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47 year old tank


sen5241b

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Today I went down to my boat to do some important stuff (relax).

 

I noticed plenty of grass shrimp around the boat and I collected a bunch. After looking at the expression on their faces I could tell that they would rather stay in the marina than my tank so I said good bye and set them free. They are happy.

So I had a beer, and read the newspaper before going in the cabin, turning on the air conditioner and pondered the universe (took a nap).

Tomorrow, if it doesn't rain I will take my Grand Kids to my favorite tide pool to do a little collecting.

 

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My montipora's are growing back nicely along with everything else.

 

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A good friend of mine is getting married so he took his tank down and gave me 4 wrasses including these beauties.

 

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I added this marine Betta today. I took his picture while I was acclimating him because now that he is in my tank, I doubt I will ever see the entire fish again as they are hiders.

 

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I just fed the tank and even though that Marine Betta has only been in there for an hour, he will eat all the live worms I want to give him.

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I just came back from collecting 30 gallons of NSW and I would swear this stuff gets heavier every time I collect it. Normally I don't do much to it except heat it and add a little ASW because the salinity here in New York is low for some reason but it is very turbid with all sorts of black particles in it so I had to diatom filter it. I only had a very little bit of diatom powder on hand so I didn't do as good a job as I would have liked but now it is crystal clear and I am just waiting for it to heat up before I dump it in. I even checked the nitrates and they are zero, calcium is 440.

I took it from the Coast Guard Station near Jones Beach. Near here.

 

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Last night was the best fireworks display for me personally (since the By Centinial)

 

 

 

 

We were anchored out in a bay in the Long Island Sound about 100 yards from the fireworks barge so they exploded over our heads. Our closest, life long friends were with us, But the best part is that from there, we could see Manhattan, Queens the Bronx, Connecticut and Long island so we were completely surrounded by fireworks besides the ones over our heads. At the end I blasted "God Bless America" and all the boats blow their horns. There were quite a few boats and thousands of spectators on the shores. Of course I got stopped by the Coast Guard on my way beck because one of my navigation lights went out, but I replaced the bulb in a few minutes and all is well. I hope everyone had a great time.

 

 

 

 

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(edited)

My Daughter has a Condo there in your picture and a roof deck so she was also there. It was a great show.

 

See those colored lights on the top of the Empire Stater Building? I helped put them in many years ago.

Edited by paul b
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I lost another fish last night by jumping out. (the fish, not me) That makes about 5 fish this year alone. I covered the place they normally jump and only have one more area to screen. Unfortunately the healthier a fish is, the higher they can jump.

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I replaced the wrasse that jumped out with this candy cane wrasse.  I like him and may get another one

 

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My Marine beta is doing great, hard to get a good picture because he stays in the shadows and wants to be an Enigma.

 

 

 

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The mandarin just does what mandarin's do and my bluestripe pipefish is pregnant again.

 

 

 

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Paul,

I just got this out of office message. Are you secretly a big-wig in DC, or do you have a clone?

 

In an attempt to relive my youth, I will be on a road trip with my wife through Friday, Jul 31st. 

Unlike my youth, I will be driving an SUV rather than my Corvette, I will have to stop on the hour for the bathroom, and there is no longer much hair for the wind to blow through.  Dinner will be the early bird special instead of midnight, I will be sinking my teeth into polident rather than a steak, and I will be alseep by 8 rather than dancing the night away. In truth, we are off to see our new granddaughter, Vilolet,  to which no youthful adventure could even come close to for fun or excitement.

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As far as I know, I am not a secret big-wig in DC or anywhere else.  But I also have one of these.  2 actually  

 

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  • 2 weeks later...
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

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Dutch Mini-Reef, there's a word I didn't think I'd EVER hear anyone ever use again. If you Google Dutch Mini-Reef darn little comes up, sad as they were pioneers along with Aquareef in the 1980s.  I bought 2 original Dutch Mini-Reef tanks about a year ago, cut them apart and put them into storage, when I retire in the next few years I will put them back together.

 

Collect some small grass shrimp for that Marine Betta, that's what they love to eat and what they eat in their native habitat. I go over onto Maryland's Eastern Shore in the summer and collect them for food for mine.

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Welcome here ReeferRob. As a matter of fact, I may go to my favorite tide pool today depending on the tide and get some grass shrimp. They are also always around my boat and I normally have them in my tank. For now, my betta eats worms and clams. I remember Dutch Mini reefs well when they invented the thing. Still have books about them. Nice systems at the time.

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Edited by paul b
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  • 2 weeks later...
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.
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In case anyone is from Oregon or Wisconsin and has never seen how muscles look at low tide in a tide pool. 

This is where I collect amphipods, shrimp, mud, blue claw crabs (for dinner) and other things.  But no Supermodels, they don't go there.

 

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