My tank just reached 50 years old.

[fishhead1973]

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 fireclown 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)

https://ww

I love old school tanks that’s amazing

 

[Paul B]

Fishhead, thank you. I also love old school and due to my age, don't know how to do new school.

 

[RobertTheNurse]

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 fireclown 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)

https://ww

You sir are my hero

 

[atoll]

Fishhead, thank you. I also love old school and due to my age, don't know how to do new school.

Just as well Paul as we might find a lot in the Bobby will come full circle and you will be top dog of the new old school

 

[Azedenkae]

Wowwwwwwwww. Omg amazing.

 

[Paul B]

Atoll old friend, you mean soon people will start to use "old school" reverse undergravel filters and think they are new school?

 

[LRT]

Atoll, Thanks. That broom video was posted, (probably by you) a few times when my tank was 40 years old. Great video.

EagleEye, Thank you. There are so many Old Wifes Tales floating around these forums that you would think everybody has an old wife.

Much of the stuff posted boggles my mind and it is fairly boggled most of the time anyway. I am surprised anybody is able to keep a tank. Some of the practices just seem ridiculous especially with many of the things people do to poor new fish. Dipping, medicating, observing, quarantining, then medication again then hiring bag pipe players to play Taps when they croak.

If I was a fish (and part of me is) I would exercise just so I get strong enough to jump out and hopefully fall head first on a tile floor near a hungry cat who has irritable Bowell disease

Just leave the fish alone, feed him correctly, then ignore him and he will be fine.
Of course I am not the God of fish so you may not want to take advice from me as I am so lucky that in 50 years I have never introduced ich, velvet, intestinal worms or any number of things I can't pronounce much less spell to my tank but the day is not over yet.

I am taking my wife to our old neighborhood today and will go to a large LFS, so maybe I will buy something infested with all of those afflictions so I can dip, medicate and quarantine.

That will give me the opportunity to turn on the gas on my oven and stick my head in there while I fall asleep reading page 42 in my book. ;Meh

Hilarious. Your reef is actually older than me coming up on 44 years old. Now I want to go read your book especially page 42 to see if this same humor is in there or if it came gradually over the years since your "tank" has matured hahahaha.
Its kind of an honor and privilege to have you here still sharing your ideas and knowledge.
Thank you sir

 

[atoll]

Atoll old friend, you mean soon people will start to use "old school" reverse undergravel filters and think they are new school?

You got it. The only commercially available reverse flow system I ever saw was by a company in the UK called Hockney designed by a guy called Hubert Heys. The pumps were hidden in the side of the tank and also had a trickle bypass built in. Very smart tanks for the time.

 

[Hot2na]

My fav tank on here.Every time i look at the video , I see some little organism or fish I didn't notice before.. This is why NSW is a good choice..this tank is teeming with life.

 

[Paul B]

You sir are my hero

Thank you, my hero is Wonder Woman. ;Smuggrin I am not sure if she has a fish tank.

Actually my socks are older than you. ;Yuck But my fireclown is 30 so you are older than he is,

Atoll, I didn't even know they made reverse undergravel filters. I always just bought a UG filter and built a manifold to make it reverse.

This is an old picture, but I like it

 

[fishhead1973]

Fishhead, thank you. I also love old school and due to my age, don't know how to do new school.

Yep was out of it for 15 years everything’s changed metal halides are almost a thing of the past. Starting back over again with a 20 Red Sea max Wife says no big tank in am going the old school way except for the led lighting nice not to have all that heat and no bulbs to change. And the other day I was at my local fish store and these guys don’t even now what kalk is for in the top off water go figure.

 

[atoll]

Jus the one UK company Paul and it was fitted into the tank. They were considered here in the UK as a rival to the tunze system price and quality wise. As far as I am aware they were only ever sold here in the UK but have disappeared while Tunze was probably considered my hi tech. They were in production in the 80s. I can't even find any old photos of them. All. Pre internet of course.

 

[Paul B]

Atoll, between you and me, almost everything is Pre Internet. When was that invented? Like last Tuesday?

 

[atoll]

Atoll, between you and me, almost everything is Pre Internet. When was that invented? Like last Tuesday?

Yep that's so Paul. Along with black and white tube TVs no central heating and we didnt have a phone till mid 60s. Now you can find anything you want on the net and a lot you wouldn't want to find and copper was the change in your pocket.

 

[Paul B]

Exactly, and when we wanted to meet a girl, we had to actually stand near her and make intelligible, meaningful sounds coming out of our mouth and if we said something like LOL, ROTFL, ROTFLMAO, OMG. etc, she would look at us like we had two heads before calling the Police who would send the guys with the white coats who would put us in a padded cell with nothing to look at except maybe a picture of Joey Heatherton.

 

[KrisReef]

Video didn't work

Yup. YouTube doesn't support Reverse Flow technology.
Congratulations.

 

[Devaji]

Video didn't work

legend says after a reef turns 50 you can hear the very rare sea wolf howling!

great job paul your tank and methods have always been an insperation to me. my new tank, that I am cycling now, is a paulB style of reefing.

 

[Paul B]

Thats great but remember, it is all about luck

 

[atoll]

Thats great but remember, it is all about luck

And witchcraft Paul. Paul is a white witch and puts spells on itch to make them disappear.

 

[Devaji]

Thats great but remember, it is all about luck

I am not sure about that I think you have always been on to something just that those that sale you things dont want one to have tank 50 years old.

well wish me "luck" then so I have have all the success you have had. expessually with the supper models