My tank just reached 50 years old.
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
- Tagged users None
revhtree
Owner Administrator
Staff member
Super Moderator
Reef Squad
Partner Member 2024
Excellence Award
RGB
Photo of the Month
Article Contributor
R2R TV Featured
Hospitality Award
Article Administrator
Black Friday Sponsor
Partner Sponsor 2023
Industry Professional
My Aquarium Showcase
- Joined
- May 8, 2006
- Messages
- 48,049
- Reaction score
- 89,288
Wow congrats Paul! What an accomplishment!
xxkenny90xx
2500 Club Member
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2019
- Messages
- 4,654
- Reaction score
- 6,040
Just to be safe I recommend pulling all the fish, running copper, and staying fallow for a few monthsI always wanted to make it last fifty years. Now I will call it a success so if it crashes or gets Covid, I will still call it a success.
I know all the people saying it is Russian Roulette because of never quarantining but there is a word I like to call those people.........Wrong.
Now it can crash all it wants.
Vette67
Reefing since 1997
That’s awesome. Congratulations. Your tank is one year older than me! I’m hoping to get there some day, but I’m only half as far along as you. In another 26 years... Holy crap, I’ll be old then!
I always wanted to make it last fifty years. Now I will call it a success so if it crashes or gets Covid, I will still call it a success.
I know all the people saying it is Russian Roulette because of never quarantining but there is a word I like to call those people.........Wrong.
Now it can crash all it wants.
You have been riding your luck for 50 years Paul. How lucky is that? lol.
jaganshi066
Valuable Member
It was started in 1971 and was moved three times. The longest it was in one place was 40 years. The last move was almost 3 years ago.
The glass was also changed three times as it got scratched from cleaning. It was started in a 40 gallon glass, then for 45 years it was in 100 gallon glass and now 125 gallons.
It uses 100% NSW and the oldest fish, a firefish is about 35 or 40 years old. His mate is a couple of years younger and they spawn constantly.
There are about 25 fish. Watchman gobies are spawning as are 6 line wrasses, fireclowns and rainsford gobies.
It uses dolomite and a reverse Undergravel filter. The ATO, algae scrubber and skimmer are also DIY
Nothing was ever quarantined or medicated.
(Actually it's birthday is in March of this year in 2 weeks so I cheated a little)
Beautiful tank, this is the goal for a tank to keep running forever!!!
fishybizzness
Valuable Member
- Joined
- Apr 3, 2017
- Messages
- 2,477
- Reaction score
- 3,413
Great achievement in anyone's book! Here's to another 50!!!
Congradulations!
OP
OP
Paul B
10K Club member
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Reef Of The Month
Article Contributor
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
Actually I took that video because you asked about that Janss pipefish. I took 6 video's and the rest of them came out better but that stupid pipefish wouldn't make an appearance so when he finally did, I used that video. There are about 25 or 30 fish in there but most of them are odd bals so they hide.
I couldn't find the blue stripe pipefish for the video as they hunt in the back
Joe that dolomite gravel is the original from the 60s when it was a brackish tank. I had to add more because the tank used to be smaller. We didn't use rock in 1971, we used dead coral skeletons so the rock is newer, most from the 80s. I collected it all or built it myself, I don't think I ever bought any rock.
The water was always the same and I never dumped it all out so I assume a few molecules of the original water is still in there. The last 3 years I live near the sea so I just collect it on the beach
Congrats! I think the biggest take away I have gotten from your tank over the years isnt about what equipment or techniques to run or not run or even QT or not. It is simply to stick with it. Systems see a lot of ups and downs and that is ok.
Awesome dedication to keep her going through the moves. The biodiversity in your tank is amazing. I used a reverse undergravel on a 108 in the 80's with an argonite gravel/sand. When we sold the house and tore it down after 10 years there was a 1/2 pail of every type of worm under that plate.
OP
OP
Paul B
10K Club member
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Reef Of The Month
Article Contributor
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
I got that whale when I started the tank. Now that he got bigger, he can only keep his head in the tank.
- Joined
- Sep 21, 2018
- Messages
- 6,742
- Reaction score
- 7,226
It was started in 1971 and was moved three times. The longest it was in one place was 40 years. The last move was almost 3 years ago.
The glass was also changed three times as it got scratched from cleaning. It was started in a 40 gallon glass, then for 45 years it was in 100 gallon glass and now 125 gallons.
It uses 100% NSW and the oldest fish, a firefish is about 35 or 40 years old. His mate is a couple of years younger and they spawn constantly.
There are about 25 fish. Watchman gobies are spawning as are 6 line wrasses, fireclowns and rainsford gobies.
It uses dolomite and a reverse Undergravel filter. The ATO, algae scrubber and skimmer are also DIY
Nothing was ever quarantined or medicated.
(Actually it's birthday is in March of this year in 2 weeks so I cheated a little)
A philosophical question to entertain you on this momentous milestone.
If the wood of a boat is replaced until all the wood is replaced with new wood, is it the same boat?
OP
OP
Paul B
10K Club member
Excellence Award
Reef Tank 365
Reef Of The Month
Article Contributor
Rock Pool Reef Keepers
Thats like that joke when the guy has a very old broom but he replaced the bristles 6 times and the handle 7 times.
I replaced the glass on my tank 3 times, can you imagine how scratched the glass would be on the same 50 year old tank? I just threw everything in the tank in big vats for a few hours, then put it all back. I also did that once or twice just to re aquascape. Everything in vats.
Once about 30 years ago I wanted to lift the UG filter to see what was growing under there. Of course I had to remove everything to do that.
The Coney Island Aquarium in Brooklyn is known as the oldest running aquarium in the US. It was started in 1896 (the year I was born) It was moved a few times and dismantled for WW1 and WW2.
But it is still considered "continuously running."
The New York Aquarium is the oldest continually operating aquarium in the United States, located on the Riegelmann Boardwalk in Coney Island, Brooklyn, New York City. It was founded at Castle Garden in Battery Park, Manhattan in 1896, and moved to Coney Island in 1957
New York Aquarium - Wikipedia
Similar threads
