almost 35 year old reef pictures

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Paul B
Ok Wait a minute. How come I don't have a Bio in the Author's section. What am I? Wood. I'm an author. I authorize a lot of things.

I have amphipods older than all of those guys and I am much better looking than WaterKeeper.

Me and that Schmeck guy started with fish the same year.
Actually I think I beat him by a week.
We are the same age, but I look better than him also.

I think I am going to change my name to Paul B Author at Large.
Yeah thats it.

don't feel bad--Wk's bio is in there but they took his column away from him. Probably too funny for those stoic admins to handle

[Aquarist007]

It's been six weeks since a water change and everything is thriving







the hawk has found a new resting spot---transferred over from another tank a week ago:



the toadstools are camera shy--close up now everytime I take pictures

[Paul B]

It's been six weeks since a water change and everything is thriving

I don't think I ever changed my water before 6 weeks.

Oh wait a minute. You have a DSB, I forgot. Are you sure 6 weeks is wise

[Paul B]

Now I can't find my favorite coral. It is one of my few SPS corals.
The urchin steals everything that is not glued down and stores it in the rear of the tank where I can't get to it. When I have time, probably monday night I will have to remove a few rocks to look for it. The thing is doing very well too.

It's the green one to the front of this big guy on the bottle.

[ddinox64]

Looks nice Capn'. Too bad you can't give your customers the same quality. Hey......

I bought some Oysters today. Semi pureed them. Rinse them very very well first. Fish seemed to like it. But a drop about the size of an eraser head made a big mess.

My Yellow Clown Gobies found each other after about three days. Seem to like each other. Yellow Watchman has taken to the back of the tank, agian.

Good article Paul and thanks for the link Capn'.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by ddinox64
Looks nice Capn'. Too bad you can't give your customers the same quality. Hey......

I don't have any troubles with the big tanks--just those darn nanocubes

[WaterKeeper]

Paul you get a bio too if you submit one. You can also use any pic you want as the one I used is about 14 years old.

[ddinox64]

You'll have to dedicate a whole magazine for Pauls bio. It's going to be hard for Paul to get a hold of Noah for class pictures. But then, maybe not since he's always on HIS boat.

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by ddinox64
You'll have to dedicate a whole magazine for Pauls bio. It's going to be hard for Paul to get a hold of Noah for class pictures. But then, maybe not since he's always on HIS boat.

Also for that post on Alex whatchamacallhim's thread
the comment about the food

[eyesinthedrk]

i thought that was pauls bio, j/k congrats on the article, i think it would be great to get a semi regular column for paul to contribute, maybe something about your view on the stare of the hobby, like an editorial or something, and then toss in water keepers op/ed, could make for some entertaining reading

[Paul B]

Paul you get a bio too if you submit one. You can also use any pic you want as the one I used is about 14 years old.

Tom, that picture of you is 14 years old? You mean you look worse than that now!.. OMG that is scary.

i think it would be great to get a semi regular column for paul to contribute, maybe something about your view on the state of the hobby, like an editorial or something,

Oh yeah that would be great, especially being I disagree with just about everything people do now

This used to be a simple hobby, we have lost the basic principales of how to keep things alive and healthy and replaced them with technology which is in most cases flawed.
We need to think like a fish.

OK I am a fish. Hey there is a baby fish, I think I will eat it.
Boy I feel healthy now. I think I will look for a Babe fish and put my moves on her.

Or wow another meal of flakes and dried pellets. I wish I had a rope to hang myself. Oh Look there is a good looking Babe fish. Let me see if I can get her to hoist me up to the light socket so I can electrocute myself. We can croak together.

OMG I think I have ich. I hope my owner hypo's me for a month so the ich drives me crazy and kills me.

I really wish I was in Paul's tank, he has a RUGF. Thats a guy who really knows what a fish wants. MMMM black worms and salmon eggs. What more can a fish want.



And yes. I got my water pump changed just as my company arrived for a day of boating

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Paul B
Tom, that picture of you is 14 years old? You mean you look worse than that now!.. OMG that is scary.

Oh yeah that would be great, especially being I disagree with just about everything people do now

This used to be a simple hobby, we have lost the basic principales of how to keep things alive and healthy and replaced them with technology which is in most cases flawed.
We need to think like a fish.

OK I am a fish. Hey there is a baby fish, I think I will eat it.
Boy I feel healthy now. I think I will look for a Babe fish and put my moves on her.

Or wow another meal of flakes and dried pellets. I wish I had a rope to hang myself. Oh Look there is a good looking Babe fish. Let me see if I can get her to hoist me up to the light socket so I can electrocute myself. We can croak together.

OMG I think I have ich. I hope my owner hypo's me for a month so the ich drives me crazy and kills me.

