Tank birthday, 47+ years

[SantaMonicaHelp]

That's very impressive, I hope your tank can make it another 10.
Congratulations :]

 

[Paul B]

Thank you, I can do another ten standing on my head. I think :eyebrows:

 

[Chris Aldrich]

Haha, you and Greg with your boat chat are cracking me up! Good stuff.

My parents had a 37' Cruisers on Lake Erie when I was growing up. Lots of fond memories out at the islands and up in Canada when I was growing up!

These days I do most of my floating around here in a kayak, as gotten into 'yak fishing over the last year. When I'm down in the Keys, the boat of choice is a 27' Clearwater with dual 115s. It gets us out to the aquaculture site and to the reefs to catch some bugs quite nicely. :)

 

[gregcoyote]

Very cool. I am a freshwater boater, but have always dreamed of living near the ocean.

 

[Paul B]

I could never live away from the ocean and I never have except for a few months when I was stationed in Colorado. I loved Colorado but can't stay on dry land for very long.

 

[gregcoyote]

You would surely starve away from the sea. You may be part otter...

 

[Paul B]

I know, but sometimes my gills get itchy

 

[gregcoyote]

Maybe you have ICH. Did you have the reef when in Colorado?

 

[MrDJeep123]

Paul, salmon eggs for fish? I don't see the problem...super nutritious VS. the worms you feed?

 

[SpartaReef]

Paul! I find you everywhere! I swear Im not stalking you

 

[Paul B]

Maybe you have ICH. Did you have the reef when in Colorado?​

No, I was stationed in Colorado in 1969, no reefs then.

Paul, salmon eggs for fish? I don't see the problem...super nutritious VS. the worms you feed?​

Salmon eggs are extremely healthy but big and most of my fish can't swallow them but they are one of the best foods for slightly larger fish. The only problem with them is you can't store them. They turn into chewing gum no matter what you do, even if you freeze them and even two of them in your tank will cause your skimmer to overflow so they must be rinsed very well

Paul! I find you everywhere! I swear Im not stalking you​

Maybe I am stalking you

 

[SpartaReef]

lol! what about trout eggs would that be the same as the salmon? curious as fishing season is around the corner and I always find eggs in at least half my catch.

 

[MrDJeep123]

No, I was stationed in Colorado in 1969, no reefs then.


Salmon eggs are extremely healthy but big and most of my fish can't swallow them but they are one of the best foods for slightly larger fish. The only problem with them is you can't store them. They turn into chewing gum no matter what you do, even if you freeze them and even two of them in your tank will cause your skimmer to overflow so they must be rinsed very well



Maybe I am stalking you

The reason I ask I came across capelin roe eggs as a food source. I've never seen salmon eggs, so I didn't know.

 

[Paul B]

I have to hold off on some UG filter maintenance for a couple of years as bluestriped pipefish don't survive typhoons. A couple of times a year I normally use my diatom filter to mix the gravel all the way down to the UG filter plate but every time I have done that, I lost the bluestripes. Their lifespan is only 2 or 3 years so I can't do it until they are gone. I can gently do some mixing but I think the bluestripe gills are so small that they get clogged during a really good storm. It is what it is.

 

[gregcoyote]

The fact you can keep pipefish alone is remarkable to me and that you've done it this long with UG filters is equally remarkable. We have much to learn from you Obi Wan.

 

[Paul B]

Greg, I love pipefish and would have an entire tank of them but I would need an awful lot of new born brine shrimp. Pipefish are one of the easiest fish to get to spawn but they have a very short lifespan so you have to replace them every 2 or 3 years and they are not cheap. I shy away from tangs and angelfish as I find them to common and I had so many of them they just don't interest me any more. I like weird looking gobies, clingfish, pipefish or flounder looking things. I also prefer copperband and long nose butterflies and mandarins. Many people have trouble with these fish but in reality they are just as hardy as any other fish as long as you provide them with food that they want to eat and not what you want them to eat. It takes a little more work but I think they are worth it. I cringe when I see posts where people are trying to train a mandarin to eat pellets. A mandarin will probably live for 10 years but not on pellets unless it also has a lot of pods to eat. Copperbands should be fed live worms as that is what they eat in the sea.

 

[gregcoyote]

I could not agree with you more. Especially about dragonettes. People do seem convinced that there are easy short cuts to maintaining these fish and brag when they have one that's 6 months old. You and I both know some of these fish can live decades. True success can only be claimed if the animal lives out a complete life span IMO. And spawning is the true indicator of the animals overall health and happiness.

 

[Paul B]

That is true. If you have a pair of "most" fish and they are not spawning they are not very healthy and you are probably feeding them wrong. You can have fish that just live or you can have fish that are thriving. Spawning fish are thriving and in the best shape them can be in. That is the measure of success with a fish. All bottom dwelling fish should spawn in a tank if there are a male and female, and they will if you feed them correctly. I realize many people are just happy if they can get a fish to live for a few months and if that makes you happy, it is your tank and that is fine.
Here is a pregnant bluestripe pipefish and this is how I expect to see a male pipefish much of the time.

 

[ReefPiracy]

Hey i have a pair of dragonettes what is best to feed them? I do have pods in my tank not sure which type is the best or any other food they will eat. They do not look as fat as my other fish but i have had them over a year.

 

[gregcoyote]

The only frozen food I want to try on dragonettes is that nutramar ova. It's out of stock right now but it is loaded with nutrients and mandarins are reported to love it. I think it's lobster eggs. Otherwise I'm growing worms. Pods are low nutrition and the mandarins need to eat thousands to stay alive. I think they prefer the smaller copepods as the amphipods are a bit too big.

What say you, Paul?