Reef Aquariums are Impossible to Keep!!

[tautog83]

can you post a pic of the tanks that you aquaculture acropora in?

 

[PacificEastAquaculture]

can you post a pic of the tanks that you aquaculture acropora in?

 

[Jeight]

Fair enough. Like I said, some folks love gadgets, but IMO they don't make it easier or better. I don't have any and grow thousands of corals.

I think that is the difference between a business/job and a hobby...I Own an industrial complex with 675,000 sq ft under roof I have been doing this for 30 years what is easy to me as far as building maintenance would not seem easy to a homeowner...its perspective and experiential knowledge.

 

[PacificEastAquaculture]

I think that is the difference between a business/job and a hobby...I Own an industrial complex with 675,000 sq ft under roof I have been doing this for 30 years what is easy to me as far as building maintenance would not seem easy to a homeowner...its perspective and experiential knowledge.

Understood, same here, as you see--industrial scale here.

 

[oceaninabox12345]

Everyone goes down a different path. Some folks love gadgets and others don't. I always look at the expensive gadgets as just more stuff that can go wrong and if your tank depends on those things then you get wiped out when that device has a glitch. In our coral farm and in the 210 gallon displays I drip in kalk with top off water--the old tried and true method. I tested alkalinity today and it's dead on at 8 dKH, calcium at 475, etc. No other supplements are ever added. The tanks are fed twice daily with our fish blend and in the middle of the night with our coral blend.

Yea exactly! And im not a technology hater. Im sitting on my smartphone, in my house with modern conveniences, while using the internet. The RODI systems, new cheaper lights, auto top off systems, its all amazing and as technology progresses it allows the common man a higher standard for himself and his coral, at a lower cost.

 

[vetteguy53081]

Nice presentation

 

[marinworld]

Totally agree with Dr. Mac. You don’t need every technologically advanced product of the day to have a Marine Aquarium.

I started in this business way back in 1965. In fact Dr. Mac worked for me as a young man. We had several hundred aquariums both in our retail and wholesale facility that all ran independently with nothing more than undergravel filters. And we had healthy fish and healthy water.

At that time there was nothing in the way of wet/dry systems, refugiums, dosing pumps, metal halide lighting, or any number of hitech devices of today. About the most advanced piece of equipment was a protein skimmer, which I utilized from virtually day one of my business. This was introduced to me by a gentleman from Germany and was very simple in design. Utilizing nothing more than a wooden air stone. Yet, it worked.
I started importing them from Sanders in Germany and we sold many.

Now I’m not saying that today’s technology hasn’t greatly helped to advance the hobby, I’m just saying, as Dr. Mac; almost anyone can be successful with a Marine Aquarium without having to spend incredible amounts of money on hitech equipment as he says and showed in his video.

This hobby should be for everyone, not just those with deep pockets.

 

[Retro Reefer]

Great thread! it drives me crazy seeing new people struggling with all the available equipment and methods.. I started my first reef in the mid 80’s with air driven under gravel filter and a home brewed wooden air stone skimmer.. IMO the only thing you really need is real live rock, proper lighting and some simple maintenance for a easy successful reef.

RR

 

[Paul B]

I had all those bells and whistles but they gave me a headache so I threw them all out.

 

[PacificEastAquaculture]

Totally agree with Dr. Mac. You don’t need every technologically advanced product of the day to have a Marine Aquarium.

I started in this business way back in 1965. In fact Dr. Mac worked for me as a young man. We had several hundred aquariums both in our retail and wholesale facility that all ran independently with nothing more than undergravel filters. And we had healthy fish and healthy water.

At that time there was nothing in the way of wet/dry systems, refugiums, dosing pumps, metal halide lighting, or any number of hitech devices of today. About the most advanced piece of equipment was a protein skimmer, which I utilized from virtually day one of my business. This was introduced to me by a gentleman from Germany and was very simple in design. Utilizing nothing more than a wooden air stone. Yet, it worked.
I started importing them from Sanders in Germany and we sold many.

Now I’m not saying that today’s technology hasn’t greatly helped to advance the hobby, I’m just saying, as Dr. Mac; almost anyone can be successful with a Marine Aquarium without having to spend incredible amounts of money on hitech equipment as he says and showed in his video.

This hobby should be for everyone, not just those with deep pockets.

Hey marinworld, great to see you here! Let's face it, we're just throwbacks to a different era in this hobby. We did more with less because thats all we knew at the time. Stephen Spotte's book was our bible and you were making and selling hundreds of bottles of a product called Instant Algae that actually promoted algae growth

 

[marinworld]

Hey Dr. Mac,
A yes, remember those days quite well. 50+ years ago and seems like yesterday. Throwbacks for sure. And as far as keeping aquariums in such a simple way, my brother just recently is a great example. He had nothing more than a hang off the back filter and an UG on a 75 and a pair of Unimacultus Butterflies laid eggs consistently.

Probably the greatest advance today for the hobbyist is a forum like R2R where folks can share knowledge and real-time experiences instantly.

I must say, Stephen Spotte was our bible and his books still hold valuable information.

Glad your still in the fight to bring new people into this fascinating hobby.

 

[PacificEastAquaculture]

Hey Dr. Mac,
A yes, remember those days quite well. 50+ years ago and seems like yesterday. Throwbacks for sure. And as far as keeping aquariums in such a simple way, my brother just recently is a great example. He had nothing more than a hang off the back filter and an UG on a 75 and a pair of Unimacultus Butterflies laid eggs consistently.

Probably the greatest advance today for the hobbyist is a forum like R2R where folks can share knowledge and real-time experiences instantly.

I must say, Stephen Spotte was our bible and his books still hold valuable information.

Glad your still in the fight to bring new people into this fascinating hobby.

I think R2R needs a geriatric forum. Old timers can sit around swapping stories of "the good old days" and compare ailments and prescriptions

 

[marinworld]

Sounds like a great idea Mac. A forum for all us throwbacks could go and wax nostalgia about the good old days in the marine hobby. Like the days when I sold Asfur Angels for 25.00 and had loads in stock. Along with Septentrionalis and Sohal Tangs.

 

[User1]

can you post a pic of the tanks that you aquaculture acropora in?

He also has a video walk though. Worth it just to see their facility. I watch it every now and then just because. I've never purchased anything from them but everything I read here and on other forums says they are the best source of clams if you want success. The corals and their overall husbandry, and general converstation, is top notch.

 

[Thaxxx]

People have this hobby for many reasons. Some, the technology aspect is the draw. It starts out as wanting to create a beautiful coral reef in their home. Then morphs in to tech, chemical balancing, ect.
I was into home theater for decades. Started in the late 80's when home theater and projectors weren't even a thing. In 1994 I had my house built, there was a dedicated theater room with the latest and greatest projector and sound system. Then as tech. advances, the picture and sound get better, you turn into a geek. It's no longer about enjoying a great movie or sporting event on a 10 wide screen in you own home. It's now about, contrast ratio, gray scale, lumens, gamma curves. All your viewing and listening are now of video test patterns and sound acoustic graphs. Haha, you've morphed into a different hobby. You haven't watched a movie in ages.......
Reefing reminds me a lot of home theater.

 

[PacificEastAquaculture]