My tank just reached 50 years old.

[Snuggs]

Amazed

 

[T33BLACK]

Congratulations!! Awesome to accomplish that! I'm curious how you run the reverse undergravel any pros or cons you like about it?

 

[T33BLACK]

Congratulations! What an accomplishment! I'm curious how you do the reverse undergravel filter and if you've found any pros or cons to doing it over all those years.

 

[Paul B]

So did you rinse the sand in between moves or tank upgrades? I'm moving in a little over a month and a half and upgrading to a new 125 and debating keeping the old sand or not and if so whether I want to rinse it or not.

Prairriereffer, when I moved my tank it had been in the same place for 40 years with an undergravel filter. When I removed the coral and rocks I had an inch or more of mud. I couldn't put that in my tank so I did run salt water through the gravel. I put the gravel in a net and used the old water from my tank. I couldn't use to much of it because I wanted to use

my old water but I used about half of it to rinse my gravel and I had to collect new water at a beach to fill the tank.

I wanted to rinse all my gravel in the sea but a State Trooper chased me from the boat ramp because I didn't have a boat with me.
About a quarter of my gravel I had to rinse with a hose because I just didn't have enough salt water.

 

[Prairiereefer]

Good to know! Thanks!

 

[Paul B]

@Paul B , when you refer to feeding correctly, what’s your method?

I have written much on this but basically it is no dry or freeze dried food, no pellets. All the food should have living bacteria in it and the best way to get that is in live foods like worms. Next best thing is clams that you buy live and freeze yourself. Commercial frozen fish food is great but much of it is either irradiated or deep frozen to kill everything. I also use that but I suppliment at every meal with something with live bacteria.
You can read about that here. It's also in my book but all the stuff in the book is on this forum someplace.

A Huge Problem IMO as to why tanks crash and we have so many problems with just about everything.

I am not the smartest fish keeper in the world, but I am probably one of the oldest. Being one of the oldest, I have also had more time to study this stuff and more time to make mistakes. Mistakes are one way we learn. A very good way. It's actually how they train you in basic training in the...

www.reef2reef.com

 

[Paul B]

.Just a quick question, how do you use your NSW,do you get it fresh for Water changes or store it. eother way do you treat it before putting it in the tank? TIA

I drive to a beach, throw in a bilge pump connected to a hose and pump it into vats in my Jeep.
I do not treat it but being I take it from the surf I strain or filter it because it has a lot of shreadded seaweed and sand. If I take it with my boat it is clean and I don't need to do anything beside heat it up.

If I collect to much, I store it with no special fanfare, just put it in vats, buckets or water cooler bottles and look at it.

 

[saltnut]

Congratulations that is quite an achievement. Nice sound track in the video.

 

[Paul B]

I loved the whales as background music

Thats not background music. I have 3 whales in my tank. They stay stunted because of the size of the tank.

 

[Paul B]

Congratulations!! Awesome to accomplish that! I'm curious how you run the reverse undergravel any pros or cons you like about it?

The reverse UG filter needs to be run very slow. That is the key and if it is run fast, your tank will crash in a few years as to much detritus will be pushed under the gravel. Gravel must be used, no sand.
I run 150 GPH down each of the 3 tubes on my 125 gallon tank.
I made a manifold on one side of the tank in the back, and the 3 tubes come out the bottom and are bent near the gravel.

 

[Daniel@R2R Verified Admin]

Congratulations @Paul B! You're an amazing aquarist and an inspiration to the rest of us! This is a huge milestone!

 

[fishlover1478]

congratulations on 50 years!
how do you keep so many copepod eaters in a 125?

 

[Klyle]

Very nice! Do you keep whales in that tank? What is that noise?

 

[UkiahTheTurtle]

Wow my tank isn’t even a year old

 

[Dcal]

My parents weren't even born when this tank was started which is absurd to think about. Congrats on all your sucess and hopefully it'll continue indefinitely.

You should write a book or something

 

[Hot2na]

love the old broken bottle look ...

 

[Paul B]

congratulations on 50 years!
how do you keep so many copepod eaters in a 125?

They take turns eating. (I have never bought a pod)

Very nice! Do you keep whales in that tank? What is that noise?

It's whales, small ones that keep to the back of my tank. ;Meh

 

[Paul B]

You should write a book or something

Maybe I will write another one titled, "All the Reasons I Don't Want to Write Another Book"

 

[fishlover1478]

lol

 

[Bato367]

That's amazing! Beginners luck...

Kidding, congratulations!