How this Geezer did it in the beginning
- Thread starter Paul B
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jasonrstewart79
New member
Today is my 39th wedding anniversary. I still look exactly like the day I got married. :lmao:
I already had my salt water tank for 2 years then.
TripDad, we took our Honeymoon in Hawaii. 4 Islands. We have not gone back there yet, maybe next year. There are still a few places we have not been.
I brought my rock back on planes, you could just put it on your lap on the plane.
They just looked at you funny.
In those days airline Stewardeses all looked like Supermodels. They had to look great and were not allowed to gain weight. Was it discriminatory? Of course, was it right? Of course not, do we want to go back to that? Of course. OK, so I still like looking at beautiful girls, shoot me. When I stop looking at them, thats when I am in trouble.
I am just not allowed to touch them. I did get my share of looking though when I helped build the NY Playboy Club. I would have worked there for free. They always wanted to give my wife a job. She was about 19 then.
When I was sent to Viet Nam in 1970 I was on a TWA plane. All the way to Japan the Hostesses were beautiful, but from Japan to Viet Nam they hired Aunt Bee.
I have nothing against Aunt Bee but being my home for the next year was a clearing in a jungle with no cell phone, SKYP, MP3, Facebook or a roof the very least they could have done was keep the Supermodel Stewardeses on the flight. I guess I was asking a little too much and anyway, Aunt Bee was very nice as she handed out baloney sandwiches on white bread with nothing else on them.
Delicious.
Paul, this reminds me of a conversation that I had with my father... he said something about the stewardesses on flights when he flew to Boston every month back in the late 60's and how they were so much more attractive back then. I have a feeling you two would get along. LOL This thread is always such a welcome read after a long day, thanks for all the stories and memories.
Paul B
Premium Member
Ska d, what a nice post, I am honored, thank you.
After having said that, remember these are just my ideas, opinions, ramblings and theories. They may be 100% wrong. It is what it is and I am not the God of fish tanks.
So read at your own risk..
Jason , I probably would get along with your Dad,
I think I am easy to get along with. :wavehand:
I hope so anyway
Hi Paul, Bob from the Bronx. Wow I started off with goldfish from a Ma and Pa pet shop on Webster Ave and have continued the climb up thru Angelfish, African Cichlids, Discus and now Salt Water. Things have changed so much in the hobby it is incredible. From a Viet Nam Vet to another thankyou for your service!
jasonrstewart79
New member
Ska d, what a nice post, I am honored, thank you.
After having said that, remember these are just my ideas, opinions, ramblings and theories. They may be 100% wrong. It is what it is and I am not the God of fish tanks.
So read at your own risk..
Jason , I probably would get along with your Dad,
I think I am easy to get along with. :wavehand:
I hope so anyway
You're definitely one of the most entertaining and respected members here, Paul... you call it like you see it and I think everyone appreciates that. One of the things that I love about this thread, imo, is that you're always trying things that haven't been tried yet and tinkering with the status quo--I personally like it as soon as people say "it can't be done that way"... its just the inspiration I need to try something different and new. Makes me feel like a kid again, ya know? Anyway, thanks again for the always great read.
Paul B
Premium Member
Bob, welcome home.
Jason the reason I am always trying new things is because when I started, everything was new and untried. There was no substrait, lighting, water chemistry or animal that was tried, everything was an adventure and was trial and error, mostly error. Now I think it is harder with all the opinions and in some cases wrong information.
Everyone gets their knowledge from the internet and the internet has no credentials, no governing agency, no checks and balances, no lying detector, no criteria for whats right or at least close to right so we have to go on luck. I am not that lucky and would rather go on my experiments.
Jason the reason I am always trying new things is because when I started, everything was new and untried. There was no substrait, lighting, water chemistry or animal that was tried, everything was an adventure and was trial and error, mostly error. Now I think it is harder with all the opinions and in some cases wrong information.
Everyone gets their knowledge from the internet and the internet has no credentials, no governing agency, no checks and balances, no lying detector, no criteria for whats right or at least close to right so we have to go on luck. I am not that lucky and would rather go on my experiments.
Paul B
Premium Member
It has a net over it with holes just about as large as a new born brine shrimp, and thats what I put in it.
I put the baby brine shrimp in the funnel at the top that extends over the water. The live shrimp can barely get through the mesh and the fish eat them as they try to get through. It keeps themfrom all going in the tank at once where most of them would get lost in powerheads, skimmer and gravel.
