almost 35 year old reef pictures - Page 24

Paul B · 11/10/2007, 07:18 AM

Micki, I live on Long Island about 15 minutes from the water but the east end of LI on the North Fork near Orient Point is where I would like to move. I am out there a lot because I am a boater and a Captain and I love wine. The place is a boater's haven with harbors, coves and Islands galore and it is wine country with about 20 wineries.
It is only a little over an hour from where I live now.

This is a place in Peconic bay between the south fork (Montauk and the Hamptons) and the north fork (Orient Point)

The picture was taken from my friends yard on the north fork.
There are wineries across the street 600' away.
I collect codium seaweed, water and some animals from this beach. I also charter my services out as a Captain here.
Shelter Island is about 1/2 mile off this beach but it is out of the picture. I have been to a lot of places but I find this the best place to live.
Paul

Micki · 11/10/2007, 07:21 AM

Wow, sounds wonderful to me!

wmfsoll2 · 12/01/2007, 08:48 PM

Great Tank Paul !
I Try To Go The Simpler Route As Well. I Was Thinking About Making My Own Rock As Well. Does The Rock Take Long To Cure When It Is Home Made? I Hope For Your Continued Success With Your Reef.

Bill.

Paul B · 12/02/2007, 06:49 PM

Bill thanks. The rock I build is skinny and doesen't take long to cure. I use it in two weeks

conorwynne · 12/21/2007, 10:38 AM

At last I got to the end of this thread....
Took me a few days I must say.

First off Paul B, I admire you dedication, and am amazed that your tank has been so successful all these years. I really logve the way you let the corals compete naturally, I tend to panic if one coral starts attacking its neighbours. I shall not "sweat the small stuff" as you Americans say.

I may have missed some points so forgive me if this has already been answered:

With the RUGF, do you get nitrate build ups? I imagine that with LR this will be naturally broken down, along with the algae thingy. I know in freshwater systems, UG filters (or reverse) will cause excessive nitrate -- I kept fresh water for donkeys years prior to reefing and this was always an issue. Sure even sponge filters in reefs cause it, which is why I avoid them like the plague.

I really laughed at your stories from Oz, please ramble, it's a laugh (or a 'Hoot' as Micki says). More please...

Lastly, you're wife is well hot, tell her I said so - I have good taste :-)

Happy Chrimbo!
Conor.

Paul B · 12/21/2007, 11:07 AM

Conor, my RUGF has also been in there for Donkeys years, or maybe longer. I really don't know how many years Donkeys have.
So far no nitrate. It is unreadable. If I had been running the UG filter the normal way or even if I ran it reverse but fast I would have enough nitrates to feed that donkey.
It must be run slow and there must be some type of filter on the intake. I am also just about the only one on here with a set up like this but I am older than your donkey.
I also think my wife is hot. Not bad for a over fifty year old, I may trade her in for two 30 year olds soon.
She has been going to the gym four times a week for over thirty years. She will be glad to hear the compliment but I think she gets many of them, I never get any. We went into a Japanese restaurant once and the hostess said to my wife what a nice Father she has. I am only 6 years older than she is too.
My daughter is pretty cute too.

Merry Christmas (thats me on the right, I think I look dam cute too)

m2434 · 12/21/2007, 11:20 AM

How's the retirement
going? Who will deliver all those presents now?

Micki · 12/21/2007, 12:23 PM

I love the electrician picture!

The sharks are pretty cool too!

Paul B · 12/21/2007, 03:59 PM

Quote:

Who will deliver all those presents now?

M2434 I am not retiring from Santa. I have been doing that for almost 40 years and I will do that for many more years.
I did it an hour ago.
Since I retitred I worked every day so I don't know how it is yet

Mikki I like thge electrician picture too

Paul B · 12/21/2007, 04:19 PM

This was an hour ago. There were about 40 kids there. This is my wife's office. I had a gift for each of them and they were all excited like they always are.
Merry Christmas

Chihuahua6 · 12/21/2007, 04:23 PM

Hi Paul. I am a fellow Long Islander, well used to be. I think one of my responses to this post was when I still lived there.
I was wondering what types of soft coral and anemones you see in The Sound.
I was also wondering if you have visited the Hilton Head area and the surrounding marshes. I believe you mentioned that you did at one time but I may be mixing you up with someone else. Anyway It's beautiful around here. I actually live in the town you pass through to get to Hilton Head called Bluffton. It's less touristy and has more of a small town feel, still lots of marshes, rivers, lakes etc.