I really wish I was in Paul's tank, he has a RUGF. Thats a guy who really knows what a fish wants. MMMM black worms and salmon eggs. What more can a fish want.

"holy crap Marie" talk about until you wet your pants
So funny but so true
Now I know why I hang around with guys much older than me

BTW Paul
That was a picture of tom at age 14

[Paul B]

That was a picture of tom at age 14

I am very sorry Tom

I can use a picture of Tom Sellic because we look like twins. Even my Mother can't tell us apart.

[eyesinthedrk]

Originally posted by Paul B
Oh yeah that would be great, especially being I disagree with just about everything people do now

that would be exactly the point of any editorial author, for example the other day on my local reef club some guy asked if he could use a clay pot in his QT tank, i have seen the clay pots deal come up a few times in the past. the answers given are usually no, no way, definitely not, don't know but why risk it, and my fav...." i think it leaches phosphates". i know from following you that not only is it ok but you believe it will be the filtration media of the future,

we need some one in reefkeeping mag to get all Andy Roony like, and tell us how it used to be, and to question if we are making progress or just chasing our tails, and since you and water keeper and the only ones old enough, i couldn't see a better two to do it

[Paul B]

I purposely almost never post anything in the Noob threads.
I get all sorts of E Mails telling me I can't tell Noobs that, or it is too complicated, dangerous or causes global warming.
As for clay pots, they are much more porous than live rock. Even clay bricks are great for a fuge. Put a brick in water and watch bubbles come out of it for a week.
I mentioned bricks once and there was all this, they may be contaminated, radioactive, hyperactive, proactive etc.
Anything could be contaminated. So throw it in a pail with some guppies for a while, I don't know, test it on something.
We use PVC all the time, all sorts of stuff leach out of that stuff but no one died from it yet.
I use NY NSW. Most people say EEEEEEWWWWWW you can't use that, it has bacteria, oil, gas, hydrocarbons, dead fish, red tide, hypodermic needles, tires, and Jimma Hoffa. Well maybe it does but I have been to the places where they collect some of our fish and all I can say is EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW.
Talk about no sewage treatment facilities.
Once I wrote how to cure Pop Eye in a few seconds with a hypo needle. I got all sorts of flack from that. Even from some "expert" type people. You know who you are.
I have been doing that for years, never lost a patient (although their insurance will not cover it)
If you don't want to do anything I mention, don't do it.

Keep feeding flake food, use hypo if you see ich, install an 8" DSB
go watch TV and enjoy yourself.

[WaterKeeper]

e-mail sent.

[Paul B]

e-mail sent.

Don't be sending E Mails now. Just go about keeping your water and listening to your DSB crash

[Aquarist007]

Originally posted by Paul B
I purposely almost never post anything in the Noob threads.
I get all sorts of E Mails telling me I can't tell Noobs that, or it is too complicated, dangerous or causes global warming.
As for clay pots, they are much more porous than live rock. Even clay bricks are great for a fuge. Put a brick in water and watch bubbles come out of it for a week.
I mentioned bricks once and there was all this, they may be contaminated, radioactive, hyperactive, proactive etc.
Anything could be contaminated. So throw it in a pail with some guppies for a while, I don't know, test it on something.
We use PVC all the time, all sorts of stuff leach out of that stuff but no one died from it yet.
I use NY NSW. Most people say EEEEEEWWWWWW you can't use that, it has bacteria, oil, gas, hydrocarbons, dead fish, red tide, hypodermic needles, tires, and Jimma Hoffa. Well maybe it does but I have been to the places where they collect some of our fish and all I can say is EEEEEEEEEEWWWWWWWWWWW.
Talk about no sewage treatment facilities.
Once I wrote how to cure Pop Eye in a few seconds with a hypo needle. I got all sorts of flack from that. Even from some "expert" type people. You know who you are.
I have been doing that for years, never lost a patient (although their insurance will not cover it)
If you don't want to do anything I mention, don't do it.

Keep feeding flake food, use hypo if you see ich, install an 8" DSB
go watch TV and enjoy yourself.

Relax Paul---there are reefers like myself and many others that can appreciate your success in this hobby and appreciate you sharing your reasons, methods, things that have worked etc etc.

That said I am on week seven of not doing a water change---my leathers are now taking on new and neat coloration. My display tank water has never looked clearer.
I have changed my salt mix from Instant Ocean to H2Ocean which has much higher levels of calcium, alk and mag which could contribute to going longer without water changes. Also I continue to daily dose with B-ionics two part.
This is of course because I do have sea water available to me as you do.

I guess when you do more frequent water changes you remove alot of plankton etc that is in the water column and the lps corals react to it??


Curious---are you still running carbon 24/7? or do you feel that should only be run occasionally.

