Reefing; Back in the Day...
- Thread starter Neil Fox
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Those books are Awesome! I remember getting books like that from the library.Here's a few pics from my library of marine books, still amazingly in good condition since they've been around the hobby for around 60+ years now. Got these from a friend who passed away in 2014.
Wonder if it was easier or more difficult for those whom had marine tanks back then? Less opinions to confuse (internet forums), but at the same time, less info easily available to make you realize you really don't know enough ;-)
jlanger
Well-Known Member
Since this thread started, Ive been trying to remember what the HOB I had was called. It looked similar to the one in your photo, but wasn't a nicely molded box. It had square corners and a window to see the water level, a siphon tube(s) pulled water from a clear overflow box, a divider in the box allowed for a filter sponge and ceramic media before a powerhead pump sent water back to the tank via a pvc pipe with a clip on flare nozzle.
I just cannot remember what it was called. But it was the latest and greatest in HOB filtration! Until the CPR Bak-Paks integrated a protein skimmer.
jlanger
Well-Known Member
And I also loved my Skilter filters!
I used one on a 15gal tank that I would keep octopuses. I needed to add a scour pad to the return to deter the octopus from crawling into the filter, but they never messed with the intake guard.
Great little filters that added extra oxygen into the water, but the actual skimming was only so-so; but they tried!
I used one on a 15gal tank that I would keep octopuses. I needed to add a scour pad to the return to deter the octopus from crawling into the filter, but they never messed with the intake guard.
Great little filters that added extra oxygen into the water, but the actual skimming was only so-so; but they tried!
Rjramos
Valuable Member
Ok, found what I was looking for in the old scrap book, lol!
Starting in 1994, my first reef tank set up, a 55 gal plexiglass tenecor. Bare bottom, run Berlin style with Top Fathom 110 Venturi skimmer. VHO's!
The same tank 2 years later 1996 FTS. Quiet tang police this was a long time ago OK, lol !
This pearl bubble, bubble coral and the RPE zoas up top are still with me today!
A nice spawning pair of occ. clowns on their host pacific long tentacle anemone.
May 2000 pic. The plexiglas tenecor was replaced by a custom built 65gal peninsula tank, (4 in. Taller). The fish pictures are the same ones since 1994, again quiet tang police, they were quite happy and friendly, lol[emoji16]
Starting in 1994, my first reef tank set up, a 55 gal plexiglass tenecor. Bare bottom, run Berlin style with Top Fathom 110 Venturi skimmer. VHO's!
The same tank 2 years later 1996 FTS. Quiet tang police this was a long time ago OK, lol !
This pearl bubble, bubble coral and the RPE zoas up top are still with me today!
A nice spawning pair of occ. clowns on their host pacific long tentacle anemone.
May 2000 pic. The plexiglas tenecor was replaced by a custom built 65gal peninsula tank, (4 in. Taller). The fish pictures are the same ones since 1994, again quiet tang police, they were quite happy and friendly, lol[emoji16]
Joey waid
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Also the pixels on the camera.
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smh lol Pixels... hahaha
Paul B
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My Aquarium Showcase
My tank circa 1972
Spawning shrimp in the 70s
This was my tank , maybe in the 80s, I don't remember. That upper picture was in FAMMA magazine
Maybe this was the one in FAMMA
Blue devil over his nest of eggs circa 1973
My current tank under construction probably 1980 or so. You can see the dead, white, bleached corals we used for decoration.
The first page of my log book
Spawning shrimp in the 70s
This was my tank , maybe in the 80s, I don't remember. That upper picture was in FAMMA magazine
Maybe this was the one in FAMMA
Blue devil over his nest of eggs circa 1973
My current tank under construction probably 1980 or so. You can see the dead, white, bleached corals we used for decoration.
The first page of my log book
Not my first reef tank, but this skimmerless one is from circa 1997 (Power Compacts left side/NO T12s):
Very nice!!Not my first reef tank, but this skimmerless one is from circa 1997 (Power Compacts left side/NO T12s):
Some really cool stuff! I love the progression from dead coral, to 90's Rock Wall, to Modern Scape. I also like the coraline covered back glass in Rjramos' tank in 96. Coraline covered glass and equipment was a "Badge of Honor" back in the day! What do those Bubble Corals look like today? Not many 20 year old specimens around that's for sure. I think Paul may have some stuff that old also.
Not my first reef tank, but this skimmerless one is from circa 1997 (Power Compacts left side/NO T12s):
Not long after this I stripped the left side of Mushrooms and added some Zoas, Blastos, Leptastrea, Monti caps (this brown one is from Tyree's Frag Farmers online and it was supposed to get a pink rim, but not under my whiter lighting...ANY bright color was a big deal back then!):
I moved the Pink Sinularia (a GARF original started from a little 3" frag) over to the Mushroom island:
...and the thing grew into a spreading monster (those are 5" green mushrooms nearby) that I had to frag monthly just to keep it in check:
This tank lived for around 9-1/2 years until it was taken down with an average of maybe ~10% water change per year, if that, and only full strength saturated Kalkwasser for top off (test kits...what test kits?). What the alkalinity, calcium and magnesium were, lord only knows. Just used an old SeaTest swing arm hydrometer (which I still use today), a thermometer, a return pump and the hybrid lighting mish-mash. I can't remember ever cleaning the rear wall (we thought the more coralline, the better for the tank and the better reefer one was) ;)
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Very True, Nano sapiens! Cool tank, even by modern standards. With coraline like that you were the man! I was also a full strength calk reefer, just poured in never dosed. I remember when strontium and molybdenum were supposed to stop Torch and Elegance from popping out their shells. I dosed that for awhile, not sure what it did.
^^ Thanks, Neil, even though it was not a real show tank it was a lot of fun :)
Memories...I too added Strontium and Iodine (I still low dose Iodine to this day).
In retrospect, I wonder what the actual alk and cal levels were...and how much they might have fluctuated day-to-day. Not even going to think what the mag levels, were :eek:
I've got to find a pic of my first reef tank circa 1985 (homemade 8g display, 12g raised gravity sump, sand/lava chip filter, Sanders wooden airstone skimmer... :) ).
Memories...I too added Strontium and Iodine (I still low dose Iodine to this day).
In retrospect, I wonder what the actual alk and cal levels were...and how much they might have fluctuated day-to-day. Not even going to think what the mag levels, were :eek:
I've got to find a pic of my first reef tank circa 1985 (homemade 8g display, 12g raised gravity sump, sand/lava chip filter, Sanders wooden airstone skimmer... :) ).
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Rjramos
Valuable Member
Thanks Neil! You're right, coralline algae was a great indicator back in the day, lol! I was using seachem 's product line, reef complete and 2 other things can't remember, but for the small amount you added it seemed to be very effective! Did you all note the joining seam in the panoramic FTS, lol[emoji23]! Here are today pictures of the pearl bubble and bubble. Kind of like a bonsai' age being determined by the trunk, notice the rock left behind throughout the years! The pearl has been fragged numerous times, But not the bubble.
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