I put the baby brine shrimp in the funnel at the top that extends over the water. The live shrimp can barely get through the mesh and the fish eat them as they try to get through. It keeps themfrom all going in the tank at once where most of them would get lost in powerheads, skimmer and gravel.
jasonrstewart79
New member
Paul I agree that there are lot of opiners out there and they have more opinions and answers than actual experience in a lot of cases. As I'm sure you would agree, the enjoyable part of this hobby is not just caring for the livestock but building the systems and tinkering with new toys and ideas. For instance I'm working on a frag system that will incorporate a small scrubber and building it from scratch is so much fun!
Paul B
Premium Member
Thats what drives my life. Building things or re designing.
The only thing on my reef that I bought is the tank. I was going to build that but the glass was too hard to find and too expensive at the time. My lights, skimmer, chiller, de-nitrator, Reverse UG filter, and most of the rocks I built. The original rocks I collected along with the water. I even built my first ozonator.
I just love building things. Now Im building this belt driven algae grower that should grow algae in the air like crazy, it is almost completed.
It sounds like you also enjoy building things. Good luck on your frag system
joewallace2008
i brought the ocean home
Genius
Paul B
Premium Member
State of the Art
State of the Art means different things to different people. I feel that my tank is state of the art because of the high tech equipment I utilize to give my animals the best possable living conditions.
We cannot duplicate living conditions of the oceans, or can we?
My high tech devices start with the all important RUGF (Real Useful Good Fishthing). Extreamly high tech (in 1952), so much so that every tank in the world used one. Mine uses this very complicated (and expensive) titanium manifold that was first built for the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
It's purpose was to strain antimatter particles from the Hostess Twinkies the crew lived on.
The second most important device is the Surface Skimmer. This was modified from the exhaust manifold on Evil Knevil's first motorcycle that he used to jump over Paris Hilton in London.
It sucks up surface water to remove oils and radon along with any paprika it finds. I don't use a sump so this electrifies the contaminents and eliminates any water.
LEDs (Little Electric Dings) These were first used to light the Bowery in lower Manhattan, hence the accent on "dings".
They are extreamly better than Roman candles, cheaper than flashlightfish more efficient than lightning bugs and run very cool. In the near future "one" LED will be all that is needed to light a city the size of Cooz Bay Oregon.
Protein Skimmer. I find this to be one of the most important items in the inventory. Just think, if a piece of meat, such as a pork loin falls in your tank, this device will immediately suck out all of the proteins leaving just fat. That fat can then be used to make soap or to feed hogs.
Being that my tank is near my kitchen I would not think of running it without a protein skimmer lest a pork chop finds it’s way into the water. Unless I was thinking of becoming a vegetarian.
DSB (Disorganised Sand Bed) I am not a big fan of these, preferring a SSB (Short Stack Bed)
I am also not a fan of a BB (etween Beds), They just don't look natural.
I do use an Ozonizer, they were originally used on broadway in the first act of Phantom of the Opera although I am not sure what it was used for.
I use mine to force water into my denitrifier when I want something denitrified. I don't really dose anything so I rely on the Ozonizer to give the fish room that high tech hum.
Of course we all use powerheads. Mine are a little outdated and made of wood. But it is a good quality wood, I think it is birch or maybe ash. I know it is a street name. Years ago wooden powerheads also incorporated wooden airstones in their design, eventually they got smaller and now only the airstone is made of wood.
My powerheads were built by “Christopher Columbus Powerhead Company” and the directions specify prohibit you from installing them in a damp bilge.
Most tanks these days use ASW (Almost Sea Water, but not quite) It will keep most animals alive and is just so much better than saw dust.
I use NSW (Now that is really Sweet Water) It is just so much better and as global warming progresses we will all be able to get it for free as the oceans make their way to Idaho. They are even now developing salt resistant potatoes. :wave:
State of the Art means different things to different people. I feel that my tank is state of the art because of the high tech equipment I utilize to give my animals the best possable living conditions.
We cannot duplicate living conditions of the oceans, or can we?
My high tech devices start with the all important RUGF (Real Useful Good Fishthing). Extreamly high tech (in 1952), so much so that every tank in the world used one. Mine uses this very complicated (and expensive) titanium manifold that was first built for the Space Shuttle Enterprise.
It's purpose was to strain antimatter particles from the Hostess Twinkies the crew lived on.
