Tank birthday, 47+ years
- Thread starter Paul B
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newman24
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Thanks for answering my questions! Here are a few more if you don't mind.
Do you remember when the clown fish (true/false perc) made its way into the hobby?
Were clean-up crews available? eg hermit crabs, snails and such
What is one equipment that eventually came out and you HAD to buy it thinking it was genius?
Topping off. How did you go about this? Did you know to just add fresh water? (seeing how some beginners don't realize this these days)
What do you think about all the different chemicals/additives these days?
*** what did you think when those cuff watches (in your photo) came back into style in 2000-2002??? Not sure if they became popular again in your area. Were you aware??? I'd be thinking "I had that type of watch way back when...."
Do you remember when the clown fish (true/false perc) made its way into the hobby?
Were clean-up crews available? eg hermit crabs, snails and such
What is one equipment that eventually came out and you HAD to buy it thinking it was genius?
Topping off. How did you go about this? Did you know to just add fresh water? (seeing how some beginners don't realize this these days)
What do you think about all the different chemicals/additives these days?
*** what did you think when those cuff watches (in your photo) came back into style in 2000-2002??? Not sure if they became popular again in your area. Were you aware??? I'd be thinking "I had that type of watch way back when...."
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Paul B
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Newman, I didn't know those watches ever came back in style.
Percula clowns became available right after dominos, sargeant majors and blue devils. That is the extent of the fish then. My first percula lived 12 years.
Hermit crabs and snails were available after fish, arrow crabs, if I remember were even before hermit crabs but I could be wrong.
My first equipment was a Sanders Protein skimmer. It was small and driven by an airstone, I thought it was the coolest thing I ever saw. After that first model I began to build them myself and came up with about 20 prototypes until I developed the venturi model I use now. But it was all because of that first model.
I ran the tank with tap water that I ran through a PVC pipe full of carbon.
I don't use any additives that I would buy. I make my own 2 part calcium for practically nothing and I add some Luguls Iodine when I remember. I only add that because I bought a large bottle of it about 15 years ago and I feel I should use it. I don't know if it does anything or if I am wasting my time with it.
I really have no idea why people add all sorts of things and spend so much money. I don't think my reef costs me $200.00 a year except for electricity. Probably much less.
People call this an expensive hobby and to set it up it is, but if you keep spending a fortune after that, you are wasting your money. One year of boating costs me more than 40 years of reefing by far. If a fish cost me $50.00 and it lives 15 years what does it cost me a year? Three bucks. I feed mysis, live worms and fresh clams. A chowder clam costs less than a buck and lasts about a month because I freeze it and shave off thin pieces that I use every couple of days. Worms cost about $2.00 a portion and that lasts a couple of weeks because I only need a couple of worms a day for each fish.
Mysis are about $10.00 a month. So mysis are my biggest expense. I need to teach my fish to eat cake. :smile:
This is one of the first blue devils imported into the US in 1971. I had 7 of them and they lived about 7 years. During that time this male always had a nest and spawned almost every two months. The other 6 remained females. This guy became a male and I could tell because after a while his fins which had been clear, turned all blue. The females remained with clear fins. He is over his nest of eggs in that barnacle shell. The corals are all dead skeletons.
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newman24
Community Member
Thanks for all the replies. I actually checked around 3 times to see if you replied. I find your saltwater aquarium journey through the 40 years very interesting.
I totally understand what you mean by "not expensive hobby". It's really not that expensive. Only all the fancy equipment costs money. Frozen/flake food lasts me forever and the only thing that I spend money on now are water changes. I don't like to mix my own water so I just buy it. I barely do water changes so that's not much either. (i'll stop there since this is about YOUR tank)
*I'm not sure about anywhere else but those cuff watches came back when I first started college in 2000. I'm in Los Angeles, CA so who knows....I know it's just a watch but seeing it an old photo like that is pretty cool.
I totally understand what you mean by "not expensive hobby". It's really not that expensive. Only all the fancy equipment costs money. Frozen/flake food lasts me forever and the only thing that I spend money on now are water changes. I don't like to mix my own water so I just buy it. I barely do water changes so that's not much either. (i'll stop there since this is about YOUR tank)
*I'm not sure about anywhere else but those cuff watches came back when I first started college in 2000. I'm in Los Angeles, CA so who knows....I know it's just a watch but seeing it an old photo like that is pretty cool.
Yeah i was thinking the same thing. Imagine the things he could write about.
Great old school pic btw Paul!!
Depends are you holding one of those "wands" for me??? :wink:
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Paul B
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To update my tank seems to be doing wery well. The only thing I notice is that my 4 SPS corals are growing very fast as my LPS seem to be shrinking a little. This happens when you mix the two types of corals and I may start to introduce more SPS but I know what will happen to the LPS which I kind of prefer. At one time, years ago the tank was all SPS. I get bored and need to change it around every so many years.
The tank looks no where near what it looked like a couple of years ago before I lost most of the corals to a make up water problem but it looks pretty good, not as good as many tanks on here but it is the way I like it.
The tank looks no where near what it looked like a couple of years ago before I lost most of the corals to a make up water problem but it looks pretty good, not as good as many tanks on here but it is the way I like it.
pickupman66
5000 Club Member
I see several old bottles and such.. cool choices of decorations...
pickupman66
5000 Club Member
Absolutely Awesome
CJO
Valuable Member
Wow, when you said that you took mud out of the ocean for your tank, I didn't realize that you left all the debris in too! That's pretty cool. It's amazing when I'm snorkeling to see everything that corals will attach to and what fish will use for their homes!
CJ
CJ
Stussyredhat
Community Member
Very cool tank! It's very interesting to hear that you do minimal water changes. i assume that having a tank that long you had times where the tank was not a priority and that is where some of the disasters happened. Congrats on such an accomplishment.
sohal tang
Community Member
Wow...that mandarin is one happy fish! Imagine the bugs in that tank! lolol
Awesome job.... I too went through the NO bulbs, to the VHO bulbs, to PC and MEtal Halide to T5......I saw one guy
years ago skimming his saltwater aquarium with a large Pepsi bottle and airstone hahahahaha
Thanks for sharing this VINTAGE tank and the memories! Congrats on your tank's and your longevity!
Tim
Awesome job.... I too went through the NO bulbs, to the VHO bulbs, to PC and MEtal Halide to T5......I saw one guy
years ago skimming his saltwater aquarium with a large Pepsi bottle and airstone hahahahaha
Thanks for sharing this VINTAGE tank and the memories! Congrats on your tank's and your longevity!
Tim
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