Paul B · 12/21/2007, 04:49 PM

Amanda, there are a couple of soft corals in the Sound but none of them are very good looking and none of them live in a tropical tank for more than a few hours. One of them is plain white and looks like a cross between a rock and a sponge. It is very common in Oyster Bay. The other one is like a very delicate tree and I rarely see it. I have only seen it by Execution Lighthouse between New Rochelle and Sands Point.
The anemones are also white and I am sure they are not photosynthetic since they live in a muddy area with visability measured in inches. They are very abundant around Huckelberry Island off New Rochelle.
I was stationed in South Carolina for a couple of months but I don't think I was ever at Hilton Head. I hear it is a really nice place though.
I am a marsh person and spend a lot of time sloshing around in them. I would much rather be in a marsh than walking around Times Square. And now that I have been retired for 4 days I never have to walk through Times Square again

Lucky-rc · 12/21/2007, 05:46 PM

I really liks the bottles...That is a very unique flavor
EXCELLENT

Lucky

Chihuahua6 · 12/21/2007, 08:15 PM

LOL I hear ya Paul. I worked in NYC for a few years, lived in Forest Hills for 1 1/2. I decided that it was better to move back to LI and commute than to live in Queens.

Paul B · 12/21/2007, 10:09 PM

Amanda I grew up in Queens and worked in Manhattan for almost 40 years. I have seen enough people thank you very much

Check please

maroun.c · 12/22/2007, 12:39 AM

Paul,
I have always enjoyed following your tank pictures and stories. It is wonderfull how everyone refers to it as one of the most successful tanks ever.
My tank is a long way from yours close to 10 years now. and I sure hope that one day it'll be that old and have such long lived inhabitants in it.
Would love to see it in person one day however I live on the other side of the globe.
Best Regards and best wishes for you and your family for a Merry christmas and a very happy new year.

StunnaShadez · 12/22/2007, 02:51 AM

bump for more pictures of this inspiring tank

HippieSmell · 12/22/2007, 03:09 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paul B
She will be glad to hear the compliment but I think she gets many of them, I never get any.

Awww, I think you look pretty hot too Paul. Seriously, that beard and Santa suit looks really hot, you need to take something off before you have a heat stroke. You're wife looks hot too, and I can tell you think so as well because she seems to be sitting a few inches higher than she should be.

I'm just playing, you seem really awesome Paul, merry Christmas.

Paul B · 12/22/2007, 06:14 AM

Maroon, than you. As these things go, your tank is also considered old. Most people get out of this in a couple of years.
I have never been to Lebanon but I hear the diving is not too good.

Hippie, thank you too. I do need to get out of that suit fast. It comes with a lot more hair and fat than I really have.
My wife and I have been married for 34 years. I think I mentioned that I met her when she was 12. I went out with her older cousin. We were partners in a wedding party.

M1, The only pictures I have are in my gallery. The tank doesen't look anywhere as good as many tanks on RC now as it is evolving. It is filled with different wierd types of gobies and bleenies. I am doing a little breeding and I am not sure exactly what I want to with everything in general. I don't know if I want to fill it with gorgonians or soft corals in general which has always been my favorite or go with stonies. I just retired and have been so busy with the Santa thing, starting a new business, selling my boat, re doing the house, and doing jobs in general that I haven't even changed water in months. The front glass needs a good cleaning, I never let it go this long. My ozonizer died and it is beyond repair, so I need a new one and my MH lights are way out of date. I am surprised all the livestock looks so good. As a matter of fact, it looks so good that I am afraid to change the water

I am still hatching brine shrimp every day for the gobies as it is the only thing some of the smaller ones eat. I also still feed live blackworms every day as I believe it is the best food to keep fish in breeding condition.

I was thinking the other day that I have not lost a fish in many years to natural causes. It is always an accident caused unfortunately by a too busy lifestyle. Hopefully in a few months it will settle down and I can get back to doing some experiments.
My tank will never be a showpiece as that is not my goal. I just want to learn and have fun

Take care and have a great day.
Paul

Micki · 12/22/2007, 06:31 AM

Selling your boat???

m2434 · 12/22/2007, 06:48 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Paul B
M2434 I am not retiring from Santa. I have been doing that for almost 40 years and I will do that for many more years.
I did it an hour ago.

Okay, just making sure - In that case merry Christmas to you too

.... Let me guess, this year, the good ones are getting gobbies, the bad ones aptaisa?

maroun.c · 12/22/2007, 01:27 PM

Quote:

Maroon, than you. As these things go, your tank is also considered old. Most people get out of this in a couple of years.I have never been to Lebanon but I hear the diving is not too good.

