Tank birthday, 47+ years

[NDIrish]

Hi, Paul.
First I would like to say your tank looks great and I believe in how you go about running your tank.

I am retiered now and in the process of setting up a 125g T tank myself. I am finishing my stand that I am building. I also built my own sump w/o a refugium.

Years ago I had a 75g tank I ran with an UGF. After reading about you running a RUGF system it caught my attention. I have your complete posts on you move and your birthday tank. I have to say I enjoyed them tremendously.

I have a few questions if you don't mind about how you setup your RUGF.
Does the filter cover the bottom of your tank completely or do you have space around it?
What size of dolomite did you use to cover it? I read you don't use a sump with you setup, so I was wondering what size of pump or pumps you use.
I am wanting to use (2) ~ 300 gph return pumps to my (2) RUGF tubes. Do think they work or would that be too much water pressure?

Thanks for any advice.

 

[Paul B]

NDIrish, first of all Thanks.
An undergravel filter should cover as much as the bottom as possible. Mine just about does with maybe an inch of space in the front only because I couldn't get one to fit well as no body uses them any more.
I like to run about 50 GPH down each tube and have found that less is better. I think one of those pumps should work well.
You can see my dolomite gravel here. It is about the size of rice or a little larger.

 

[Brew12]

NDIrish, first of all Thanks.
An undergravel filter should cover as much as the bottom as possible. Mine just about does with maybe an inch of space in the front only because I couldn't get one to fit well as no body uses them any more.
I like to run about 50 GPH down each tube and have found that less is better. I think one of those pumps should work well.
You can see my dolomite gravel here. It is about the size of rice or a little larger.

You've been drinking next to your tank again, haven't you Paul...

 

[Rybren]

I cant see the video

Strange. Works for me by double clicking on the icon. It's really not worth watching anyway, just a very short low-def shot of the sponge waving in the current.

 

[NDIrish]

NDIrish, first of all Thanks.
An undergravel filter should cover as much as the bottom as possible. Mine just about does with maybe an inch of space in the front only because I couldn't get one to fit well as no body uses them any more.
I like to run about 50 GPH down each tube and have found that less is better. I think one of those pumps should work well.
You can see my dolomite gravel here. It is about the size of rice or a little larger.

Paul,
Thanks for replying.
How many down spouts do you use ( my tank is 60" long)? Are your pumps mounted on top of the tubes or outside your tank with hoses attached to the tubes?

 

[Paul B]

You've been drinking next to your tank again, haven't you Paul...

Actually, my liquer closet is about 6' from my tank, so....Yes!

NDIrish, I use one powerhead that sits inside my tank behind some rocks. It pumps into a plastic container that site just above my water in the back. There are 3-1" tubes that come out the bottom into my UG filter. The water gets evenly distributed down the tubes.

This was my old one which was a HOB filter container. My new one is clear but the same idea. I can't get a picture because my algae scrubber is hanging down in front of it. Remember, I don't have a sump so everything is above the tank.

The water enters through that hose on the left and goes down, by grvity the 3 tubes.

 

[Murica]

I’m in the market for a new tank.. since your tank obviously lasted the test of time, would you, now looking back prefer glass over acrylic or vice versa?

 

[Brew12]

Actually, my liquer closet is about 6' from my tank, so....Yes!

Can I suggest putting a garbage can 5' from your tank so your empties don't end up inside it?

Makes your tank look like way too much like the reefs I've dove on instead of a nice reef tank.

 

[NDIrish]

Actually, my liquer closet is about 6' from my tank, so....Yes!

NDIrish, I use one powerhead that sits inside my tank behind some rocks. It pumps into a plastic container that site just above my water in the back. There are 3-1" tubes that come out the bottom into my UG filter. The water gets evenly distributed down the tubes.

This was my old one which was a HOB filter container. My new one is clear but the same idea. I can't get a picture because my algae scrubber is hanging down in front of it. Remember, I don't have a sump so everything is above the tank.

The water enters through that hose on the left and goes down, by grvity the 3 tubes.

Thanks.
I'm thinking on teeing off of my return line creating a manifold running the 3 lines and controlling the water from return line with a gate valve.

 

[Paul B]

That should work.

I’m in the market for a new tank.. since your tank obviously lasted the test of time, would you, now looking back prefer glass over acrylic or vice versa?

I would always opt for glass, especially if you are planning a long running system. Even glass scratches after so many years by constant cleaning, with acrylic, after many years, you won't be able to see through it.

My last tank which was about 40 years old had scratches all over it so I had to buy a new one when I moved here last year.
Acrylic looks a lot better when it's new, but those scratches will drive you crazy.

 

[Paul B]

I am not certain on the age of my Copperband with the neurological problem because I am hardly certain of my age. She could be 8 or 18. (I could be 50 or 82)
I get fish, throw them in my tank and go out to dinner for some calamari and maybe try the Merlot.

Yesterday I bought an anthius. I already forgot what kind of anthius it is but I don't think I ever had one of these and I got him in a store which I don't like because I don't get a discount there and don't like the place. It is also filthy and the people working there seem like they would rather be working at Burger King running the French Fry machine.

My wife had a Dr. appointment near there and I go there to kill time because in her Doctors office the only magazines they have are Golf Digest and Pregnancy Today. Two books that I have always wanted to read but since they have those same two books for the three years we have been going there, I already read them.

The fish was 80 bucks and I probably could have gotten it in another place for $50.00 or less. But I was there and the fish kind of looked at me and caught my attention so I had to take him home.

(I will remember the name probably in August)
Of course I threw it in the tank and he is now behind the rocks but should be out today. (or last night he became bristle worm food)
Like usual I had the guy in the store feed him as I asked him to.