[Paul B]

Curious---are you still running carbon 24/7? or do you feel that should only be run occasionally.

I have not ran it since the last time we discussed it.
I have no need for it at this time but soon probably.
I just changed the resins in my final filter before the water goes in my tank. I don't want to lose all of my corals to zinc again.
Yesterday i collected some shrimp' pods and bacteria. If I have time today (I doubt it) I will diatom some of my gravel. It has been a while.
My animals seem fine, except for a coral I can't find due to my urchin re positioning it. I hope to find it soon before it croaks in the dark.

[Paul B]

I just did one of the things that I love to do which I have mentioned before. I removed a bottle that I have not emptied in years and dumped it out in a flask to check out what is living in there. It is an entire eco system. There was a nice strand of seaweed growing right in the center like a mineature garden or bonsai tree. The thing was just teeming with pods, worms and all sorts of other cool little things. This to me is what makes this hobby so interesting. I sometimes get more excited to watch this stuff than my fish.
I had to do some work on the tank because I have a small auto feeder mainly for the hippo tang that puts a few flakes and pellets in the tank in case I don't show up for a couple of days.
I heard the thing cycle and the surface of the water was covered with flakes. The top came off the feeder and about a can of flakes went into the tank. I skimmed a lot of it out but the rest sunk so I had to get out the diatom filter and do a thorough cleaning. As I was doing that I found the coral that I had been looking for that my urchin transported into a cave. It seems fine.
I also did a little aquascaping to re position all the rocks the urchin moved and to re pile anything that had fell.
I also have a problem with corals toppling onto each other so I fixed most of that problem. I also added a few very pregnant grass shrimp. The fish will enjoy that. Tomorrow I will collect some more of those which seem larger this year for some reason.
They are all around my boat along with zillions of amphipods.
That all goes intio the tank.
Have a great day, whats left to it.

[ddinox64]

I had a day off. Not really. The truck I just dumped 3 grand into took a dump about a mile from the house. So I took a vacation day and watched Maverick, as well as changed my drain around to create work space in the stand.

Not digging on the flow in my tank for some reason. Was happy but now I'm not.

So far everything seems happy in the new setup and has made it a week without fail. Looked so nice and full in the 30 gallon. So empty in 90 gallons. Grow babies grow.

Diatom filter? Is that the Vortex Paul? I still have my D1 in the box. It's a love hate relationship with it. Love the job it does. Bit of a chore to set up though. Haven't used it for a while.

I hate buying cars. Not looking forward to doing that tonight. Not like grabbing a loaf of bread and checking out. Put a new motor in and the tranny or fly wheel went. Had it since new in 99'. Did great until about a year ago and decided its had enough. Little things here and there going out on it.

Paul. You run a sump or refugium that the grass shrimp can live in?

[Paul B]

Diatom filter? Is that the Vortex Paul?

Yes that is the Vortex model. I am on my 6th one.
They are not really designed for salt water.

The truck I just dumped 3 grand into took a dump about a mile from the house.

I had my 6 front teeth straightened a few years ago for 3 grand each. 2 weeks ago I asked for the remote from my wife. She tried to hand it to me but ended up kind of throwing it. It hit one of my front teeth and of course cracked the root. So now I am in the process of getting my 8th tooth implant for guess how much? Yep, 3 grand. 3 grand is the magic dentist number. If I just stop in to say Hi to my dentist it costs me 3 grand, if I do a crossword puzzel and the answer is "dentist" it cost me 3 grand.
Now I am missing a front tooth. My wife calls me Mountain Man.
I have a temp but it is a pain to wear even though I do.
She is all excited and thinks she is with a different man.

Paul. You run a sump or refugium that the grass shrimp can live in?

Nope, no sump, no fuge. They didn't invent those when I started my tank. If they did, they would have been made of wood. I built my 5' homemade skimmer to be bolted to the back of the stand, in the closet. There is no need for a sump.
I still don't know what they are supposed to do unless you need to put a skimmer in there.
My grass shrimp swim around my main reef like manly shrimp, or until they jump out. No sissy shrimp in my tank

[Alaska_Phil]

My wife calls me Mountain Man.

Paul, I can get you a beaver skin hat if you'd like. Judging from your photos you could use one in the winter. And yes, those are still available and popular here in Alaska.

And any chance we could see a picture of your skimmer? Or did I miss it somewhere along the way?

Read the article at lunch. Nice job, though I didn't get anything I hadn't already after reading all 60 pages of this thread.

Phil

[Paul B]

Phil yes I could use a hat in the winter. The last time I was in Alaska I had a full head of hair and would not be caught dead in a hat but now I wear one.

You read all the pages of this thread without falling asleep. Wow.

[Aquarist007]

Wow it does take a rocket scientest to be a successful looooooong time reef keeper