It's all @Paul B's fault... my journey to an immune reef (hopefully!)

Paul B

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All you young guys and these abbreviations o_O:rolleyes:

This is true, my hermit crabs have canker sores older than most people on here. :rolleyes:

I first used a UG filter with 4 uplifts and a 4 outlet air pump that vibrated so much your teeth's fillings would fall out and mirrors and photographs would fall off the wall the neighbours would ask me to stop constantly drilling the walls.

When I started there was no vibrating pumps, there was only piston pumps with leather pistons that you had to oil. The oil would get in the water and make a realistic Exxon oil spill.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/how-i-got-started-in-the-hobby-in-1971.177/
 

atoll

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This is true, my hermit crabs have canker sores older than most people on here. :rolleyes:



When I started there was no vibrating pumps, there was only piston pumps with leather pistons that you had to oil. The oil would get in the water and make a realistic Exxon oil spill.

https://www.reef2reef.com/ams/how-i-got-started-in-the-hobby-in-1971.177/

I have this old air pump still going strong. It's a Hy-Flo piston pump model C circa 1960s

20170917_175625.jpg
 

atoll

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Paul B

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Extremly cool, well built pump. I always had to put a fan on them to keep them cool or they would go on fire. :eek:
 

MnFish1

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I first used a UG filter with 4 uplifts and a 4 outlet air pump that vibrated so much your teeth's fillings would fall out and mirrors and photographs would fall off the wall the neighbours would ask me to stop constantly drilling the walls. :eek:

I then changed to UGRF (Under Gravel Reverse Flow) using a Hagen 403 (i think it might have been) which had 2 inputs and 2 outlets. I secured the outlet pipes into the uplifts (now downflows) with baby bottle teats. I just cut the tips off and stretched them over the 12mm pipes. However, they rotted in time but didn't seem to case any problem I had the downflow pipes in each back corner and the UG filter was made up of Rena interlocking filter plates then 2" of calcium plus a layer of gravel a thing called a gravel tidy over the calcium plus ( a gravel tidy was a flexible plastic mesh) This was topped off with 2" of coral sand. I remember it all so well :rolleyes:
There is definitely something to the old school method. I remember a great tank I had went to the fish store they had a trickle filter for sale. It was literally the size of a 90 gallon tank wide. And 6 feet tall with 10 layers of various things all open to the air. It looked awesome at the time. At that time I had a 50 gallon tank with a marine land filter canister. Granted there were no coral but the fish did well and there was no algae
 

atoll

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Extremly cool, well built pump. I always had to put a fan on them to keep them cool or they would go on fire. :eek:

Opps well not had that problem but mine does get quite warm. The Hi flo pumps are built like tanks, over engineered, originally for the medical industry and made by Medcalf Brothers here in the UK but stopped making then about 20 years ago.

http://sonik-systems.com/pumps/
 

reefwiser

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I had a dual piston one for my protein skimmer Had to keep it in the basement it was so noisy. [emoji3] Had great air pressure for wood air stones.
 

Greenstreet.1

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@ Mr. Paul B is it ok for me to add blackworms to my food mix ? will it cause any problems by me freezing it ? I know LRS had blackworms but don’t see that version anymore.
 

Paul B

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I think we need a new fancy combination of letters ORS – Old Reefers Syndrom :)

Sincerely Lasse

GRs, Geezer Reefers. :rolleyes:

I have decided that next year I will turn 30 ;);););)

My socks are 30. :eek:

@ Mr. Paul B is it ok for me to add blackworms to my food mix ? will it cause any problems by me freezing it ? I know LRS had blackworms but don’t see that version anymore.

I spoke to Larry who owns LRS food about the benefits of blackworms, thats why he added them. I am not sure if he still adds them. But I know they are expensive and not always available because of the drought in California. I think they should give the water to the worms and the people could drink wine. :cool:

You can and should add blackworms and you can freeze them. The worms hate that but their mouths are tiny so you won't hear them scream.
 

Gareth elliott

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Thoughts on adding things like white worms or vinegar eels.
I also have hydei cultures. I keep geckos, frogs and the worms are for my freshwater fry. Figured id ask while on worms lol.
 

Paul B

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White worms are great, I never used vinegar eels.
 

aquanicssd

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But I know they are expensive and not always available because of the drought in California. I think they should give the water to the worms and the people could drink wine. :cool:

You can and should add blackworms and you can freeze them. The worms hate that but their mouths are tiny so you won't hear them scream.

I get them pretty cheap here in SoCal. The portion s I get last about a week or two and cost less than 5 bucks. My LFS has always stocked them. Not a whole lost of stores do though. And white worms are a bit harder to find - just found a local selling cultures and am buying one to start a colony in another tank.
 
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