Just cleaned thirty year old tank.

[Paul B]

traip93
I really do not know what my UG filter adds to the system all I can do is research as much as I can and look for a better system. Looking at RC posts I see there are a lot of reefs that look much nicer than mine but I have no way to judge if they are better. Not many are very old but I do read about all the tank crashes, sand siphoning, replacing rock, paracites and all kinds of testing and maintenance. I clean the glass maybe twice a week and feed it every other day and change some water once in a while but thats about it. I spend a lot of time on the tank because I am an inventer and I like to make my own rock, antique bottles, lighting systems, protein skimmers etc. Maybe the UG filter is the secret or maybe the tank would thrive better without it, maybe it's the dolomite, the natural water or the amphipods. Some years the tank looked great because I aquired a bunch of coral and some years it is kind of sparse because of an accident. As I said, in my personal opinion I think it is the natural plankton, amphipods, worms etc that makes a difference but who knows. Any way, it can't be too bad.

 

[120bamaguy]

Cool story Paul.

 

[Flatlander]

Geez Paul, my fellow OFR. About time you cleaned that thing.

I always love reading about your tank. Like another said, an inspiration and testament to how it can be done.

 

[Paul B]

Doug, Whats a OFR? I hope it's good.
What do you think of those seaweeds in the last three pictures? I have found an unlimited supply of it and plan to start selling it in the spring. I collect it on Long Island and so far it is still dark green and growing well. Of course, if you live on Long Island you could collect it yourself.

 

[F8LPONY]

What a wonderful story!

I love it when someone follows the road less traveled and comes out ahead.


But my question is this. You seems to put alot of stuff from cold water habitats into warm tropical style waters. How do you aclimate such things?

 

[DJPB]

This is an AMAZING story! Thanks for sharing, and please post new photos as soon as you can.

PB

 

[ChrisB]

Paul B:

What do you think of those seaweeds in the last three pictures? I have found an unlimited supply of it and plan to start selling it in the spring.

Would this seaweed do well in a refugium?

 

[Paul B]

FL8PONY
The amphipods, worms, seaweed etc. that I collect comes for the most part from tide pools at low tide. These pools get up into the high eightees in the summer to about forty degrees in the winter. They think they are on vacation when they get in my tank. When I collect the urchins to sell I keep them in a large styrofoam tank chilled to 45 degrees so they do not eat and I can get a lot of them in there. All of these animals experience the same temp. in the sea that they do in my reef. I would assume that they live longer in the sea because they are accustomed to the change in temperature. Other animals like baby flounders, eels, hermit crabs and some of the local seaweeds do not do well at all and can't adjust to the tropical temperature.
DJPB The tank is all re-set up and looks pretty good. I will try to take some pictures this week and if I am lucky someone will get me a digital camera for my birthday which is on Christmas day.

 

[Paul B]

ChrisB
I really cant say if the seaweed would do good in a refugium because I don't have one but I am planning to put one in next week. I see no reason why it would not live in one, it lives and grows real nice in my tank. I went out to Montauk two weeks ago and there was none to be found. I guess it dies in the winter here. I am told in the Marine Plants forum that it is "Codium" if you want to look it up.

 

[ChrisB]

I'll check it out! :hmm5: Thanks!

Maybe if it looks promising, I might get you to send me some...
for a price of course! :thumbsup:

 

[55Reef]

Awsome Paul!

Can't wait to see some pics! :thumbsup:

 

[Flatlander]

Paul,
OFR = Old Fart Reefer. :lol:

Me, you, Jerel, Tom, to just name a few. :lol:

I sure remember my old 6ft. 110 gal. tank. Undergravel filters, large canister filters, cleaning the undergravel, {or so I thought}, large UV filters.

It was a nice tank, fish only of course with lost of fake corals, that sorta became live rock. Nothing like yours though, but I guess ok, considering I lived and worked in Canada,s far north.

 

[dklima]

Paul < That is an awesome story, and I really got a sense of our love of the sea and critters in it, reading over this thread.

I have a few questions about making a screen enclosure to house brine shrimp as a stationary food for seahorses (I read the article in your link---good article):

1. I presume the seahorse stays on the outside of the screen, and sucks the shrimp through the openings in the screen. Is that correct?

2. How large are the openings in the screen-mesh?

3. What species of seahorse did you do this with?

Thanks! That's a great life-story, and you are a very inventinve person.

David

 

[skylsdale]

How about some pirate style stuff...........maybe a human skull??

Will a shot from Truk Lagoon suffice?

photo credit: http://www.scubadiving.com/article/0,7424,4-58-0-424,00.html

 

[skylsdale]

"whats a brutlyd fish".

I think they are more commonly referred to as "brotulas." Reef Fishes Vol. 1 has a good write up on them.

 

[matt_rogers]

Hey Paul, I am very glad to see your tank finally get some recognition around here!

 

[Paul B]

Doug, I prefer to be called a "Mature gassy aquatic afficianado"
but "Old Fart Reefer" works for me too.
dklima, the screen size is plastic window screen and the seahorses stay outside of it and suck the shrimp through. It must work OK I sold over 6000 of them in the last 4 years.
Skylsdale, I never found any human skulls to put in the tank and I doubt I would but diving in New York right near the city you never know what you will come up with.
There is a famous lighthouse here in the Long Island Sound that was commishioned by George Washington. About twenty five years ago I was SCUBA diving for lobsters with a friend and we came up to the lighthouse to rest on the rocks. We noticed the door that was sealed with sheet metal for as long as I could remember was kicked in. We went in with out dive lights and the first floor was filled with World War Two radio and radar equipment, all sorts of antiques. We decided to go back next week with a zodiac and take some. Of course, the door was sealed again and the small island is now sealed with barbed wire. We got nothing but lobsters and a few 50 caliper machine gun rounds that we found underwater.

 

[Paul B]

dklima, I forgot, I collect hippocampus erectus seahorses here, thats what I use the feeder on, but it will work on anything that eats adult brine shrimp.
skylsdale, thanks for correcting my spelling of the brotulas, I was too lazy to look it up.
Matt, thanks

 

[Paul B]

It's been a couple of weeks since I cleaned my reef. So far there is no algae of any kind except a little caulerpa and the codium I collected. I am starting to like the way the tank looks now the rocks are starting to blend together and the green star polyps are filling in some spaces. Another good sign is that the one lettuce nudibranch multiplied at least 4 times and now I have at least fifty. There is no algae but they are growing fast. The largest are almost an inch.
I got some natural sea water today from the Atlantic and as soon as it warms I will dump it in. It is fifty degrees now.
I also hatched a lot of brine shrimp just in case there was not enough for the mandarin but he is still fat so I guess I did not need to.
Anyway, everything I put in this tank seems to spawn. I am happy about the nudibranchs because they sell for $15.00 each. I will trade some to the wholesaler for some corals.

 

[king1522]

Paul, that is great. It is really good to see someone that will show that all the new fangled methods are not necessarly needed.