Reefing; Back in the Day...

[Neil Fox]

Hi all,
I was going through some stuff at my Mom's and came up with these old pics I took of my reef back in 1991 or '92. I thought it would be fun to share them here so I scanned a few. Some are kinda faded but not bad for 25+ years old. Perhaps somebody else would like to add a few of there own.

 

[gacolt]

looks great.wish I had my old tank pics.post some more if you have any

 

[Neil Fox]

Thanks I'll try to find some. I wish I had a FTS.

 

[Neil Fox]

A couple more. MaybeI can dig out an old album.

 

[Joey waid]

Back then there was no internet. All I had was the bookstore. I learned a lot on my own. My local fish store back then was 2hrs away, so help was hard to come by.

 

[Neil Fox]

True Joey. I remember reading all the old Alf Nielsen stuff. I had the two small books along with Martin Moe and those old Herbert Axelrod ones.

 

[revhtree Verified Admin]

Very cool!

 

[Tahoe61]

1996-97.

 

[jgvergo]

Impressive! I'm keeping my fingers crossed for my new tank to turn out as nice as yours was 25 years ago...and you did it without the help of lots of knowledgeable people in the net

 

[Neil Fox]

Looks great Tahoe! You don't see sponges like that nowadays. I really like the gorgonian too!

 

[Tahoe61]

Looks great Tahoe! You don't see sponges like that nowadays. I really like the gorgonian too!

Thank you.
Yeah that is what low technology gets you. Power Compact lighting, lots and lots of clams, sponges (boy I wish I had those sponges today). The tank did have a large skimmer though.

 

[skim]

Ya the good old day's, when Live Rock well was Live Rock and you did not know what would be hitching a ride. When you looked forward to next month's FAMA magazine and what Julian Sprung had to say in his Q and A. It was a great magazine I believe I still have a few. I remember seeing a tank where the guy put special Skylights in over his tank for Natural light.
This was fun to watch.

 

[scchase]

I wish I had some pics from my tank back about that time, lots of mushrooms and leathers, 55g and 4 NO Flourescent tubes (2 Actinic 03s and 2 Tritons). Looks like you had some Halides, I remember the ads in magazines for 175w setups for $75. Oops just read you had PCs, I don't remember them that far back though.

 

[Neil Fox]

I started out with HO flourecents, the Hamilton ones with built in reflectors, eventually moved up to those old yellow 6,500K Iwasaki's. They were the cream of the crop. Yellow lights, brown acro's . Only one guy I new had a calcium test kit, a Hach that everyone would borrow. Frags hadn't been invented yet. I don't remember if phosphate tests were around, I do remember plucking up the courage to pull the media out of my wet dry filter.

 

[jlanger]

I also have stacks of old photos somewhere, but I had found this one a while back of my first reef tank in the early '90s.



Another tank filled with leathers, mushrooms and polyps; mostly all brown and green.
Using hang on the back equipment, multiple powerheads and running 4 NO fluorescent bulbs using two twin-tube fixtures. I can remember the day upgraded to PC lighting, I was thrilled!!!

 

[creektree]

I love this post. Not sure I have any old pics still, though was fowlr back in 91-93, then started with shrooms and softies in 94. VHO, and then I introduced an aforementioned 175w halide. So.. Should I go plenum, or no plenum? . Awesome how far we've come - especially with tank raised. I have baby Bangai Cardinals in a display refugium.. Would have never thought that back in 93.

 

[jlanger]

Frags hadn't been invented yet.

Nope... and we first called it propagating.

 

[Neil Fox]

Ya the good old day's, when Live Rock well was Live Rock and you did not know what would be hitching a ride. When you looked forward to next month's FAMA magazine and what Julian Sprung had to say in his Q and A. It was a great magazine I believe I still have a few. I remember seeing a tank where the guy put special Skylights in over his tank for Natural light.
This was fun to watch.

Awesome Video! I actually didn't know it was a video at first! The brown acro's in my tank were actually obtained by Charles Delbeek. They were shipped in very little water with shredded plastic bag pieces in them. I believe that Ed at Tropical Marine Paradise in Stroudsburg , that Mike Paletta mentions was the guy that brokered them. A lot of memories here.

 

[Jahalu]

I remember my skilter fondly.

 

[Tahoe61]

I remember my skilter fondly.

I kept a skilter on a 15 gallon tank with clowns and a Haddoni Anemone, it was awesome.