Tank birthday, 47+ years

[kes]

Truly an inspiration to all

 

[Paul B]

Kes, I don't know about an inspiration unless you are referring to my bald head. But a lot of people prefer hair.
:sing:The tank is still doing very well although the nitrates are now at about 40. I was going to lower them but the soft corals are growing so fast that I want to experiment for a while with the high readings. My giant mushroom for years was a tiny 2". In a few weeks it blossomed to about 9" across and is taking over a quarter of the tank. The leather corals that I could not even find because they were so small are also 4 or 5" tall and are stretching in all directions.
The SPS seem fine but don't seem to be growing anywhere near as fast as they were when the nitrates were 5. My plan is to get the nitrates to 15 with my newly designed denitrificator coil then keep them at that reading.
My tiny clam also doubled in size in a couple of months.
I am certainly not recommending that we let our nitrates get so high. It is usually a sign of deteriating water conditions. This is an experiment like everything I do with the tank.
I am still using the baby brine shrimp feeder every day and 2 mandarins and a scooter bleeny are fat and happy looking, that feeder is one of the best things I ever designed and most of the fish use it including the copperband who fills up every day on live worms.

The main problem now is that being the soft corals are growing so fast, they are covering many of the corals stuck to the rocks that I can't move.
Survival of the fittest.
It is what it is.

 

[Steelerfan747]

So at this point it's over 41 years old. Very impressive

 

[Cmurl]

Wow. Very nice.

 

[Paul B]

Yes, it is 41 years old. In March it will be 42. If all goes well :attention:

 

[Wild Rose]

From a brand-spanking newbie to the hobby... this is amazing and quite impressive!

I am doing my reading and research right now, and I am communicating with someone who has given me explicit and detailed instructions for a reverse underground filter set-up. The background and science make it sound so good, I remarked to him why didn't more people do this!

Your system is inspiring! Thanks for sharing!

Karen

 

[Isoprene]

Also new to the hobby and I have to say this is awesome, from the DIY perspective and starting out with virtually no help, very cool.

I have a question for you as well, what was the most effective way you have learned to get rid and stay rid of aiptasia? It seems to be my only problem atm

 

[Paul B]

The background and science make it sound so good, I remarked to him why didn't more people do this!

The reason for this is simple. When the hobby started we all used UG filters but we used them the way we did in freshwater and with a salt tank that is a disaster and the tank will crash in less than a year. So then the things were considered bad and un usable in salt and many people went to wet drys.
Everyone but me. I did install a wet dry but I kept my UG filter. I experimented for years until I got it right. The secret is to run it very slow and filter the water that goes under the gravel. If you run it fast,it will accumulate too much detritus and the bacteria in the gravel will not be able to keep up with it and it will clog and crash. It also needs a little maintenance a few times a year bu stirring it up and sucking out the debris with a canister filter.
The thing will last forever if it is maintained like this.

I have a question for you as well, what was the most effective way you have learned to get rid and stay rid of aiptasia? It seems to be my only problem atm

My opinion on this is a little biased being that I invented and patented the Majano wand. (majanowand.com)
There are some copperband butterflies that eat them but mine does not. There are also pepermint shrimp that eat them, sometimes.
These animals are good to keep in your tank for maintenance and they may eat smaller aiptasia but you may have to eliminate the large ones manually either with the Majano Wand or some other mechanical way. They are difficult little suckers to get rid of no matter what you do.

 

[Paul B]

I am not much of a sleeper so last night about 3:00am I decided to look at the tank with a flashlight. Of course the fish were all sleepping and the corals were all retracted except for their sweeper tantacles but I noticed all of these white things on the glass about as large as this " o", They are of course tiny snails, hundreds of them and I never see them in the daytime. I see them all the time just before the lights come on but I never saw so many of them, but I don't usually look at the tank at that time.
As I was checking out the snails I noticed things swimming through my flashlight beam. There are (I don't want to call them swarms) but "many" creatures swimming all over the place. I was trying to get a close look but they are fairly fast and definately not any of the numerous amphipods that are in there. Amphipods swim kind of slower and on their backs, these looked more like they knew where they were going. Well, they were swimming in a straight line anyway.
I am not sure if they are a spawn of some kind or just some plankton type of creature.
Again, I don't usually peer at the tank at 3:00am.
These things keep me from sleeping and I wish I could have captured one to put under my microscope. I see a tiny trap in my future.
These things, and things like this have facinated me since I started my first tank. Angelfish, tangs and butterflies don't do it for me. They are too common and just get in the way of the more interesting creatures. Imagine how facinating a copepod would be if it was 2" long.

 

[ritter6788]

Imagine how facinating a copepod would be if it was 2" long.

Or 11" long!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2095397/Worlds-biggest-prawn-discovered-scientists-11-inch-crustacean-deep-sea.html

Awesome tank as usual!

 

[Paul B]

Now thats what I am talking about :clap2:

 

[Paul B]

Today I went to a large LFS and they have a huge selection of corals and they are cheap so I picked up some pipe organ. I also got a yellow clown gobi to keep my older one company. As soon as I put her in the tank, the older one swam right over and did his spawning dance which looks similar to the Macarana. I love these little clown gobies and always have a few in my reef. I now have a couple of yellows and a black guy.
Their only problem is they only live a few years and they need tiny food. That is no problem in my tank because I hatch baby brine shrimp every day and they also eat the smaller blackworms. The best part about these little guys is that they are about $5.00 and are bright yellow. They stay in the front in a piece of acropora but I don't know how they avoid predators in the sea being a real Sissy looking tiny fish.
They come in yellow, green and black but the black ones are larger and hide a lot.

 

[ritter6788]

Nice little fish. I'd like to have a bunch of those in my tank.

 

[Paul B]

They are cheap enough, I may get a few more today.

 

[revsgirl]

Cute lil' guys!

 

[Paul B]

I have a lot of smaller fish like cardinals, gobies, wrasses etc. you just don't see many of them in pictures, but they are in there.

 

[Timfish]

Very impressive!! I've only gotten about halfway through this thread so far but it is fascinating reading. As someone who has only been in the hobby 25 years (my oldest system is only 20) it kind makes me feel like I still got a way to go. :wink:

 

[Paul B]

A 20 year old tank is probably older than 95% of tanks on here. You Sir are not a Noob by any stretch, but an acomplished aquarist.

 

[fsu1dolfan]

Always love checking up on your tank Paul...it's looking good btw!! I dig the new little yellow guy too. I cracked 5 years myself this year and it's amazing how much you learn as you go.

 

[Paul B]

fsu 1 dolfan, thanks, there are a few new fish in there. There are now 2 mandarins and five cardinals, a rainsford bleeny. And another 2 clown gobies, A longnose hawk and a long nose butterfly.
Those are all new this year. I have too many fish but most of them are tiny.
You can see some in this video but you may get seasick