almost 35 year old reef pictures

[Paul B]

I can't believe this, it says that almost 86,000 people read this.
I didn't think that many people had fish. i would assume that that means that some people read it 14 dozen times

I am taking a break now from demolishing my 50 year old oil burner and I was looking at my tank with the pumps off as that is how I feed baby brine and I noticed (as Carl Sagan would say)
Billions and Billions of those half snail/half slug things which I forget the name alll the time. Most of them are tiny but a good portion of them are 1/2". When they get a little larger they hate light and can run pretty fast even if I shine a flashlight on them.
Cool and wierd all at the same time, Like Paris Hilton only slimier.
I also see my bluestripped pipefish is again pregnant. Those things are always pregnant. The fry would be fun to raise but I am not even going to try to catch the parents. That would be harder than demolishing my oil burner.
The giant cup coral seemed to get much larger with salmon eggs but I notice some of the fish only like them fresh. The spawning gobies will eat them anyway which is good news because spawning fish need more food and oily food is the best.
Last week I collected some grass shrimp. amphipods and bacteria which I dumped in. I still have some grass shrimp from last year but if they get chased, they jump out.
I even fed a mojano anemone some salmon eggs, buy that thing is large. I may sell it to Waterkeeper as a carpet mojano

The bumblebee gobies are probably at their full size which is a little over an inch, some of them seem to be tolerating each other better and I hope I can get them to spawn. Ont of the females is cute and she is a little tease so something may happen.

Oh, and I thought I lost this guy, but I found him happy and healthy in a little cave in a corner.

[Aquarist007]

85,000 of the readers were fresh water aquarists lost in cyber space

I still have to do regular water changes because I still make stupid mistakes.

[ddinox64]

I thought I posted something here last night.

A couple thousand of those are me going back and looking at things.

Multiple Gobies in one tank, How? Or is it? Good, because I too like Gobies. Find them facinating fish but have read a lot about them not being good tank mates. But you proved them wrong huh Paul?

Pipe fish are another facination of mine. Like the Dragon face and a couple of others I can't think of right now. I like the idea of an eel but none seem aproppiate. Is that enough Ps or are they not in the right spot?

I too thought I lost my YWG, but a couple of months later saw him in the rear of the tank. Gets pretty good light back there. I know I have or had a Pistol shrimp(hitchhiker) in there too. Have no idea if they decided to cohabitate or not. I do hear clicking sounds sometimes but usaully turns out to be a snail sucking the glass above water line.

Water change? What's that? Been well over a month for me. Everything seems good. Even my pulsing Zenia that dissapeared it coming back and in three stalks. I also notice a couple more heads on my Hammer. I think about them, water changes, but then don't want to mess with good mojo right now.

[Paul B]

Water change? What's that?

Did you ever see a newly set up tank with all brand new artificial sea water? Did anything in there look good? Or healthy?
or un-stressed?
You would think that if changing so much water was so good, then all new water should be better.
New tanks to me anyway look like a very un natural, stressful place to be. I really don't know why but I think it has to do with the chemicals in the asw not exactly reaching equilibrium quite yet.
I think if you want to change NSW all the time, that would not be the case, NSW being mixed for millions of years and all that.

I don't need the problems that I associate with too much water changes like stressed fish and ich. Thank you very much but I feel my schedule (whatever that is) is perfect. OK not quite perfect but it gives Waterkeeper something to talk about.

[ddinox64]

Paul. What's so unnatural about a reef with a bunch of little pegs in it and the tips of all the corals broken off?

[illsquaddotcom]

Thats how most of the coral reefs I've snorkeled over have looked.

[Paul B]

Yes in all the places I have SCUBAed (OK not really a word)
I have seen a lot of those little cement plugs with tiny corals stuck on them.

I have also seen entire coral reefs up on eggcrate

OK, OK I know we have to do that to grow these things and I also know that although "I" feel my reef is natural, a lot of it is PVC, cement, asphalt and bottles.

I took this last night from my boat over the Bronx. Coincidently, right under my boat in that spot is where I collect giant mantis shrimp at night using SCUBA. They are about 7" long (and taste like lobster) There are also white anemones, urchins, soft corals and lobsters. I also took the picture of my avitar there at night
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[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Paul B
Did you ever see a newly set up tank with all brand new artificial sea water? Did anything in there look good? Or healthy?
or un-stressed?
You would think that if changing so much water was so good, then all new water should be better.
New tanks to me anyway look like a very un natural, stressful place to be. I really don't know why but I think it has to do with the chemicals in the asw not exactly reaching equilibrium quite yet.
I think if you want to change NSW all the time, that would not be the case, NSW being mixed for millions of years and all that.