Hi Paul,
I never counted how many years the tank has been running and it came as a surprise when I realized I was close to 10years.
I have relocated to Dubai 2years ago and my tank is still in Lebanon as I was always still considering if I should stay in Dubai or move back before relocating the tank.
I'm finally moving back for good on the 26th and planning a huge maintenance for every aspect of the tank. Amazingly it stayed for months without water changes as I only did them when I traveled back for a few days. LAst water change was in Jul. All my fish and corals stayed alive for 2 years with very minimal maintenance. I'm planing forward on the corals I should buy and fly back with me and most probably I will be upgrading to bigger size tank if I have the time to plan one and if my new appartment can fit a bigger tank.
As to diving I was surprized when I went to an aquarium display consisting of living items taken out from the Lebanese cost line and despit all the polution that took place for years there were many anemones, seahorses, mushrooms...
Also there is a small reef here in Dubai where I've done a bit of snorkling, very nice corals and fish it's amazing how clean it is. Ok disappointing as I coudn't find any bottles or cans.
Still it's very strictly maintained and it's not allowed to take out a bucket of sand even.
Take care and enjoy the holidays.

Paul B · 12/22/2007, 02:44 PM

Micki, yes sadly I am selling the boat.
But, only to buy a bigger boat. I still have a little money left over and who really needs food? I can't really live very long without a boat. I have no Idea what people do on weekends without a boat.

M2434, the bad ones get bryopsis and cyano.
The good ones get to watch Claudia Schiffer clean their tank.

You really can't have too many super models.
Speaking of Super Models, I worked in the Plaza Hotel on a night when they did the Victoria Secret photo shoot. I wanted to help them put the wings on the girls but for some reason they wouldn't let me help.
Luckilly I was the foreman for Penthouse Magazine and the New York Playboy Club. I guess they figured I had my share of models.
But you really can't have too much.

Maroun, I have heard that there is some interesting stuff off of Dubai but I know I am never going there.
Here in New York we have no rules about taking stuff out of the water. They practically pay you to take stuff out of the water.

The only thing they have a problem with is game fish but you can take anything else.
I collected this "rare" artifact somewhere between Queens and the Bronx. It was underwater so I was doing a good thing by removing it.

Micki · 12/23/2007, 06:46 AM

Paul I thought you might be going bigger and better.

Sounds great! I would bug you for a ride if I lived closer!

Food is so over rated!

Paul B · 12/23/2007, 11:55 AM

Micki some guy from England said he sent me a check for the boat but I will believe it when I see it. My boat is about 15 years old and it's time for another one.
I will take you out on it any time you like, just go south east and make a left at the Statue of Liberty.

I will even take you collecting or diving, whatever.
Have a great day.
Paul

11/10/2007, 07:18 AM	#576
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Micki, I live on Long Island about 15 minutes from the water but the east end of LI on the North Fork near Orient Point is where I would like to move. I am out there a lot because I am a boater and a Captain and I love wine. The place is a boater's haven with harbors, coves and Islands galore and it is wine country with about 20 wineries. It is only a little over an hour from where I live now. This is a place in Peconic bay between the south fork (Montauk and the Hamptons) and the north fork (Orient Point) The picture was taken from my friends yard on the north fork. There are wineries across the street 600' away. I collect codium seaweed, water and some animals from this beach. I also charter my services out as a Captain here. Shelter Island is about 1/2 mile off this beach but it is out of the picture. I have been to a lot of places but I find this the best place to live. Paul Last edited by Paul B; 11/10/2007 at 07:33 AM.

11/10/2007, 07:21 AM	#577
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Wow, sounds wonderful to me! __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

12/01/2007, 08:48 PM	#578
wmfsoll2 Premium Member Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: California, Maryland Posts: 222	Great Tank Paul ! I Try To Go The Simpler Route As Well. I Was Thinking About Making My Own Rock As Well. Does The Rock Take Long To Cure When It Is Home Made? I Hope For Your Continued Success With Your Reef. Bill. __________________ Bill. Thomas Edison : "SUCCESS is 90% ATTITUDE and 10% KNOWLEDGE" Current Tank Info: Setting up new 90 Gal.

