Paul B's thread

I bought pods for my wife. if i had just waited would those appear? Perhaps she is like a Mandarin, just grumpier. It seems like there are new pods to buy every year, maybe i should tell her we need to let the house mature a bit instead of buying pods from Apple.
 
I also posted this on another forum because someone asked me if my method would work in a small tank of 29 gallons.


Dkmoo, my tank was started in a 40 gallon tank. I started it with ocean water from the East River near Manhattan because thats what I had and I couldn't get ASW. I also used rocks from jetty's in New York. I fed worms and things I could find as there was no salt water food sold at the time. Remember, the hobby didn't even start yet.


That 40 gallon tank had some problems for sure. Ich was everywhere and there was no copper medications because we didn't use that in fresh water. I found a scientist who told me about copper so I got pennies and put them in. I found out from Robert Straughn, (The Father of Salt Water Fish Keeping) to use 20 pennies to the gallon. (pennies are no longer made of copper so don't try this)

My old log book tells of all the problems I had and the medications I used were for humans and didn't work well.



I had a lot of fish then as fish came on the market, I bought them.
LFSs were popping up in the 80s but no one knew what they were doing and I bought all the new fish anyway and experimented until I could figure out what the fish needed. At the time I was also SCUBA diving in the tropics and in New York for lobsters.



Remember this was way before computers cell phones or the internet so there was also no bad information. As far as I knew, I was the only one with a salt tank.
But eventually I figured out what to do and I accidentally started feeding my 7 blue devils live worms that I used to feed to my fresh water tanks of which I think I had 14.



They started to spawn and lived for 7 years. Then I discovered that I didn't need the pennies any more and all my fish were living for many years. Of course I had accidents and lost fish as I barely knew what I was doing and when you do things by trial and error, you will fail more then you win.

Blue devil eggs circa 1972


It took until the early 80s when I think I had it down to a science and stopped losing fish to communicable diseases.
Then much later the internet came out and everyone had an opinion. Thats when the problems started and no one any more experimented, they all asked for opinions. Opinions now are fine but to ask for opinions from people who started the hobby last Tuesday and have kept one damsel for a couple of weeks on life support was not a good idea.

I wrote a few articles in the paper magazines then and like now, people would ask me questions.
(remember, even in those days I still had the oldest tank around) ;)

I would say to feed live worms and clams etc. People would write back and say: Oh thats great, I can't get that so I will feed corn flakes is that OK?..



And thats the way it has always gone.

But getting back to your question of a small tank. For many years I kept a 5 gallon salt tank using NSW and rocks from New York water. Much of it was asphalt, cinder blocks and bricks,


I hatched out these octopus in a small tank.



And kept cool creatures. Most of which I collected in the sea




This was my tank I think in the 80s


Those small 5 gallon tanks using bricks,NSW and local creatures never crashed or had any disease problems. Not once. Don't tell some of the people on here because it would be an argument as they can't grasp having healthy fish by using parasites to control parasites.

Of course none of those people can show their still running tanks from when the hobby started.
Remember us Geezers invented quarantine, copper and medications, that is not a modern thing from the internet. It was because we were un informed and didn't realize that the fish could stay healthy if we stayed out of their way and dealt with diseases the way they have been for millions of years.

 
Paul! I am so happy to see this post!
I am in agreement with your thoughts on what is on the internet, to a large degree. On this hobby and many topics.
I do feel that there is good out there too, you just have to dig a LOT sometimes. Lots of digging, not many clams in the bed!
I found an “ancient” post to help someone ID a creature they found on live rock here a week or so ago from wetwebmedia where many respected marine aquarists/authors used to answer hobbyist questions in a chat room format, early-late 90’s. You probably know what I am talking about, anyhow, something occurred to me in reading these old posted conversations about marine aquarium topics. The authors/helpers openly admitted when they did not know an answer, suggested possible outlets for more information, and left it at that. Truthful, not misleading, honest.
There has been a serious digression from that way not just on the internet. We need love in this world, more of it than ever. I hope your family, tank and all in your life are as well as they can be. Happy New Year, may it be a year of renewal/healing.
I am almost completely plumbed up for my water station. It will have a 3/4 pvc line with quick disconnect to transfer NSW through the side of my house to fill a 100 gallon storage tank from a 35 gallon tank in the back of my pickup. Drilled it through sill yesterday afternoon. I am using the tanks already and have been since September, but running a hose through a basement window was getting old!
I took my time and figured a way to get one pump and the valves/plumbing arranged to allow me to transfer between both the RODI and NSW tanks and fill the sump of my display and top off reservoir via gravity or pump RODI or NSW upstairs too. I can also pump water outside too. I have freshwater planted tanks up there. This is a great hobby! Your continued involvement makes it even better. Thanks brother!
 