The second most important device is the Surface Skimmer. This was modified from the exhaust manifold on Evil Knevil's first motorcycle that he used to jump over Paris Hilton in London.
It sucks up surface water to remove oils and radon along with any paprika it finds. I don't use a sump so this electrifies the contaminents and eliminates any water.
LEDs (Little Electric Dings) These were first used to light the Bowery in lower Manhattan, hence the accent on "dings".
They are extreamly better than Roman candles, cheaper than flashlightfish more efficient than lightning bugs and run very cool. In the near future "one" LED will be all that is needed to light a city the size of Cooz Bay Oregon.
Protein Skimmer. I find this to be one of the most important items in the inventory. Just think, if a piece of meat, such as a pork loin falls in your tank, this device will immediately suck out all of the proteins leaving just fat. That fat can then be used to make soap or to feed hogs.
Being that my tank is near my kitchen I would not think of running it without a protein skimmer lest a pork chop finds it’s way into the water. Unless I was thinking of becoming a vegetarian.
DSB (Disorganised Sand Bed) I am not a big fan of these, preferring a SSB (Short Stack Bed)
I am also not a fan of a BB (etween Beds), They just don't look natural.
I do use an Ozonizer, they were originally used on broadway in the first act of Phantom of the Opera although I am not sure what it was used for.
I use mine to force water into my denitrifier when I want something denitrified. I don't really dose anything so I rely on the Ozonizer to give the fish room that high tech hum.
Of course we all use powerheads. Mine are a little outdated and made of wood. But it is a good quality wood, I think it is birch or maybe ash. I know it is a street name. Years ago wooden powerheads also incorporated wooden airstones in their design, eventually they got smaller and now only the airstone is made of wood.
My powerheads were built by “Christopher Columbus Powerhead Company” and the directions specify prohibit you from installing them in a damp bilge.
Most tanks these days use ASW (Almost Sea Water, but not quite) It will keep most animals alive and is just so much better than saw dust.
I use NSW (Now that is really Sweet Water) It is just so much better and as global warming progresses we will all be able to get it for free as the oceans make their way to Idaho. They are even now developing salt resistant potatoes. :wave:
SushiGirl
Premium Member
Paul, I sincerely have to thank you for giving me my first laugh for the day & lifting my bad mood! When my lack of sleep from all the 7 AM texts wishing me a happy Thanksgiving catches up to me several times later today & I get cranky again, I'm coming back to this thread to put me back in a good mood!
Aquarist007
New member
Hi Paul
How did your tank do over the hurricane
How did your tank do over the hurricane
Aquarist007
New member
Good to hear that my friend. Although I figured it would if it has survived 40 years already
Paul B
Premium Member
Capn, I don't recognize you all the way over here.
Huricane Sandy was just a little inconvinience for my tank. Unfortunately many people lost their homes and still many don't yet have power.
But my tank has gone longer without power and that was in days when I had no generator. The temp went down to maybe 68 but that is not a problem.
The RUGF will not crash even with no power, it just thinks it is a SSB.
When the power comes back on the skimmer works a little harder but nothing else happens. The corals also didn't seem to mind that the lights only came on in bursts when the generator was running even at night when they really didn't want to get up so it caused a little jet lag in the livestock, but they got over it.
It has been so busy here and I didn't really have any damage from Sandy.
On Thanksgiving on the way to my Daughter's in Manhattan with all the food the "Check Engine" light on my car came on and the thing would only go 40 MPH. So I turned around and got the other car. The next day the washing machine croaked and I have it totally taken apart. It is a manufacturers, design problem and it is not going to be easy to fix as I have to re design the tub. Last week I demolished one of our bathrooms so I have to climb over Toilet bowls, shower stalls, sinks, sheetrock and tiles. This week I will start re building. Then my Daughter came over with this antique rocking chair that I have to completely dis assemble to repair. (just what I want to do now)
This morning I need to take down the Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations and next week put up the Christmas decorations, as you know I play Santa Claus so I have to go over board on the decorations. I build my own decorations, no plastic North Pole revolving Home Depot globes for me.
So I need to get into my car engine now because my Daughter is coming over with the baby so we can Baby sit while they go to a wedding.
NYU Childrens hospital where I play Santa Claus for the kids with severe cancer was evacuated during the hurricane because their generator didn't work. I don't know where they briought them as there are usually about 80 children, but I won't be playing Santa for them this year.