I don't need the problems that I associate with too much water changes like stressed fish and ich. Thank you very much but I feel my schedule (whatever that is) is perfect. OK not quite perfect but it gives Waterkeeper something to talk about.

I have always felt that water changes were for reefers that want to load up a tank with corals and fish beyond what their filtration system can handle.
You are right about the water chemistry---I just get my alk , cal, and mag where I want them consistently and that all changes with a water change. I am sure you are losing alot of the bacteria and plankton in the water at the same time too.

However I have to admit that I toyed around with the amount and number of water changes I did last year and ran into some old tank syndrome which took the better part of the summer to bring back under control. I lost a 1/2 dozen corals in the process.

Paul--is sparkling crystal clear water a characteristic of water around a reef or is this some artificial concept we have cooked up and think it is where we all should be at.

[Aquarist007]

This is really weird---my red bubble tip anemone was wrapped inside its foot tonight. the food was still anchored to the rock but the rest of it has engulfed the entire anemone so all you could see was the tips of it inside this shrowd??????

[Paul B]

I have always felt that water changes were for reefers that want to load up a tank with corals and fish beyond what their filtration system can handle.

You should not have a tank where the system, whatever it is can not handle the load.

Reefs do have sparkling water but there is also some microscope life in it which is what all of those seafans and filter feeder animals eat. Those would die in our tanks.
As you know, I feel most of our tanks are too sterile.

[ddinox64]

Tanks too sterile? Very pretty but not natural. Or is it.

I like the way hair algae sways in the current. Pods like too. When I pull it out it's always full of pods.

[Paul B]

I like the way hair algae sways in the current. Pods like too. When I pull it out it's always full of pods.

My tank has always been the healthiest when I had hair algae. It is full of pods and the water chemistry because all the nasties are locked up in algae.

OK I don't want my tank, or your tank full of hair algae.
I am just stating a fact that the stuff is healthy and not a harbinger of doom (I like that word, harbinger, I don't use it enough)

I think my algae tray or some other anomely resists the growth of hair algae. For a few years I have not had any but I do get a short turf algae. Now I have no algae and it bothers me but I do see some of it in the bottles so all is well. I also have billions of stomella snails (slugs) which may also be scrubbing the rocks.
The population of copepods, amphipods and spaghetti worms comfirms that all is well. When those creatures disapppear, it can be a "harbinger" of doom. (yeah, great word)
Speaking of Harbingers of doom, where's Waterkeeper?

[ddinox64]

Morning Paul. Happy fathers day.

Stomella snails. fastest snail I've ever seen. At a snails pace does not apply here. For the longest time I have only seen one in my tank. Recently noticed one about half the size of the known stomella. Self reproduction or whatever the scientific term is?

Amphipods are crazy little guys. I like how they do somer/summersalts to change directions. And spaghetti worms, I have hundreds in my little setup. When I take a turkey baster and do some blasting of the rock work, looks like I have cob webs in my tank. Some of those guys are 5-6 inches long.

Well I finally got my Herbie dialed in. I don't think my pump(Q.O. 6000) is powerful enough. I have my valve open only about a third of the way on my drain(1 1/4") and the pump valve on my return(3/4") wide open. I am running a 3/4" SCWD(drilled a little bigger) and flow looks good in an empty tank. I'm assuming with a DSB making it a little shallower, it should improve a little more. I'm thinking I will have about 450gph returning to the display. It's a 90g.

I like the fact that all I hear is the humm of the pump. Not looking forward to the transfer of livestock. I've played it out in my head many times like going into battle. I hope I don't have any "HARBINGERS" when doing so.

I've been trying to think how I can remove and place my existing sand bed in the same layers it is in now. Or atleast as close to it as possible. Like using a square bucket to slide in the bed then when in the new display just reverse the action sliding it out.

Worth the try Paul or no? Or will the anerobic(like that?) layers quickly assume their positions on their own?

I sense some animosity between you and this waterkeeper fella.

[Paul B]

I sense some animosity between you and this waterkeeper fella.

Animosity, Animosity, HA I laugh at animosity.
Me and that Water fella are like brothers, even our Mother can't tell us apart. We were seperated shortly after birth when he followed the path of DSBs and I went to RUGFs.