12/02/2007, 06:49 PM	#579
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Bill thanks. The rock I build is skinny and doesen't take long to cure. I use it in two weeks __________________ I used to get shocked when I put my hand in my tank. Then the electric eel went dead. Current Tank Info: 100 gal reef set up in 1971

12/21/2007, 10:38 AM	#580
conorwynne Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Dublin, Ireland Posts: 433	At last I got to the end of this thread.... Took me a few days I must say. First off Paul B, I admire you dedication, and am amazed that your tank has been so successful all these years. I really logve the way you let the corals compete naturally, I tend to panic if one coral starts attacking its neighbours. I shall not "sweat the small stuff" as you Americans say. I may have missed some points so forgive me if this has already been answered: With the RUGF, do you get nitrate build ups? I imagine that with LR this will be naturally broken down, along with the algae thingy. I know in freshwater systems, UG filters (or reverse) will cause excessive nitrate -- I kept fresh water for donkeys years prior to reefing and this was always an issue. Sure even sponge filters in reefs cause it, which is why I avoid them like the plague. I really laughed at your stories from Oz, please ramble, it's a laugh (or a 'Hoot' as Micki says). More please... Lastly, you're wife is well hot, tell her I said so - I have good taste :-) Happy Chrimbo! Conor. __________________ New tank (468L or 120G) has salt and rock, just add coral and fish! Current Tank Info: New tank in progress....

12/21/2007, 11:07 AM	#581
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Conor, my RUGF has also been in there for Donkeys years, or maybe longer. I really don't know how many years Donkeys have. So far no nitrate. It is unreadable. If I had been running the UG filter the normal way or even if I ran it reverse but fast I would have enough nitrates to feed that donkey. It must be run slow and there must be some type of filter on the intake. I am also just about the only one on here with a set up like this but I am older than your donkey. I also think my wife is hot. Not bad for a over fifty year old, I may trade her in for two 30 year olds soon. She has been going to the gym four times a week for over thirty years. She will be glad to hear the compliment but I think she gets many of them, I never get any. We went into a Japanese restaurant once and the hostess said to my wife what a nice Father she has. I am only 6 years older than she is too. My daughter is pretty cute too. Merry Christmas (thats me on the right, I think I look dam cute too)

12/21/2007, 11:20 AM	#582
m2434 Registered Member Join Date: Jan 2004 Posts: 2,171	How's the retirement going? Who will deliver all those presents now? __________________ Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there. ~Richard Feynman

12/21/2007, 12:23 PM	#583
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	I love the electrician picture! The sharks are pretty cool too! __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

12/21/2007, 04:19 PM	#585
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	This was an hour ago. There were about 40 kids there. This is my wife's office. I had a gift for each of them and they were all excited like they always are. Merry Christmas

12/21/2007, 04:23 PM	#586
Chihuahua6 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Hempstead, NY Posts: 2,124	Hi Paul. I am a fellow Long Islander, well used to be. I think one of my responses to this post was when I still lived there. I was wondering what types of soft coral and anemones you see in The Sound. I was also wondering if you have visited the Hilton Head area and the surrounding marshes. I believe you mentioned that you did at one time but I may be mixing you up with someone else. Anyway It's beautiful around here. I actually live in the town you pass through to get to Hilton Head called Bluffton. It's less touristy and has more of a small town feel, still lots of marshes, rivers, lakes etc. __________________ Leah Amanda Current Tank Info: First salt tank 1985, current tank 150 g acrylic

12/21/2007, 04:49 PM	#587
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Amanda, there are a couple of soft corals in the Sound but none of them are very good looking and none of them live in a tropical tank for more than a few hours. One of them is plain white and looks like a cross between a rock and a sponge. It is very common in Oyster Bay. The other one is like a very delicate tree and I rarely see it. I have only seen it by Execution Lighthouse between New Rochelle and Sands Point. The anemones are also white and I am sure they are not photosynthetic since they live in a muddy area with visability measured in inches. They are very abundant around Huckelberry Island off New Rochelle. I was stationed in South Carolina for a couple of months but I don't think I was ever at Hilton Head. I hear it is a really nice place though. I am a marsh person and spend a lot of time sloshing around in them. I would much rather be in a marsh than walking around Times Square. And now that I have been retired for 4 days I never have to walk through Times Square again

12/21/2007, 05:46 PM	#588
Lucky-rc Registered Member Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: central Ohio Posts: 450	I really liks the bottles...That is a very unique flavor EXCELLENT Lucky __________________ Fast women... Expensive hobbies... Whats left? Current Tank Info: 310 gal. mix-reef

12/21/2007, 08:15 PM	#589
Chihuahua6 Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: West Hempstead, NY Posts: 2,124	LOL I hear ya Paul. I worked in NYC for a few years, lived in Forest Hills for 1 1/2. I decided that it was better to move back to LI and commute than to live in Queens. __________________ Leah Amanda Current Tank Info: First salt tank 1985, current tank 150 g acrylic