Those are beautiful spotfin butterflies from local waters. I have collected and kept them too, in my Reef. Awesome majano and aiptasia eaters! I did not have LPS then, so not sure what they would do with those...
 
Good Morning Gobyvin. Nice to hear from you and your water supply system sounds great. I did that in my last house. Here my workshop/man cave where my tank is, is right behind my garage so I back my jeep into my garage and it is only about 20' from my tank. I pump the seawater out of my jeep into a vat to warm it up and if it is very muddy, I filter it through a diatom.

Sometimes I collect it when there is a strong surf and the water at the shore is a mess so I can't use it as it is.

In a few weeks when my tank reaches 50, I can call it a success and may stop the silly arguments from people who don't think my method can work. :)

I also wish You and your family a happy, healthy New Year. :cool:
 
Good Morning Gobyvin. Nice to hear from you and your water supply system sounds great. I did that in my last house. Here my workshop/man cave where my tank is, is right behind my garage so I back my jeep into my garage and it is only about 20' from my tank. I pump the seawater out of my jeep into a vat to warm it up and if it is very muddy, I filter it through a diatom.

Sometimes I collect it when there is a strong surf and the water at the shore is a mess so I can't use it as it is.

In a few weeks when my tank reaches 50, I can call it a success and may stop the silly arguments from people who don't think my method can work. :)

I also wish You and your family a happy, healthy New Year. :cool:
It is a success, you are and have been enjoying it for longer than I will have to enjoy mine! I am about to make 43, and the current tank has been up less than one year so far. I don’t know if I will be able at 93, but hope to be!!! That is part of the plan with the water system... sustain ease of use and enjoyment of the tank!
 
I have always said my goal was to have my tank last for 50 years. At that time I will call it a success. Many people will still say I am lucky and even if it lasted 100 years it will be called luck. So many people just can't grasp that you can use parasites to fight parasites, it's just unheard of and impossible so it has to be luck.

You can normally find those people on the disease forums or they got out of the hobby and are running the French Fry machine in Burger King hoping some day to be promoted to Manager. :p
 
I have always said my goal was to have my tank last for 50 years. At that time I will call it a success. Many people will still say I am lucky and even if it lasted 100 years it will be called luck. So many people just can't grasp that you can use parasites to fight parasites, it's just unheard of and impossible so it has to be luck.

You can normally find those people on the disease forums or they got out of the hobby and are running the French Fry machine in Burger King hoping some day to be promoted to Manager. :p

Hi dad :)

The day after your tank turns 50, I want my inheritance. ;)
 
Bobby, it is waiting for you. I ain't getting any younger :p
But you need to settle down in a house that you will live in for 50 or 60 years. My fish already moved 3 times and they hate that.

When you inherit my tank don't forget, you also have to set it up exactly the same way I have it. My 30 year old clownfish know their way around and at their age, they will start getting lost as I do. :oops:

(I PMed you on your forum)
 
Oh Nooooo. Dead fish!!!!!

My wife and I came back from Costco a little while ago and when I looked in my tank!!!!!!!!!

AAAAAhhhhhhhhh, I saw something yellow sticking out from under a rock....... My yellow tang......Dead!!!!

OMG, I never have a dead fish. What will I do....My reputation is shot and I will have to go and eat worms, maybe stick my head in the dolomite at the bottom of my tank...

Then as I reached for the net, I realized........I don't have a yellow tang.

I looked closer and noticed, it was a mangrove tree leaf. I am baby sitting 4 mangrove plants in my tank for someone and I guess a leaf fell off.

Oh Well, catastrophe averted. :p
 
Mangrove leaf

Leaf.jpg
 
I have been thinking about using NSW in my reef, I can during summer get water from a good distance out. My cousin fishes weekly, I suppose I could tag along for some NSW :p. Do you think it will help "seed" the tank with even more trace elements than we can dose? abnd would you run a fat carbon bag with it? And wouldnt carbon potentially strip things we would want to add?
 
I would never put carbon in my tank. I did for many years but I don't any more for the reason you mentioned. It does remove metals which are needed by everything including us.
You should get more trace elements from NSW than ASW in the proper amounts. Everything on Earth is in NSW.

If you want bacteria, collect some mud from under that water.
 
Just make sure if you collect off a boat, you collect from the side that meets the current and away from any exhaust effluent from engines. Some marine engines spew lots of unburnt fuel and/or oil while running, even when running well. I have collected off boats before with no problem, just be aware of where you scoop or pump.
 
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