PaulB

[pcbuckley1]

Thanks, made me smile!

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

Paul, I'm truly glad to hear that you and your family are ok. I've been a fan of your tank since I saw your thread on the local forum and have followed it since. Truly an inspiration and a local reefing hero!

 

[Paul B]

MeanGreenEyes, thank you (I also have green eyes) Nice to hear from a fellow Brooklynite, I was born in Bensonhurst.
The tank is doing well, so well in fact that last night my mandarins spawned. I also have a pair of cardinals spawning and my fireclowns are too. And one of those fireclowns is 19 years old, he is a Geezer.
I bought the female mandarin about a year ago mostly because she was so skinny that I built a feeder for her. Now as you can see from the picture, she is fat and pregnant.
Well probably not any more because I didn't see her yet this morning, the lights are not on yet.
I also think I added to many fish to the tank and I am probably well past the carrying capacity.
As you know there is still so much hurricane damage, more so in Brooklyn than here.
Most of our fallen trees are gone but many of the largest stumps remain.
My next project is to convert my generator to natural gas to prepare for the nest Sandy. This time I was very well prepared but gas was very hard to get.
Have a great Day and thank you again for your concern.

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

MeanGreenEyes, thank you (I also have green eyes) Nice to hear from a fellow Brooklynite, I was born in Bensonhurst.
The tank is doing well, so well in fact that last night my mandarins spawned. I also have a pair of cardinals spawning and my fireclowns are too. And one of those fireclowns is 19 years old, he is a Geezer.
I bought the female mandarin about a year ago mostly because she was so skinny that I built a feeder for her. Now as you can see from the picture, she is fat and pregnant.
Well probably not any more because I didn't see her yet this morning, the lights are not on yet.
I also think I added to many fish to the tank and I am probably well past the carrying capacity.
As you know there is still so much hurricane damage, more so in Brooklyn than here.
Most of our fallen trees are gone but many of the largest stumps remain.
My next project is to convert my generator to natural gas to prepare for the nest Sandy. This time I was very well prepared but gas was very hard to get.
Have a great Day and thank you again for your concern.

Thank you for your kind response! I'm in Williamsburg and Brooklyn is the best. So I'm biased as well! :lmao:

I'm VERY interested in picking your brain about the mandarins spawning, as I'm actually planning my build to house a pair and to try my hand at breeding them. I could go on for days, but do not want to be rude and hijack your thread. I just noticed your other thread on the local forum and will respond there to further that discussion.

A lot of locals are trying to make long term plans, should there be another storm in the future. However, for us apartment dwellers in the city...generators are of course not an option. I did purchase a vortech battery back up and plan to purchase a second for my system, but it would not hold up long term if there were to be another prolonged outage. That scares the cr@p out of me!

You have a beautiful wife and family as well! I wish our whole local community could set differences and bickering aside and all come together for one huge get together, because we really have an amazing group of reefers.

Please DO continue to keep your threads updated along your journey/progress. Sending many wishes to your tank and hope that it's around for many more years to come!

 

[Paul B]

but do not want to be rude and hijack your thread

MeanGreenEyes, you are not hijacking and it is not even my thread. It was started by very kind people why said some very nice things about me. I didn't even realize anyone read this stuff that I make up. But I am glad they do.
I have been keeping mandarins since the 70s and I have very good luck with them. I find them to be one of the easiest, least maintenance fish there is if you only follow a few simple steps. I have a few other threads and I would welcome your posting there as I have a few ideas that may help you with your mandarin project.
Of course you are also welcome to come here and see them for yourself as I am only about 20 minutes from you. I know Williamsburg well.
I moved out of Brooklyn when I was 3 but I have plenty of family still in Bensonhurst.

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

MeanGreenEyes, you are not hijacking and it is not even my thread. It was started by very kind people why said some very nice things about me. I didn't even realize anyone read this stuff that I make up. But I am glad they do.
I have been keeping mandarins since the 70s and I have very good luck with them. I find them to be one of the easiest, least maintenance fish there is if you only follow a few simple steps. I have a few other threads and I would welcome your posting there as I have a few ideas that may help you with your mandarin project.
Of course you are also welcome to come here and see them for yourself as I am only about 20 minutes from you. I know Williamsburg well.
I moved out of Brooklyn when I was 3 but I have plenty of family still in Bensonhurst.

I know, and that is my concern. lol I don't want to flood everyone's inbox with things irrelevant to why this thread was posted in the first place.

You don't make things up, you're a legend of sorts! Please show me another captive reef that has been sustained 40+ years with the success that you have had. You are far from irrelevant and as previously stated a true inspiraton! You and your system are proof that you don't need the newest, greatest, most expensive or high tech EVERYTHING and that the drive/motivation, love and passion for the hobby are what it's all about.

I have a tank thread on here, as well as MR. I'm really interested in your input/critique of my system and it's ability to sustain my future mandarins. Especially since I haven't gotten answers to the more important questions on either forum that I've asked.

I'd love to see your system in person, however, I sold my car as parking for 2 cars is insane here with the alternate side parking and lack of space and then my van was broken into twice and finally stolen. My luck! lol So I gave up on cars until I move out of the city. One day I will have to figure out a way to make it out your way though.

 

[Paul B]

Where is your tank thread on here, I will try to offer an opinion.
I would not know how to get here from Williamsburg without a car. I have not taken a bus in decades. I am in New Hyde Park which is exit 35 off the Long Island Expressway.
There is a LIRR stop right here but I don't know where it is in Williamsburg.
As to mandarins, cleaner is not better, they need to eat constantly and prepared foods won't work for long. I built a feeder for them but you have to hatch brine shrimp every day, you may not have room for that in an apartment.

 

[MeanGreenEyes]

Where is your tank thread on here, I will try to offer an opinion.
I would not know how to get here from Williamsburg without a car. I have not taken a bus in decades. I am in New Hyde Park which is exit 35 off the Long Island Expressway.
There is a LIRR stop right here but I don't know where it is in Williamsburg.
As to mandarins, cleaner is not better, they need to eat constantly and prepared foods won't work for long. I built a feeder for them but you have to hatch brine shrimp every day, you may not have room for that in an apartment.

It's nothing special and still very much a work in progress.

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2229660

I'm building a continuous feeder and will be culturing live foods. lol Space for culturing, you say? Where there is a will there is a way! Anything for my tank! I used to hatch them constantly for my fw inhabitants.

 

[Paul B]

Then if you have the will and the room, the two most important things for a reef tank is live blackworms and new born brine shrimp. No problem.