What’s wrong with being a NEW & OLD School reefer?

[Paul B]

If you don’t see the significance in this post you don’t go on social media often.

Whats social media?

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Whats social media?

Social what?

 

[Dr. Dendrostein]

Great topic but hard to answer as most tanks use some new and old technology,

I got my first tank in the fifties. Yes we had fish then. Jesus was a friend of mine and he turned my 2 guppies into a thousand guppies.

Anyway, I started my reef with water from the East River in Manhattan, right after the oil barges ran through it and I took my rocks from a muddy bay. The gravel was bluestone from my neighbors driveway. I bought dead white coral from furniture stores as there were no salt water fish stores (or credit cards)

That tank is still running. But I did change the gravel to dolomite which I feel is the best.
The water I still take from the ocean because it is real water and ASW is fake water. I did use fake water for many years when I couldn't collect it.

I built a skimmer when they were first invented in the 70s and I wouldn't live without it. They are old school.

But I feel the hardware today is total garbage. I really hate the Korilla pumps and all the open grill propeller pumps. I like my stuff to last for decades and not a few years. I use these pumps and have some from the 70s, still running and no maintenance.
After 20 years or so the shaft wears thin so I put a piece of shrink tubing on the shaft and they go for another 10 years until I have to replace the shrink tubing.

For the last ten years or so I have used New School LEDS. I love them but although LEDs are supposed to last for 1,500 years, they don't. Many of them croak after a few months. Even the LED bulbs you buy for your general lighting in your home normally last about as long as a regular tungsten bulb that Edison invented 110 years ago. It's usually the electronics that burn out.

That's because they are all made in China and there is no such thing as a "quality" product from China no matter how much you pay.

Yesterday I went to buy a flagpole for my American made American Flag. I couldn't get one because they were made in China and I don't want one for free so I will make my own.

I think total new school tanks are much to clean and the fish know that. They don't like clean, they want to see some algae, cyano and detritus. But they really hate (New School) PVC fittings which is why if I ever had to use a spare tank to raise fish or keep cannibalistic fish separate I would use Old school bricks for decoration and hiding places. (I don't have a quarantine or hospital tank)

I also would never clean the algae off the back glass as that is where the life begins.
Quarantining, we always had, right from the beginning so that could be considered old school and I feel that is the worst thing we old guys ever invented as it actually causes our fish to get sick, not the other way around. (Just my opinion of course )

I like to use mostly natural food like clams or worms as opposed to flakes and pellets which came out before most people here were born. I remember the first dry foods were dehydrated insects.
I also think Tetra came out with the first dry flakes which I used for many years before I found a better way.

So I use a mix of old and new school. Old school fluorescent lights won't let you keep corals and old school HOB filters with fiberglass is also not good today although I still have some in my archives for nostalgic purposes.

I read about those in my history class......

 

[Paul B]

No, that was social studies. Which they probably don't teach any more along with cursive writing, history and respect