old skool reefer

mr. goby

New member
my dad is 50 years old and owned his reef tank before the time of protien skimmers, reacters ext. anyway when i asked him how did he cycle his tank he told me he added some live rock letting algea grow on his tank and he got some anemones from his lfs after like 2 mounths. i research alot so this method sounds a bit fishy :lmao: what do you think
 
Nope, that was it. We also used crushed coral with undergravel filters. Oh, and I'm 54.
 
ya but hes set in his ways and thats how he nows how to do it. i have have no clue what im doing my only expirence is in fw and research
 
There's so much info here, you'll be fine if you just ask. As you can see below, I now use a skimmer. It just takes some people longer!!!!
 
you could also add a splash of window cleaner like I used to.....although its hard to find them now with ammon added to it......and UGF's with powerheads and crushed coral......
 
sorry bud i only have 1/2 a clue to what you jest said (im a noobie). do you whant me to use cleaners to start a nitrogen cycle?
 
sorry...I thought we where reminiscing(sp?)....
set your tank up and throw in a cocktail shrimp.....that will start your cycle in about 3 days.......but your old man is right also.......
 
ok do i put the shrimp in somthing so it does not rot all over the tank.also in what aspect was he right
 
When I started my first marine tank, it was with crushed coral, dead base rock, and a undergravel filter using airstones. I had 2 x 24" NO T12's for lighting, and glass tops. I set the tank (55g) up on day 1, added 5 or 6 damsels the next day, and called it a success. It was the right way to do it at the time, because nobody really knew better. Within a couple months I had at least 15 or 20 different types of critters in there, by the end of the 1st year the count was 54, including a RBTA, a good sized LTA, several corals, a couple gorgonians, a clam or 2, crabs, shrimp, a small lobster, and a wide variety of fish. Sure, I had to do ~ 20g a week water changes, but didn't everybody? Then I upgraded to a SKILTER! It just could not get any better than that, could it?



It does not make it the wrong way to run a tank now, but there are many more options now to (usually) make our lives easier that it just makes sense to use the technology available. That being said, my 60g cube, set up in 1992, still uses the same Emperor dual biowheel filter and canister filter that I started with back in the day. I've upgraded the lights (3 x 24" VHO now), and finally ditched the glass tops in favor of a DIY window screen top. Still no skimmer. Maybe someday?

New is not necessarily better - sometimes it's just different.
 
ok.but how was my dad right about the anemones (he wants to prove it to me cause im skeptical)

Cycling with livestock is generally not recommended. You have to figure the water params are going to be all over the place and even if the anems (or whatever else people decide to put in there) survive, they're going to be very stressed and unhappy during the cycling. Just my 2 cents
 
my dad is 50 years old and owned his reef tank before the time of protien skimmers, reacters ext. anyway when i asked him how did he cycle his tank he told me he added some live rock letting algea grow on his tank and he got some anemones from his lfs after like 2 mounths. i research alot so this method sounds a bit fishy :lmao: what do you think

I was taught by my dad (who is 75 now) and he used to use Condylactis Anemones to cycle his tanks sometimes. Back in the day they were as cheap as Damsels - 4 for $10. Using the anemones generally took about 2 months to cycle the tank vs. around 1 month using damsels. That being said, I would suggest you just throw a raw shrimp in the tank for about a week and cycle it that way. It usually takes 4-6 weeks for enough bacteria to colonize doing it that way, but it's the most humane way of doing it and it's (almost) free!
 
You were told in your thread in the Anemone and Clownfish forum that an anemone was out of the question until your tank had been set up and was well established. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2014232

Trying to find a different answer here is not a good idea. ;)

For sure. Just throw a raw shrimp in and it will work like magic. Of course it is also a great lesson on learning to test your water yourself.
 
You were told in your thread in the Anemone and Clownfish forum that an anemone was out of the question until your tank had been set up and was well established. http://reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2014232

Trying to find a different answer here is not a good idea. ;)

i hear what you are saying but my dad told me he wants to cyce my tank this way. this whole thread was about conferming his methond. i plan to do a fowlr with 2 clown fish and and an Anemone safe cleanup crew(maby some small lps) for at least 8-12 months
 
i hear what you are saying but my dad told me he wants to cyce my tank this way. this whole thread was about conferming his methond. i plan to do a fowlr with 2 clown fish and and an Anemone safe cleanup crew(maby some small lps) for at least 8-12 months

And this whole thread, along with your other one is telling you it is NOT advisable to try and put an anemone in a new tank. Have your Dad create an account here for hmself so he can read up on how things are done now.

Have you changed your mind about your tank size? Have you thought about the lighting and flow?
 
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