Those children and many infants have the most severe cancer you can have and only about 40% of them make it. For many of them it is their last stop. Every year a guy who works with my wife organizes this as his som was there. We bring donated toys and wheel them around on 2 guerneys but most of the children are to sick to even lift their head. As they get better they can take advantage of them but their healthier siblings play with them. The family stays with them in this hospital as it is critical care.
Hopefully, soon the hospital will be back in operation and these kids could get back to the care they need or better yet get out of there.
Well anyway as I said, I did better then most but I like to prepare as good as I can.
Have a great day.
Paul
Huricane Sandy was just a little inconvinience for my tank. Unfortunately many people lost their homes and still many don't yet have power.
But my tank has gone longer without power and that was in days when I had no generator. The temp went down to maybe 68 but that is not a problem.
The RUGF will not crash even with no power, it just thinks it is a SSB.
When the power comes back on the skimmer works a little harder but nothing else happens. The corals also didn't seem to mind that the lights only came on in bursts when the generator was running even at night when they really didn't want to get up so it caused a little jet lag in the livestock, but they got over it.
It has been so busy here and I didn't really have any damage from Sandy.
On Thanksgiving on the way to my Daughter's in Manhattan with all the food the "Check Engine" light on my car came on and the thing would only go 40 MPH. So I turned around and got the other car. The next day the washing machine croaked and I have it totally taken apart. It is a manufacturers, design problem and it is not going to be easy to fix as I have to re design the tub. Last week I demolished one of our bathrooms so I have to climb over Toilet bowls, shower stalls, sinks, sheetrock and tiles. This week I will start re building. Then my Daughter came over with this antique rocking chair that I have to completely dis assemble to repair. (just what I want to do now)
This morning I need to take down the Thanksgiving and Halloween decorations and next week put up the Christmas decorations, as you know I play Santa Claus so I have to go over board on the decorations. I build my own decorations, no plastic North Pole revolving Home Depot globes for me.
So I need to get into my car engine now because my Daughter is coming over with the baby so we can Baby sit while they go to a wedding.
NYU Childrens hospital where I play Santa Claus for the kids with severe cancer was evacuated during the hurricane because their generator didn't work. I don't know where they briought them as there are usually about 80 children, but I won't be playing Santa for them this year.
Those children and many infants have the most severe cancer you can have and only about 40% of them make it. For many of them it is their last stop. Every year a guy who works with my wife organizes this as his som was there. We bring donated toys and wheel them around on 2 guerneys but most of the children are to sick to even lift their head. As they get better they can take advantage of them but their healthier siblings play with them. The family stays with them in this hospital as it is critical care.
Hopefully, soon the hospital will be back in operation and these kids could get back to the care they need or better yet get out of there.
Well anyway as I said, I did better then most but I like to prepare as good as I can.
Have a great day.
Paul
I did my first saltwater tank about the same time as you. The tank was an All-glass 20H. I used UG filter also. Like yours, it was airstone driven, and led to a great deal of salt creep (the main reason I left the hobby a few years later). I didn't test for anything except specific gravity. I performed 10% water changes once per month. A little later I added an HOB filter and used a sponge and carbon. I changed the carbon once per month, and at the same time I rinsed out the sponge.
There were no corals available at the LFS. For livestock, I had one clown, one dominoe, one very small cleaner wrass, and a hermit crab. Later I added a Blue Tang (believe it or not).
I used a small incandescent bulb for light; it wouldn't have supported any coral growth.
I ran this way for about three years until I didn't want to deal with the salt creep mess any more (in-tank airstones and saltwater make for a messy combination).
I took about a 30 year layoff from the hobby until I just recently started up a 10g Nano tank. The tank is cycling now, and is going to be a small reef. If it weren't for the interesting corals that are available now, I probably wouldn't have come back to the hobby. What rekindled my interest was coming across some reef tank videos on Youtube, and finding this website.
There were no corals available at the LFS. For livestock, I had one clown, one dominoe, one very small cleaner wrass, and a hermit crab. Later I added a Blue Tang (believe it or not).
I used a small incandescent bulb for light; it wouldn't have supported any coral growth.
I ran this way for about three years until I didn't want to deal with the salt creep mess any more (in-tank airstones and saltwater make for a messy combination).
I took about a 30 year layoff from the hobby until I just recently started up a 10g Nano tank. The tank is cycling now, and is going to be a small reef. If it weren't for the interesting corals that are available now, I probably wouldn't have come back to the hobby. What rekindled my interest was coming across some reef tank videos on Youtube, and finding this website.
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