Hello, Geezer coming back to this forum. Paul B

[Urka]

My Bangai Cardinals had babies. Spawning Bangai Cardinals is not a big Whoop because they, (and all healthy fish) do this all the time. Bangai Cardinal babies are rather large as compared to most salt water fish but I didn't catch them. I could not catch anything in my tank unless I take the tank apart and that is not going to happen.

After 2 days I don't see any of the babies but I didn't think I would as, just like in the sea, they would have all been eaten.
(I will look close at some floating algae to see if I find any)

This picture is old and not the Cardinals I have now. Bangai's are one of the shortest lifespan fish we normally keep only living 3 4 or so years.

I am actually surprised these spawned because I got them as babies and they are not fully grown.

I got my Bangi Cardinal pair a couple of months ago and one of them has not been eating for the last week and a half. The other one is still eating like a pig. The one that's not eating still looks healthy and plump. I am hoping he is mouth brooding. So I might have some baby Bangi soon as well

 

[Paul B]

NASA stole this idea from me.

The space station is too clean, and it’s making astronauts sick

Scientists hypothesize that cultivating a diverse set of microbes on the International Space Station – and the its eventual replacement – could improve astronaut health.

www.foxbusiness.com

 

[Paul B]

Today, April 1st is the anniversary of the deadliest day in Vietnam in 1970 where we lost over 70 guys on that day alone and over 600 that month.

That was the battle of Fire Support Base Ilingworth which I was in. It's also what my book is about.

 

[Paul B]

Last week one of my Cheap Chinese lights croaked, so after I discovered I couldn't fix it, I bought a new one on Amazon. Today, another cheap Chinese light croaked so first I will take it apart to see if it is fixable. If I can't fix it I will order a new one.

 

[albano]

Last week one of my Cheap Chinese lights croaked…

That’s what they all do!
But for the price, they still seam to be the best deal, (until the tariffs kick in!)

 

[Dustin07]

But for the price, they still seam to be the best deal, (until the tariffs kick in!)

they'll probably still be the cheap solution. My last used set I bought came with 3 redsea 90w lights. those 3 lights alone if bought new would have cost more than I paid for the whole setup (including tank, stand, supplements, skimmer, reactor, reefmat, etc etc etc etc). one of the lights has been problematic so I'm running 2 on my 100g now and I'm really on the fence in regards to replacing the 3rd questionable one or replacing all the lights. these new bluetooth app-capable lights are amazing but so expensive.

 

[Paul B]

But for the price, they still seam to be the best deal, (until the tariffs kick in!)

If they made Americal lights I would buy them, even if they cost twice as much. I still find them cheap and I couldn't build them myself for $100.00.


I realize many people like to spend a year's salary on fish tank stuff but I think it's kind of cheap. Of course, I don't buy controllers, dosers, medications, quarantine tanks, and all that, so maybe I am doing this wrong.

I also don't buy hundred dollar fish.

 

[wvned]

No, you are not doing it wrong for you.
But I cant do what you do. I don't have any pet shops near or even in my state that sell marine stuff. I don't have the Atlantic Ocean nearby to go get more sea to put in my tank. So I have dosers and chemicals and a controller. I am more like if your wife was keeping a tank with no help. I have some electromechanical help that gets me by.
Your cheap fish all cost me $100 if I pay the shipping or buy the gas to go to Ohio to get them.
I am glad you can get by on the cheap. I can't.

Lights make light and they and they are all programmable these days. I find humor in people that think some brand is magic. The major advantage of name brand lights is people share their settings for new people to copy. There is some value in that if you need that.

 

[Paul B]

I just turn them on with a timer and then they go off at night. I never dim them or do anything else to them. So I can buy the cheapest lights.

The sea by me now is full of fertilizer and weed killer so I can't use NSW any more. The last water change I used it and now my tank is a produce farm with algae.

My closest LFS is about 15 miles away so not bad and most of the fish are cheap. I have only bought 3 fish on line and 1 of them, a copperband was during covid so I am very lucky here that I can get stuff. But if I could buy American, I do.

I don't need dosers and medications because I hardly dose as my corals are now soft corals or LPS and I don't let my fish get sick so I don't use quarantine or any medications and have not in decades.

I wish you some really nice LFSs moving to Ohio.

 

[Dustin07]

I realize many people like to spend a year's salary on fish tank stuff but I think it's kind of cheap. Of course, I don't buy controllers, dosers, medications, quarantine tanks, and all that, so maybe I am doing this wrong.

I also don't buy hundred dollar fish.

I met with a local aquaculturist yesterday and bought two bottles of pods off her. She is growing out some beautiful corals and has some of the healthiest fish and corals I've seen. Generally speaking, a lot of her approach is similar to you. Most of her maintenance is simply feeding the live food that she grows inhouse.

Now in regards to the fish... my hippo tang was expensive... but I love that fish. I saw a beautiful black and white clown yesterday at petco, but I was not going to give them $99.99 for it.

 

[Paul B]

Thats expensive for a clownfish. I can get them here for probably ten or fifteen bucks. But I don't like clowns. I have two fireclowns that are about 35 years old but When I bought one of them as a baby, I thought it was a red Hawkfish because I never saw a Fireclown then and I rarely see them now.


Not a very beautiful or peaceful fish.

 

[oz]

You know Paul, you ever thought about writing a book ? you know... just tell your story, share your reefing experience since the 1800's, JK I mean since the 70's ?, etc. I'd buy it.

 

[Paul B]

I wrote one 6 years ago. How many do you want me to write. 100% of the profits go to MS in my wife's name.

It has been selling very well.

https://www.amazon.com/s?k=paul+baldassano&i=digital-text&crid=1RNQT76IOK5P4&sprefix=%2Cdigital-text%2C95&ref=nb_sb_ss_recent_1_0_recent

I recently wrote one about my time in Vietnam where 100% of the profits go to Wounded Warriors.

I was also interviewed in ReefBum and 2 other places. There isn't many more things I could do except run through the streets yelling. But I would get arrested.

 

[Paul B]

I saw this thing on the news this morning that there is this military museum on Long island and they are having some event there so I went. It's a cold, rainy day and I figured I had nothing else to do today so I went. It's almost an hour away and when I got there there is a big sign out front that said "CLOSED". Great, it opens tomorrow.

So I didn't want to waste the day and I went to my favorite LFS on my way home and got a dragon faced pipefish. $20.00. The owner wasn't there or he would have given it to me for probably $15.00. But $20.00 isn't bad and I like them. He had nothing else interesting except tangs and and angels which I don't like so I just took the pipe.

One of these, but not this one.

 

[Dustin07]

Very cool, I'm curious about your feeding regiment for the pipe fish. Being that your tank is incredibly established, I assume there is enough food in there for him already without much stress over additional live food?

 

[Paul B]

This Fireclown is a real pain, and I wish their lifespan were not so long. He and his mate are about 35 years old and very annoying, especially when they are spawning, And they are never "not" spawning. I was just looking at my tank and I heard this splashing. The larger one (I'm not sure if it is a male or female) was chasing one of my small yellow clown gobies so much that the gobi kept jumping out of the water and almost made it to the floor.

Click on the Xs if you can't see the picture or just make something up






I really don't like them but I am afraid to catch them to give them away because in a fair fight, they could both take me.

 

[Dustin07]

your cardinal looks huge in that picture, comparable to the hippo LOL

 

[Paul B]

That pair of Cardinals died of old age. They were pretty big