Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

No, I can't find live brine here. The pipes seem great, I don't know why. I run a very natural tank so maybe they are finding something to eat, but they won't eat anything I am giving them.

I am 100% sure they would have croaked in a few hours if they were quarantined. A natural tank has plenty of food, I am not sure it is enough to sustain them (I doubt it) but so far, so good.

 

[atoll]

No, I can't find live brine here. The pipes seem great, I don't know why. I run a very natural tank so maybe they are finding something to eat, but they won't eat anything I am giving them.

I am 100% sure they would have croaked in a few hours if they were quarantined. A natural tank has plenty of food, I am not sure it is enough to sustain them (I doubt it) but so far, so good.

Don't suppose you are able to collect any pods from the shore this time of year?
Maybe hatch so brine shrimp and feed them.

 

[Paul B]

Atoll. I have been writing to the EPA (Envirnmental Protection Agency) and "Save the Sound" organization because the shore line here is dead now. No crabs, worms, snails, eels or amphipods. I don't know why but I can't collect anything for the past 2 years.

There are loads of amphipods in my tank but they stay under the rocks so I doubt they are eating those,

Hatching shrimp won't help either. New Born brine shrimp are much to small for them as they are nearly full grown and need food about a quarter of an inch. I have no idea what that is in meters.

 

[Paul B]

I am thinking of doing something drastic to my tank. Something I think I only did 2 or 3 times in the 55 years the tank has been running. Not sterilizing of course and I don't want to eliminate too many copepods or amphipods because I can't really collect them anymore as the sea is sort of toxic here now.

It has only been running 9 years here in this new house and the last time I did this it ran for 20 years before cleaning. (It ran in that house for 40 years) But a reverse under gravel filter has a lifespan and that lifespan is shorter now because I have way too many fish.

"If" I decide to do this, I will need more large tubs to hold everything and the 50 gallons of new water I will change during this because after I remove all the corals and rock, the remaining water will be mostly mud and unusable. I know this from the last time I did this when I moved here.

My Son N Law helped me with this in 2017.



This has to be completed in one day so the fish and corals have enough oxygen and heat to last.

I can tell it has to be done because there is way too much hair algae and macro growing. This in itself isn't a bad thing, it's actually healthy but the UG filter gets clogged and eventually doesn't function properly, just like I get the wax removed from my ears yearly.

Many of my fish are small and hide in the rocks so they will be removed along with the rocks.

I will also be able to remove my 5' skimmer to chop out all the tube worms that I'm sure are filling it and reducing the flow and I can clean the back glass.

I don't know the time frame of this as I have to be concerned about my wife's health during this because almost every day there is some kind of issue with her health and if something happens in the middle of this, it's bye bye reef.

 

[atoll]

Atoll. I have been writing to the EPA (Envirnmental Protection Agency) and "Save the Sound" organization because the shore line here is dead now. No crabs, worms, snails, eels or amphipods. I don't know why but I can't collect anything for the past 2 years.

There are loads of amphipods in my tank but they stay under the rocks so I doubt they are eating those,

Hatching shrimp won't help either. New Born brine shrimp are much to small for them as they are nearly full grown and need food about a quarter of an inch. I have no idea what that is in meters.

Gas meters or parking meters?
Good luck with getting some food they will take. You probably know with some fish once they haven't fed for a while their stomachs collaps and they can't eat sadly.

 

[tripdad]

My hope is they have been eating pods and you will have happy pipefish for a long time. My mandarin has been able to feed and grow in my 75 that is only 2 years old since a crash. Fingers crossed for you.

 

[atoll]

I am thinking of doing something drastic to my tank. Something I think I only did 2 or 3 times in the 55 years the tank has been running. Not sterilizing of course and I don't want to eliminate too many copepods or amphipods because I can't really collect them anymore as the sea is sort of toxic here now.

It has only been running 9 years here in this new house and the last time I did this it ran for 20 years before cleaning. (It ran in that house for 40 years) But a reverse under gravel filter has a lifespan and that lifespan is shorter now because I have way too many fish.

"If" I decide to do this, I will need more large tubs to hold everything and the 50 gallons of new water I will change during this because after I remove all the corals and rock, the remaining water will be mostly mud and unusable. I know this from the last time I did this when I moved here.

