Tank birthday, 47+ years

[James5214]

Wow fresh sea water for water changes that is awesome! Doesn't get anymore natural than that!! You and your tank are so totally GOALS!!!!

 

[Paul B]

I have been using 100% NSW for the 4 years I have been living here by the sea.

Sunrise on my morning "run"

 

[James5214]

I have been using 100% NSW for the 4 years I have been living here by the sea.

Sunrise on my morning "run"

Love how you put "run" in qutoes ahahahaha maybe more like a morning jog/walk lol!

 

[Paul B]

Run is in quotes because my "run" is probably slower than many people's walks.

 

[James5214]

Run is in quotes because my "run" is probably slower than many people's walks.

That doesn't matter atleast your getting out and about with fresh air and a beautiful sight! Keep grinding Paul!

 

[Paul B]

At least 2 miles every morning rain, snow or shine.

My favorite walks are on the beach.

 

[James5214]

If you don't mind me asking where are you located?

 

[Paul B]

On the North fork on eastern Long Island across from Connecticut.

 

[James5214]

Wow gorgeous sight! Right on the Atlantic ocean! Doesn't get much better than that! Amazing fishing on that side water gets deep real quick.

 

[Paul B]

 

[Devan Patel]

In a couple of weeks my reef will will have reached 40 years old.
Unfortunately I don't remember when I was 40 but I remember when I set it up. I was a skinny 22 year old just back from Viet Nam.
It is still running very well, still using the same reverse UG filter, same dolomite substrait but none of the fish are original. The oldest one, a fireclown is just over 16, all of the older fish died in an accident that was due to my carelessness.
The tank is mostly LPS, gorgonians, giant mushrooms and a few leathers.
There are only three SPS corals, two of which have been with me for a few years and are growing nicely.
I am not sure is any of the original NSW from the Long Island Sound is still in there or any of the original amphipods but maybe much later generations.
I still can't take a decent picture and the tank is not as blue as these pictures but it is what it is.

Ah man congrats, any helpful tips for a 14 year old with a 90 gallon who has no idea what he is doing and has no money?

 

[James5214]

What was the number 1 thing you did to have such a long successful tank? I have a 20L that's been up for 6-7 months now and it all started with my son wanting a Betta fish from Petco and 3 years later I have a fully planted 55gallon FW community tank and finally dipped my toes into salt and have always loved the saltwater hobby and want to be able to sustain a tank for 40 plus years as you have.

 

[Paul B]

I was 14 once but I barely remember. I did have a fish tank then, and turtles.

You have a ton of reading to do but try to sift through all the information because now with the internet most of it is wrong. Try to see the person's tank and how long it has been set up before you take their advice.
90% of people in this hobby started last Tuesday but there are some old timers with good information. Look for them.

 

[James5214]

I was 14 once but I barely remember. I did have a fish tank then, and turtles.

You have a ton of reading to do but try to sift through all the information because now with the internet most of it is wrong. Try to see the person's tank and how long it has been set up before you take their advice.
90% of people in this hobby started last Tuesday but there are some old timers with good information. Look for them.

Nailed it spot on!!!!! Lol

 

[Paul B]

What was the number 1 thing you did to have such a long successful tank?

A few things actually. I run a reverse undergravel filter with gravel, no sand. After the tank gets established, never quarantine if you want long lasting, healthy fish and feed food with living bacteria like live worms, clams etc along with maybe LRS frozen food. No dry foods at all.

Give the fish plenty of "real" hiding places where the fish can't see you and you can't see them. Not just a couple of large caves. I am talking caverns.

Good Luck

 

[James5214]

A few things actually. I run a reverse undergravel filter with gravel, no sand. After the tank gets established, never quarantine if you want long lasting, healthy fish and feed food with living bacteria like live worms, clams etc along with maybe LRS frozen food. No dry foods at all.

Give the fish plenty of "real" hiding places where the fish can't see you and you can't see them. Not just a couple of large caves. I am talking caverns.

Good Luck

Ok so I need to stop with the new life spectrum pellets? And I feed live foods like freshly hatched BBS and LRS reef frenzy. I gave them as much rock structure a 20L can hold for 1 clown a RG and firefish. But in future I plan to have a huge tank this was my first tank and wanted to learn and do my research before going big

 

[Paul B]

 

[Paul B]

Ok so I need to stop with the new life spectrum pellets?

You can use the pellets but most of the food should have living bacteria like I said.

 

[Paul B]

I picked up 3 fish today. The little red cardinals are kind of rare and I have never seen them.

Little long nose hawk settled right in

 

[Paul B]

Checking out at the store, the young cashier suggested to the older woman, that she should bring her own grocery bags because plastic bags weren't good for the environment.

The woman apologized and explained, "We didn't have this green thing back in my earlier days."

The clerk responded, "That's our problem today. Your generation did not care enough to save our environment for future generations."

She was right -- our generation didn't have the green thing in its day.

Back then, we returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store. The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled, so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were recycled. But we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

We walked up stairs, because we didn't have an escalator in every store and office building. We walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower machine every time we had to go two blocks. But she was right. We didn't have the green thing in our day.

Back then, we washed the baby's diapers because we didn't have the throw-away kind. We dried clothes on a line, not in an energy gobbling machine burning up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry our clothes back in our early days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always brand-new clothing. But that young lady is right; we didn't have the green thing back in our day.

Back then, we had one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. And the TV had a small screen the size of a handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Montana . In the kitchen, we blended and stirred by hand because we didn't have electric machines to do everything for us. When we packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, we used wadded up old newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap. Back then, we didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn. We used a push mower that ran on human power. We exercised by working so we didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on electricity. But she's right; we didn't have the green thing back then.

We drank from a fountain when we were thirsty instead of using a cup or a plastic bottle every time we had a drink of water. We refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and we replaced the razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because the blade got dull. But we didn't have the green thing back then.

Back then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service. We had one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a dozen appliances. And we didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a signal beamed from satellites 2,000 miles out in space in order to find the nearest pizza joint.

But isn't it sad the current generation laments how wasteful we old folks were just because we didn't have the green thing back then?