As for you transfering your sand. That is going to be a little touch and go for a while and it will take a few months for that bacteria to settle back down to where they want to be. The anerobic bacteria will be fine but the other guys will die in the lower layers and need a little time to re coup. But eventually, all will be well.

I just came back from my boat, (had to change the batteries) and I collected some amphipods and shrimp. They are all over my boat and I wish they could help me with the docking fees

[ddinox64]

Well they make up for it in the feeding fees.

Check this out. Sitting here next to the aquarium, I look over and see a cone shelled snail about a 1/4 inch long. I did just receive some Monti cap, but I sort of looked it over and saw nothing on it. It didn't come on rock for it to hide on, just the coral itself.

Unless that thing has been out of sight for the last 8 months which I guess is possible. I'm currently having a snail boom in my tank. Also in my late night peeks, haven't seen any bristle worms.

RUGF? Reverse undergravel filter?

[Paul B]

RUGF? Reverse undergravel filter?

Yes, what of it?

[ddinox64]

Why would you put that in upside down? Works better?

[Paul B]

I really don't know. It's only working for 39 years which is not even four decades. A drop in the bucket, a mere moment, How long is your DSB working? Maybe you should turn it, up side down

Waterkeeper is the DSB expert here. I just use these silly methods. Why be like the other 15,000 people here.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Paul B
I really don't know. It's only working for 39 years which is not even four decades. A drop in the bucket, a mere moment, How long is your DSB working? Maybe you should turn it, up side down

Waterkeeper is the DSB expert here. I just use these silly methods. Why be like the other 15,000 people here.

now this is funny

[Paul B]

Capn, I save so much money by not buying all this nonsence for my tank, that I bought a new boat.
Now if worms come down in price, I can put gas in it

[ddinox64]

Well in my freshwater tanks that I had, before selling all of them to concentrate on this one tank. And now realizing I could have managed all of them, and salt isn't as difficult as imagined. Even after having one in my home for over a year while a friend built his house some 20 years ago. And not knowing they were called deep sand beds. Thought it was just called substrate.

They did okay. Plants thrived in it. Malaysian Trumpet snails dug in easier as it was also easier on Coryadorias little and soft noses. Being my first salt water tank. I still think it's doing okay. I believe it's performing as it should.

Everything is alive still. Well that's not exactly true. Some things have died. In 8 months I've lost two fish, Emerald and Arrow crab and a number of snails including the one Cerith today that my Peppermint shrimp, hermits and Nassarius snails were sharing.

I was going to go with a Plenom but it was a little over my head and what I read seemed to be the same as just placing the substrate right on the bottom.

If I ever move everything into the 90 gallon in the garage. Can you suggest another method of doing my sand bed? I'm open to ideas.

[Aquarist007]

run a deep sand bed remotely as in a refugium and keep the sand bed to one inch in the display tank.

[ddinox64]

I've read about that too. Do you vacuum your display sand bed?

But I like the look of a DSB with the highs and lows of it. Looks very natural.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by ddinox64
I've read about that too. Do you vacuum your display sand bed?

But I like the look of a DSB with the highs and lows of it. Looks very natural.

I have never vacuumed my display tank sand bed. Rather once a week I use a turkey baster and lightly baste the surface of it along with the reef rock. I also take a scraper between the glass and the top layer of the sand bed. That keeps the substrate nice and white. I also have a bunch of necessarius snails that live in the bed--they help keep it clean also.

Once a month I add a cup or two from one of the refugium sand beds to the display tank and replace the refugium dsb with new argonite --so the display tank sand bed doesn't rely get disturbed at all.

[conorwynne]

Mine was turning a bit brown, well, off white is more precise.
I've noticed that after adding another pump (korallia 6) this has made the brown bits sparkly white again.

I'm thinking I'll add another one next month. I currently have two Tunze 6060's, one Nanostream 6025 (I hate nanostreams, they are so unreliable compared to the other tunze's which rule) and the korallia.

I've taken a leaf out of your tank Paul, and added two "freshwater" fish -- a male and female sailfin molly. They were initially a bit miffed about the move (and stayed in the corner for three days), but now they are thrilled and even fight back at the percs come food time. I bet they never ate so well in the petshop!

Looking at them now and the male is trying to impregnate the female. They do pick at the algae on the back wall, but not on the rocks as they seem to be surface dwellers. Still, interesting little fish. Cannot source any bumblebees though :-(