filter cylinders. Saw some yesterday to fit canister filters.
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Harold, I am not trying to build it yet, but the next time I need mine, I may do it. Usually in the winter I do those weird things as now is still boating season and I spend a lot of time re-designing things on my boat. Last week I built a fresh water guage with LEDs because I never know how much fresh water I have in the tank unless I open the engine cover which is about 8'X8' and weighs a ton. Now I can easily see by the 4 LEDs how much water is in there without opening the cover. I also built a fresh water flushing system for each engine so when I get back to the dock, I can run fresh water through each engine. It is not that easy because these are General Motors inboard engines. I love that stuff and in the summer that takes up much of my time. The winter is set aside for either going to the tropics or designing stuff for the tank.
Jasonandsarah, to argue on a fish site is just stupid, but many people take this stuff seriously. I mean, if you don't agree with me, and you are not planning to shoot me, why would I care? I just wrote a book and a lot of people should "not" read it because they will disagree with much of it. I don't care. Those people should write their own book named something like "Paul B doesn't know a copperband butterfly from Paris Hilton's dog" .
I think that could be a best seller right behind "War and Peace". We are talking about fish for God Sakes, or as I normally call them, lunch. I eat fish almost every day. Having cod tonight with some fresh clams. I may even give some to my fish. The people who do the fish arguing must not have much of a life as this is their main thing. I love my fish but they are such a small part of my life with my wife, Daughter and grand kids way up on top of the list. My fish are behind me now cursing me out because I am writing instead of feeding them. If they keep it up, they may eat cake tonight, and not even very good cake.
There is one very large site where I can't post about immunity because they just don't believe in it. That is fine, I just don't go on there hardly at all and if I do, it is just fluff. Nothing important.
I don't know if I should eat this shrimp, or cycle a tank with it. Remember you can't cycle a tank with a live shrimp, thats cruel, but if you buy it already dead, that is fine. Does that make a lot of sense to many people? I guess the ones we buy died of old age or Alzheimer's so it is OK. I wonder how that flounder I had for dinner last night died?
Jasonandsarah, to argue on a fish site is just stupid, but many people take this stuff seriously. I mean, if you don't agree with me, and you are not planning to shoot me, why would I care? I just wrote a book and a lot of people should "not" read it because they will disagree with much of it. I don't care. Those people should write their own book named something like "Paul B doesn't know a copperband butterfly from Paris Hilton's dog" .
I think that could be a best seller right behind "War and Peace". We are talking about fish for God Sakes, or as I normally call them, lunch. I eat fish almost every day. Having cod tonight with some fresh clams. I may even give some to my fish. The people who do the fish arguing must not have much of a life as this is their main thing. I love my fish but they are such a small part of my life with my wife, Daughter and grand kids way up on top of the list. My fish are behind me now cursing me out because I am writing instead of feeding them. If they keep it up, they may eat cake tonight, and not even very good cake.
There is one very large site where I can't post about immunity because they just don't believe in it. That is fine, I just don't go on there hardly at all and if I do, it is just fluff. Nothing important.
I don't know if I should eat this shrimp, or cycle a tank with it. Remember you can't cycle a tank with a live shrimp, thats cruel, but if you buy it already dead, that is fine. Does that make a lot of sense to many people? I guess the ones we buy died of old age or Alzheimer's so it is OK. I wonder how that flounder I had for dinner last night died?
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