Paul B
NJRC Member
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Tank birthday and I'm a Geezer
- Thread starter Paul B
- Start date
After watching your video, I'm not sure why all your fish are trying to get out. It looks so good I want to jump in!
Sorry for your loss Paul.
Sorry for your loss Paul.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I replaced the wrasse that jumped out with this candy cane wrasse. I like him and may get another one
My Marine beta is doing great, hard to get a good picture because he stays in the shadows and wants to be an Enigma.
The mandarin just does what mandarin's do and my bluestripe pipefish is pregnant again.
My Marine beta is doing great, hard to get a good picture because he stays in the shadows and wants to be an Enigma.
The mandarin just does what mandarin's do and my bluestripe pipefish is pregnant again.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Today it will be 94 degrees and of course I am going out in my boat. I will anchor off my favorite tide pool to do a little collecting but amphipod season is over. I was there last week and it was slim pickins for amphipods. Today I will just get some mud for the bacteria and copepods which are much smaller. I won't know if I get many because they are to small for me to see but I can make believe I get them either way. I also just like to play with the many fiddler crabs, grass shrimp, hermit crabs and horseshoe crabs there. At 94 degrees I think I will have to stay in the water all day anyway.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Immunity, just a thought
We don't "yet" have vaccines for fish but we have learned to use vaccines for ourselves. We are still in the dark ages when it comes to fish diseases with just as many problems with fish diseases now as we had in 1971 when the marine hobby started. Many people still believe quarantining is the "only" way to go. Quarantining is "one" way to go and it usually works very well and all new hobbyists should quarantine everything. But as we get more savvy we will learn how to get and keep the immune systems of our fish up to the point where they can take care of themselves. Most of us are not there yet so if you quarantine, "keep doing that".
Not long ago I had an epiphany. No, that is not an Italian desert, it is an idea. I was thinking about fish immunity and the problems many people have with disease when it hit me. No, I mean after my wife hit me. It came to me that 99.9% of the food most of us feed our tanks is sterile. Dry food is baked and frozen foods are, well, frozen. These foods don't have viable bacteria in or on them. This is a huge problem. A fishes immune system, just like ours depends on meeting bacteria, parasites and viruses so it's immune system can recognize the threat. If a fish has never come into contact with an organism, it has no natural defense against it. I am not sure how long this immunity lasts as I am not a fish immunologist and I don't play one on TV. But the live worms I feed my fish every day are loaded with bacteria on them and in their gut. I am relatively sure this one food is the main reason my fish seem to be immune from just about everything. Just a thought and in no way do I say this is true. It is an idea that is IMO worth thinking about.
We don't "yet" have vaccines for fish but we have learned to use vaccines for ourselves. We are still in the dark ages when it comes to fish diseases with just as many problems with fish diseases now as we had in 1971 when the marine hobby started. Many people still believe quarantining is the "only" way to go. Quarantining is "one" way to go and it usually works very well and all new hobbyists should quarantine everything. But as we get more savvy we will learn how to get and keep the immune systems of our fish up to the point where they can take care of themselves. Most of us are not there yet so if you quarantine, "keep doing that".
Not long ago I had an epiphany. No, that is not an Italian desert, it is an idea. I was thinking about fish immunity and the problems many people have with disease when it hit me. No, I mean after my wife hit me. It came to me that 99.9% of the food most of us feed our tanks is sterile. Dry food is baked and frozen foods are, well, frozen. These foods don't have viable bacteria in or on them. This is a huge problem. A fishes immune system, just like ours depends on meeting bacteria, parasites and viruses so it's immune system can recognize the threat. If a fish has never come into contact with an organism, it has no natural defense against it. I am not sure how long this immunity lasts as I am not a fish immunologist and I don't play one on TV. But the live worms I feed my fish every day are loaded with bacteria on them and in their gut. I am relatively sure this one food is the main reason my fish seem to be immune from just about everything. Just a thought and in no way do I say this is true. It is an idea that is IMO worth thinking about.
Paul B
NJRC Member
I went to feed the tank and I noticed that the light over the algae trough was out and the skimmer was dry as was the algae trough. OMG. That lightning strike that nuked my AC and the pump for my worms also killed the light over the trough and my rather ancient powerhead. The powerhead has other issues like the stainless steel shaft is badly worn so when the power went out, it just didn't want to start. I will try to make a new shaft and epoxy it in. The light is toast so I will make another one. I can't even guess how old this powerhead is, probably from the 80s. I have one more like it but I need this type for my skimmer because I designed the thing to fit perfectly.
Paul B
NJRC Member
To Update, I installed the new Split unit AC yesterday and now the house feels like Alaska again and my wife and I are wearing our parka's. I may turn on the heat to counteract the AC.
