I found my Log Book starting in 1974

[Paul B]

This is the first page of my log book. I also found a book that I started writing at that time. I was listing the fish that I kept and wrote a page or so for each fish. The pictures were drawings that I did at the time. It's a little out dated now. Remember this was before just about anyone carried salt water fish and there were no salt water medications or any information. We had to figure out everything through guesswork. I noticed most of my notes were about diseases.





I found it interesting that I had a Moorish Idol and a copperband butterfly in 1976

 

[Duke4Life]

Uh uh these notes are older than I am . Very cool 2 see.

 

[Paul B]

I see I have them into the 90s. I am reading them and laughing.

 

[reefwiser]

You keep everything Paul,

 

[Paul B]

In 1976 I was still living in my apartment and the tank was 40 gallons. I had that copperband, French Angel and a Moorish Idol in a 40 gallon

 

[Paul B]

I think it is interesting. I read it and laugh at the medications I tried.

I have not seen this book in decades.

I probably used medications I was taking as there were absolutely no salt water fish medications. I think we may have had copper but that's it. The log is full of trial and errors and plenty of dead fish.

Sergeant Majors, blue devils, and dominoes' were the only fish available then. I used copper in my tank almost continuously as all fish had parasites and all of them were on the verge of dying. I see I was using my diatom filter then as I do now and I was trying very hard to cultivate algae. Remember the "corals": were just dead pieces that I bought in a furniture store for decoration.


This was the only publication.

 

[DracoKat]

Wow, you were so organized and detailed! and it's older than I am too, lol. I started a log.. and gave up after day 2 because I just forgot!

And I am on Long Guy Land too!

 

[Paul B]

I probably went a fey years without posting in it. But I have an awful lot of pages for it. It was written on a computer in the later years. I wrote when I changed the water, where I got it from, how much the fish cost etc> I see Royal Gramma's were about seven bucks.

 

[sundog101]

That's really cool!

 

[Paul B]

This is from the day I moved from Queens New York to New Hyde Park, Long Island. A trip of about 9 miles. I put the water and fish in 2 five gallon buckets for the trip and dumped it all back in in my new home. I still had not gotten the new 100 gallon tank here. I think it took me a few months to afford that. In those days there was no live rock or coral to worry about, it was just water and gravel. The decorations were just dead coral skeletons that I removed and soaked in bleach whenever they turned green. That's how all salt tanks were run then. We didn't know or consider bacteria as a helpful thing much. But it seemed the move went well.
I see my tank was also plagued by HLLE possibly because I had so many fish in a 40 gallon tank and the food was most likely flakes or pellets. I don't remember but I am sure I will find it in my notes. I was also using tap water in those days.

 

[redfishbluefish]

That's pretty cool Paul.....however, I was expecting stone tablets!

 

[Paul B]

The stone tablets I used for my fresh water tanks which I started many years before this.

 

[Paul B]

This picture from probably 1979 or 80 shows the green dead corals that were transported from the tank in my old home and the new, bleached white ones must have been the new ones I bought to take up the extra space because this tank was much larger.
I can see I was building my basement around the tank as it was under construction here

 

[Elmer]

That's awesome I started a log book also with the planning for the build

 

[Paul B]

I wish I would have started it when I set up the tank in 71. I don't remember most of what I did because the tank was originally fresh water, then I added some salt and got brackish fish. Then when salt water fish came out I added more salt and still keeping the brackish fish in there I gradually added blue devils, dominoe's and sergeant majors. The brackish fish stayed in there. I had archer fish, scats, mono's and figure 8 puffers. I don't remember exactly when the tank became full salt. Probably early 1972. I think that tank was originally filled with water in the early 60s. When I was in Viet Nam there was only a large catfish in it.

 

[Duke4Life]

@Paul B are you still writing things down or mostly keep track on your computer now?

 

[Bdog4u2]

I was only 5 months old when was written. My parents apartment was littered with freshwater tanks as they were trying to breed fish

 

[rebekwl]

Pretty cool stuff!

 

[Elmer]

I wish I would have started it when I set up the tank in 71. I don't remember most of what I did because the tank was originally fresh water, then I added some salt and got brackish fish. Then when salt water fish came out I added more salt and still keeping the brackish fish in there I gradually added blue devils, dominoe's and sergeant majors. The brackish fish stayed in there. I had archer fish, scats, mono's and figure 8 puffers. I don't remember exactly when the tank became full salt. Probably early 1972. I think that tank was originally filled with water in the early 60s. When I was in Viet Nam there was only a large catfish in it.

I wanted a big catfish tank then my buddy showed me his saltwater tank and I fell in love

 

[Paul B]

Duke4Life. I have not written about the tank since the 90s. In the early days everything was new and no one had a salt tank. Every fish was new and no one ever seen them before. A blue devil was a thrill. Everything came in sick and many things died as we had no medications or knowledge to use them so I had plenty to log. Now my fish never get sick and only die of old age so there would not be much to write.

Bdog, my house was also littered with fresh water tanks. I bred fighting fish, blue gourami's, angelfish and just about everything else that would breed. I even had turtle and frog tanks. It seems my life was always filled with water