12/21/2007, 10:09 PM	#590
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Amanda I grew up in Queens and worked in Manhattan for almost 40 years. I have seen enough people thank you very much Check please

12/22/2007, 12:39 AM	#591
maroun.c Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Lebanon Posts: 6,111	Paul, I have always enjoyed following your tank pictures and stories. It is wonderfull how everyone refers to it as one of the most successful tanks ever. My tank is a long way from yours close to 10 years now. and I sure hope that one day it'll be that old and have such long lived inhabitants in it. Would love to see it in person one day however I live on the other side of the globe. Best Regards and best wishes for you and your family for a Merry christmas and a very happy new year. __________________ 390 G mixed reef build Current Tank Info: 390G mixed reef

12/22/2007, 02:51 AM	#592
StunnaShadez Registered Member Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: sacramento Posts: 584	bump for more pictures of this inspiring tank

12/22/2007, 06:14 AM	#594
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Maroon, than you. As these things go, your tank is also considered old. Most people get out of this in a couple of years. I have never been to Lebanon but I hear the diving is not too good. Hippie, thank you too. I do need to get out of that suit fast. It comes with a lot more hair and fat than I really have. My wife and I have been married for 34 years. I think I mentioned that I met her when she was 12. I went out with her older cousin. We were partners in a wedding party. M1, The only pictures I have are in my gallery. The tank doesen't look anywhere as good as many tanks on RC now as it is evolving. It is filled with different wierd types of gobies and bleenies. I am doing a little breeding and I am not sure exactly what I want to with everything in general. I don't know if I want to fill it with gorgonians or soft corals in general which has always been my favorite or go with stonies. I just retired and have been so busy with the Santa thing, starting a new business, selling my boat, re doing the house, and doing jobs in general that I haven't even changed water in months. The front glass needs a good cleaning, I never let it go this long. My ozonizer died and it is beyond repair, so I need a new one and my MH lights are way out of date. I am surprised all the livestock looks so good. As a matter of fact, it looks so good that I am afraid to change the water I am still hatching brine shrimp every day for the gobies as it is the only thing some of the smaller ones eat. I also still feed live blackworms every day as I believe it is the best food to keep fish in breeding condition. I was thinking the other day that I have not lost a fish in many years to natural causes. It is always an accident caused unfortunately by a too busy lifestyle. Hopefully in a few months it will settle down and I can get back to doing some experiments. My tank will never be a showpiece as that is not my goal. I just want to learn and have fun Take care and have a great day. Paul

12/22/2007, 06:31 AM	#595
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Selling your boat??? __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

12/22/2007, 02:44 PM	#598
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Micki, yes sadly I am selling the boat. But, only to buy a bigger boat. I still have a little money left over and who really needs food? I can't really live very long without a boat. I have no Idea what people do on weekends without a boat. M2434, the bad ones get bryopsis and cyano. The good ones get to watch Claudia Schiffer clean their tank. You really can't have too many super models. Speaking of Super Models, I worked in the Plaza Hotel on a night when they did the Victoria Secret photo shoot. I wanted to help them put the wings on the girls but for some reason they wouldn't let me help. Luckilly I was the foreman for Penthouse Magazine and the New York Playboy Club. I guess they figured I had my share of models. But you really can't have too much. Maroun, I have heard that there is some interesting stuff off of Dubai but I know I am never going there. Here in New York we have no rules about taking stuff out of the water. They practically pay you to take stuff out of the water. The only thing they have a problem with is game fish but you can take anything else. I collected this "rare" artifact somewhere between Queens and the Bronx. It was underwater so I was doing a good thing by removing it.

12/23/2007, 06:46 AM	#599
Micki Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Ohio Posts: 7,163	Paul I thought you might be going bigger and better. Sounds great! I would bug you for a ride if I lived closer! Food is so over rated! __________________ Micki... Western Ohio Reef Club Click the red house for my 125 progress! Current Tank Info: 125 gal. reef, 90 gal. sump, 10 gal. fuge, 40 gallon. 150 gallon fish only.

12/23/2007, 11:55 AM	#600
Paul B Premium Member Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Long Island NY Posts: 15,549	Micki some guy from England said he sent me a check for the boat but I will believe it when I see it. My boat is about 15 years old and it's time for another one. I will take you out on it any time you like, just go south east and make a left at the Statue of Liberty. I will even take you collecting or diving, whatever. Have a great day. Paul