My tank is doing well. The corals look fine, the "newer" fish such as the possum wrasse (maybe 2 or 3 years old) marine betta,striped wrasse and two yellow wrassses are smiling and doing their thing. The bluestripe pipefish, bangai, fireclowns, mandarin and ruby reds are still spawning. The copperband smiles but his mouth is so small it is hard to tell. All the other fish are happy but I have to many fish so they have to take turns putting their heads underwater. Today is a boating day and all is well. Have a great day.
Paul
My tank is doing well. The corals look fine, the "newer" fish such as the possum wrasse (maybe 2 or 3 years old) marine betta,striped wrasse and two yellow wrassses are smiling and doing their thing. The bluestripe pipefish, bangai, fireclowns, mandarin and ruby reds are still spawning. The copperband smiles but his mouth is so small it is hard to tell. All the other fish are happy but I have to many fish so they have to take turns putting their heads underwater. Today is a boating day and all is well. Have a great day.
Paul
Paul B
NJRC Member
My tank seems to be doing pretty good but I think it's time to stir up the gravel and suck everything out with a diatom filter. This is always an adventure because my diatom filters are put together with a little luck, spit and hope. I have one working and have been thinking of building my own model for many years. I just can't find the time, especially in the summer when it is boating weather. The winter we occasionally go to the Caribbean or some other warm place.
Today I went to 3 different places for live blackworms as I am almost out. This is the first time I can remember being almost out of worms. I can go to a place that I know has them but it is 10 miles away and not very important so I am not going. I may just go to my boat and have a nice glass of Merlot as I watch the sunset. The fish will understand.
My SPS corals, while living fine are not growing much at all except for the montipora's. I have way to many fish and they grew to much. Many of them are still spawning so I keep overfeeding. I am on a spawning fish crusade and have been for a couple of years but that is not good for the SPS as the nitrates are very high. I think they are over 40. I really don't care much for the SPS (I like LPS better anyway). I am not sure how many fish I have but I think it is about 25 or 28. Way to many for a 100 gallon mixed reef. People always ask me, how many and how old are your SPS corals and I realize that is many people's measure of success in this hobby. Luckily, I am over that and not in a contest. I am just having fun and love that my fish are spawning. I also have been on this immunity/ bacteria kick lately and am all excited about that. Have fun and a fantastic night.
Today I went to 3 different places for live blackworms as I am almost out. This is the first time I can remember being almost out of worms. I can go to a place that I know has them but it is 10 miles away and not very important so I am not going. I may just go to my boat and have a nice glass of Merlot as I watch the sunset. The fish will understand.
My SPS corals, while living fine are not growing much at all except for the montipora's. I have way to many fish and they grew to much. Many of them are still spawning so I keep overfeeding. I am on a spawning fish crusade and have been for a couple of years but that is not good for the SPS as the nitrates are very high. I think they are over 40. I really don't care much for the SPS (I like LPS better anyway). I am not sure how many fish I have but I think it is about 25 or 28. Way to many for a 100 gallon mixed reef. People always ask me, how many and how old are your SPS corals and I realize that is many people's measure of success in this hobby. Luckily, I am over that and not in a contest. I am just having fun and love that my fish are spawning. I also have been on this immunity/ bacteria kick lately and am all excited about that. Have fun and a fantastic night.
Paul B
NJRC Member
Oh No. My UGF pump died. This is the fourth one of these I have that croaked. You can fix them up to a point but eventually the seal where the wire enters the thing gets porous and although it will work in air. I don't really need a fan, I need a pump and when I put it in my tank it trips the GFCI. I don't remember when I bought any of these, but they are all from the 70s. They just don't make good pumps any more, or anything for that matter. Except Supermodels as they keep looking better, but maybe it's just my eyes. I can't tell.
A member sent me a new (old) pump like this so I have my reverse UG filter going again, but now I am in search for another one to mix my salt water and a spare in case another one of these vintage pumps bites the dust. I still have one more running. The other "new" pumps I have running are probably from the 80s.
A member sent me a new (old) pump like this so I have my reverse UG filter going again, but now I am in search for another one to mix my salt water and a spare in case another one of these vintage pumps bites the dust. I still have one more running. The other "new" pumps I have running are probably from the 80s.
They look like these. Will these work? http://m.marinedepot.com/aquarium/powerheads_pumps_hagen_aquaclear
Paul B
NJRC Member
The book has been finished for a while and hopefully will be out in a couple of weeks. At least thats what the publisher tells me. Believe me I want it out more then you. I am not sure whats taking so long, I think they want to make a movie from it and they are trying to get Brad Pitt to play me and Angelina Jolie to play my wife. But I am not really sure.
LMAO Paul!!!!!