My Son N Law helped me with this in 2017.



This has to be completed in one day so the fish and corals have enough oxygen and heat to last.

I can tell it has to be done because there is way too much hair algae and macro growing. This in itself isn't a bad thing, it's actually healthy but the UG filter gets clogged and eventually doesn't function properly, just like I get the wax removed from my ears yearly.

Many of my fish are small and hide in the rocks so they will be removed along with the rocks.

I will also be able to remove my 5' skimmer to chop out all the tube worms that I'm sure are filling it and reducing the flow and I can clean the back glass.

I don't know the time frame of this as I have to be concerned about my wife's health during this because almost every day there is some kind of issue with her health and if something happens in the middle of this, it's bye bye reef.

Paul, you need to enlist help preferably 1 or 2 local reefers or just friends to help you.

 

[Paul B]

You probably know with some fish once they haven't fed for a while their stomachs collaps and they can't eat sadly.

Yes I do, and I doubt these ate since thewy were collected.

Paul, you need to enlist help preferably 1 or 2 local reefers or just friends to help you.

There are no local reefers here. I don't even know anyone with a salt tank in New York. You would think with 9 million people someone would have a tank.

But my closest friend for over 50 years lives about 12 feet from me so if I do this, he will help.

I was looking at my tank a little while ago and I am not sure if it is even possible to do this now. My tank is almost all soft corals and some are a foot wide and are growing on multiple rocks which cements them together so I would have to cut them in pieces to move the rocks.

I have to think about this for a while.

 

[Paul B]

 

[atoll]

We are on a short break. Monday to Friday at Porthmadog here in North Wales which is about a 2 hour drive from us. Like being in a different country..We are less than 10.mins from a large very nice beach.
Thats Ben our dog.

While on the beach I came across a dried out pipefish about 12" long. May have been one of your's Paul that swam the Atlantic at record speed.

 

[Paul B]

I am going to use some of my Bragging Rights and show my new "Mariner of the Year" trophy along with my "Mariner of the Month" trophy.

My fish are very proud of me.
Thank you ESHOPPS

(I will take a picture of my new jacket when I am dressed better. )

 

[atoll]

Well deserved Paul.

 

[smitten with ocean life]

so neat paul!

 

[Freenow54]

I am going to use some of my Bragging Rights and show my new "Mariner of the Year" trophy along with my "Mariner of the Month" trophy.

My fish are very proud of me.
Thank you ESHOPPS

(I will take a picture of my new jacket when I am dressed better. )

Ok I have been following your pipefish dilemma without commenting . So first why you are choosing to reconstruct your tank now boggles me. Plus You may have to return the one trophy if the fish Die . It would be prudent of you to be Humble at the moment. At least that is my lowly Layman uneducated inexperianced opinion.

 

[Freenow54]

Also you have an Ocean to save !!!!!!!

 

[Paul B]

So first why you are choosing to reconstruct your tank now boggles me.

I try to make everything I do boggle people.

I am not re-constructing it, I said I was "Thinking" about doing this "cleaning". I may think about it for years, as I can't figure out how to do it without cutting all the corals in half to get them off some of the rocks.

 

[Paul B]

Ok I have been following your pipefish dilemma without commenting .

Both pipefish still look great but I have no idea what they are eating because they certainly won't eat anything I am giving them and I am not paying for them to get "Take Out".

 

[Freenow54]

I try to make everything I do boggle people.

I am not re-constructing it, I said I was "Thinking" about doing this "cleaning". I may think about it for years, as I can't figure out how to do it without cutting all the corals in half to get them off some of the rocks.

I have always found that keeping my " thoughts " to myself is a much safer approach around my wife and Family good for you Sir Brave Heart

 

[Paul B]

I have always found that keeping my " thoughts " to myself is a much safer approach around my wife and Family good for you Sir Brave Heart

My wife doesn't even know I have a fish tank, and besides, I had my tank before I had my wife.

 

[ScottJ]

There are no local reefers here. I don't even know anyone with a salt tank in New York. You would think with 9 million people someone would have a tank.

I'm not exactly local, but I might be able to be persuaded to come down for some home made clam chowder