I asked what they feed him and he said flakes. I said, Do you feed your kids flakes? I want to see him eat something else so he threw in some frozen stuff which the fish ate.

It's a thick looking anthius with a reddish design on it's face sort of like an American Indian Mohican,
Or Native American Mohican, whatever is PC, I don't know. I myself am Italian, Sicilian actually but I was born in Brooklyn so I am American. I don't feel bad if you call me one of the many Italian slurs as I am not a snowflake, but you may wake up with a seahorse head in bed next to you. ;Meh

 

[Murica]

That should work.



I would always opt for glass, especially if you are planning a long running system. Even glass scratches after so many years by constant cleaning, with acrylic, after many years, you won't be able to see through it.

My last tank which was about 40 years old had scratches all over it so I had to buy a new one when I moved here last year.
Acrylic looks a lot better when it's new, but those scratches will drive you crazy.

thanks!

 

[Paul B]

Sunburst Anthius. I knew I would remember.

 

[Rybren]

I really like the look of Sunburst Anthias. I believe that they are rather shy, so it should fit in with your system. I had been going to the same LFS for 7 or 8 years before I noticed a Sunburst in one of their display tanks. When I asked if it was a new addition, they said no, it's been in there for at least 10 years.

 

[Paul B]

I had a canary yellow cusk eel for 18 years and didn't even hardly know I had it until I killed it by accident when I removed the rock to lift the UG filter to see what was growing under there.

This anthius is still under the rocks, but I have about 10 fish under there that I never see.

 

[Paul B]

I just spent almost an hour cutting sponge out of my tank with a friend of mine. We removed over a pound of the stuff which will now go in my dumpster along with all the associated bristle worms that live under the stuff. I just couldn't clean the front glass any longer and it had to be removed.

It will grow back in a few weeks and need to be done again.
This is last nights bristleworm haul

 

[mnk]

Just to ease your mind, most pages put the cooperband butterflyfish life expectancy in the wild at 10 years. So yours should be reaching old age if that information is correct.

 

[Crabby48]

Paul I like the new addition and he or she is probably happy you rescued it.

What I’m surprised is why you don’t have any Anemones?

 

[Paul B]

What I’m surprised is why you don’t have any Anemones?

I actually have one anemone and the thing is almost a foot wide. Sometimes he gets shrinkage and curls up into a Grand Marnier bottle, but he is huge. When I got him he was a hitch hiker as big as my fingernail. (I think)

Last night we went to the Moose Lodge for the first time. It is right near my marina and they also have a large marina. We have never been there before and I was relieved to know that I didn't have to wear Moose antlers or bow to the Grand Exalted Poobah.

It was a Christmas party with about 150 or 200 people there.
They had a DJ, open bar and great food. Even the Grand Marnier was free which is very surprising.

Our group was about 40 people as all our neighbors were there.
We are going to join, and I never join anything as I am not generally a joiner and prefer to do things spur of the moment. I also don't do meetings, thats just not me. I don't even belong to any Fish Clubs.

But they have great boat excursions where a bunch of boats sail out someplace and barbecue lobsters and bring loads of clams, steaks etc and we eat on the boats. Thats my kind of
"meeting" and what I miss from most of my boating days at our last marine west of here.
Last night my wife won the fifty fifty, over $300.00

They also have great dinners every Friday. All you can eat for 13 bucks. You can't eat at Burger Dirt for that and the drinks are always $4.00. A lot of times Veterans drink and eat free.

If I knew that, I would have stayed another year in the Jungle.

Quite a few people knew me because at our condo we have a huge pool and many of these people go there as I do. But I have a memory like an arrow crab so I don't recognize a lot of people. I danced with a lot of the Supermodels. OK, Older Supermodels as I am kind of a good dancer. Just like "Fred Upstairs." If you start dancing and they can see that you can dance, they all want to dance. Of course I can also do the "Electric Slide" because as an electrician, it was required.

I realize today people don't dance because you can't dance and text at the same time, but I spent my younger days going out a lot and much of that included dancing. Our Daughter didn't even want to dance at her own wedding and if young people today dance, they just jump up and down to some noise then go and text someone in Tibet or go on facebook to show their selfie to 14,000 strangers who don't know you from a piece of cyano.

Yes, I know, I'm old but my generation used to do so much more than text, which we couldn't do (I still have a hard time doing that)

But we used to go to Disco's (Think John Travolta) to meet girls. Then if she liked you, you got her number. She had to answer the phone because we didn't have the thing where your name came up on the phone and you couldn't leave a message or send an emoji. Everyone also had the same ring and the phone was attached to the wall.

Then you had to meet her and actually make intelligible words come out of your mouth. LOL was not an option.
Then maybe you took her out "after" you opened the door for her. The girl didn't call you a sexist for opening the door and none of us were Snowflakes.

At dinner you "always" paid for her meal and didn't dress with your pants falling off. In those days, if you had a Mohawk and weren't an Indian, they would put you in jail, or maybe just shoot you where you were.

Anyway, it was a great party..

 

[Paul B]

I posted this on another thread about my copperband but I will post it here also because very few people read my threads so no one will notice.

I have been searching for information on the lifespan of copperband butterflies and it seems that ten years isn't bad.
I have also read that they are very hard to keep (which I totally disagree with).

I also read their lifespan is between 4-7 years. Then I read an informative article about them that says they live about ten years. Then I realized that I wrote that article so it doesn't help me. ;Wideyed

I think a fish of that size should live about 15 years, of course I am guessing but maybe thats it. I have had many of them but I don't remember ever keeping them over ten years. They don't get sick, they normally just stop eating at about that age.

Mine wants to eat, it just can't focus on the food and misses almost 100% of the time so maybe that is her lifespan. If it is, I am happy. If it isn't, then she is not happy.