Tank birthday, 47+ years

[Paul B]

No, This glass is new because when I moved here 2 years ago my 40 year old tank that I built into a wall was very scratched so I left it there and put everything in vats to move here. I only moved 60 miles so it didn't take long. It took a few days to transfer everything from the vats into their new home but they all made it.

I did break most of the SPS corals, especially the montipora but most of it grew back.

All the SPS made it as did all of the fish.

That 40 year old tank never leaked.

 

[Paul B]

I was asked to "teach" a class of three year olds about sea life. I brought a live lobster, with his claws pinned of course and I let them hold it.
I also brought some SCUBA equipment, shells, crabs etc.
This was a nursery school in Manhattan.
They were engaged and asked a lot of questions like:

Um, I,,I,,I went swimming once, I mean,,Twice,, Maybe once and I was in the water up to my ,,Um,, Knees, My neck, And I could,,Um,,Um,,,Um,, swim,,,and there were ,um,,um,,,fishies,,in the water.

 

[atoll]

Kids of that age and older are very interested in such things esp if they have never seen them. Hope you didn't tell them Mr.Lobster was for dinner.

 

[atoll]

Can you spot what is wrong with this cleaner wrasse and why you wouldn't want it in your tank?

 

[Lowell Lemon]

Comb tooth blenny that loves to take bites out of other fishes fins? The mouth looks off. Sometime called a false cleaner wrasse.

 

[atoll]

Comb tooth blenny that loves to take bites out of other fishes fins? The mouth looks off. Sometime called a false cleaner wrasse.

That's the one. I have onlying ever seen 2 in an LFS. When I pointed one out i a tank to the owner of the LFS what he had many years ago he just laughted and thought I was joking. I wasn't of course.

 

[Paul B]

I actually did spot it, which scares me.

 

[atoll]

Scares you, what a nam vet, surely not.

 

[Paul B]

It scares me because I know what that fish is, which means I am really a fish Geek.

 

[Paul B]

Yesterday we spent the day with our friend Sue. She was thrilled to get this ride on Jeep back for her Grand Kids. My friend Tommy who recently died was going to restore it for them.
The thing is 30 years old

 

[atoll]

Well done Paul, great job and I am sure her grandchildren are thrilled with it.

 

[atoll]

I have 2 black leopard wrasse. The slightly larger of the 2 is on a different time clock to the rest of the tank and my other wrasse. I would have thought it has been with me long enough to have made the time adjustment. It goes to bed about 3pm every afternoon while the other and the rest of my fish are still happily swimming around. This means it's missing out on 2 meals, not that it is looking thin at all.

 

[Paul B]

As I was sitting in my workshop/Man Cave a little while ago, this woman walks in. (I have my door open so people out on the street can see me)

She was a nice looking woman maybe fifty or so so I figured she wanted to date me, take me out to dinner or sue me.
It turns out she is starting a salt water fish tank and a neighbor told her that I have fish.

So we talked for about 45 minutes and she has a small, like 30 gallon tank and unfortunately is listening to LFSs and is having all sorts of problems and really wants someone to explain to her what she should do.

I hate to start Noobs on this because I can tell that she wants a tank full of corals, moorish Idols, achilles tangs, SPS corals and she wants it all by 2:00 Tuesday.

Well, she wants a couple of damsels anyway.
I went through the entire speech of the no dry foods, no corals, now anyway, no whale sharks etc. I think she is getting it and she wanted to borrow my book, which I gave her even though it is my own and only personal copy. I also told her that it is not for Noobs which it says near the beginning of the book.

In a couple of weeks I am taking her water collecting because she lives behind my house so she is on the same beach and didn't realize you could collect water. Of course the LFS told her she couldn't do that because she is buying water from them.

I will also give her some rocks and bottles from my tank because she is using bacteria and ammonia from a bottle. I told her that is OK if you get your fish in a bottle otherwise that is not my method and she can choose which way to go. But she loves my tank so she is going with my system.

(which of course may be a problem unless you look like me, and she doesn't)

I am thrilled to know someone with in fifty miles of my house with a salt tank. I will let you know how this goes.

 

[atoll]

I hate tutoring nobs in this hobby as those "experts" in the LFS will tell them something completely different. Some will also lie suggesting their fish are 100% disease free and you can put a lionfish in with that nice little damsel. Then sell a load of must have special water containing anti this that and the other. I am at the point where I say my methods go against what you are likely to hear elsewhere. I don't really like telling them how I keep my tank.

 

[Paul B]

I have two of these little gobies and they always hated each other. Now all of a sudden they "like" each other, "A Lot" and this one is pregnant as all fish should be. They will spawn soon as all healthy, paired fish will.

 

[atoll]

I have two of these little gobies and they always hated each other. Now all of a sudden they "like" each other, "A Lot" and this one is pregnant as all fish should be. They will spawn soon as all healthy, paired fish will.

Seems one changed sex then Paul. I have not read they do but then so many things go either unreported or noticed. So many don't even keep fish in 2s never mind pairs but it's becoming more popular to do so which is a good thing as we know.

 

[Paul B]

I didn't know it either but I think most of these small fish can and do change sea as it seems to much of a coincidence that virtually all of those types I have ever had spawned after some time. I doubt I actually picked a male and female each time.

My rainsford gobies, watchmans, clowns and sunburst anthius are all either spawning or almost spawning and all of them seemed to hate each other at first.

 

[atoll]

So I bought a microscope for a bargain. And managed with great difficulty to get a pic one of many pods I am breeding in a tub in the garden. The little thing wouldn't keep still even though I told it to and to smile for the camera. The only way I could get it to saty still was to stuck up most of the water with a tissue but you don't see its antennae as theybare folded to the body unlike when it was zooming around. Took the pic with my phone so not the best.

 

[atoll]

Problem is so many of the things in our sand and water that are alive move faster than you can keep up with them. When you remove the water they collapse and don't look the same. Of course there will be a way to calm them with something, I just don't know what yet.

 

[GBRsouth]

Problem is so many of the things in our sand and water that are alive move faster than you can keep up with them. When you remove the water they collapse and don't look the same. Of course there will be a way to calm them with something, I just don't know what yet.

Superglue?